Opened by a visionary woman back in 1892, Foxford in Co Mayo is still to this day carrying on Irish traditions – and bringing them into the present.
Foxford has been a part of our national consciousness for many generations. There was a time when most beds in the country were warmed with cream blankets with a blue or pink border and a little green and gold label that read, “Foxford Woollen Mill”, as it was known then. Though unremarkable at the time, the sight of that blanket now evokes memories for so many of nights tucked up in one’s childhood bedroom.
It is a huge triumph that such a brand has been in existence for over 130 years and still has such vitality and energy. Persevering. The founder of the mill was a true visionary. A remarkable leader and educator, Agnes Mary Morrogh Bernard or Mother Arsenius, a Sister of Charity, started two schools, a bakery, a library and a pharmacy during her tenure at St Mary’s convent in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.
In the late 1800s, she was asked to come to Foxford to see if she could help the community who were particularly devastated by the famine, and still feeling its crippling effects. She identified that education and employment were key to the community’s survival and immediately took the school into her care. With fields of sheep surrounding the town and the River Moy running through it, she decided a woollen mill was the solution for employment.
She started with a turbine to harness the energy from the river and opened the mill in 1892. The business flourished, manufacturing mainly rugs and woven cloth, and at one point the fabric for every Garda uniform in the Irish state rolled off its looms. James Joyce wove it into Irish culture with reference to it in two of his most famous works: Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.
By 1905, it was employing 150 people.
The mill clock was the time the village moved to; the bobbins, shuttles and looms creating the pulse to which the village worked. Unrelenting, Sr Arsenius set up a convent, a secretarial and a music school in Foxford as well as being responsible for the building of the mill workers’ cottages. She passed away in 1932 at the age of 90.
As demand for duvets and synthetic bedding grew, the mill faced a decline. The sisters recognised that their business was not in milling but in charity and education, and in 1987 the gates closed.
Receivers were appointed, headed up by young Mayo accountant Joe Queenan. With the high unemployment of the 1980s, Joe says, “I knew how important the mill was to the town, and how important it was to keep the skills alive, because to retrain an entire workforce would be an impossibility.” However, “one by one, all interested parties turned away, understanding the scale of the work ahead.”
After three years of looking for a buyer, Queenan turned his attentions to searching for investors, and with their help, he bought the mill. Restarting the mill was gruelling. Perhaps where the real meaning of the phrase “on tenterhooks” was born; fabrics were not the only thing being stretched on tenters – the business almost fell through Joe’s hands on more than one occasion, but he persevered. “Part of it was naivety at the time. I loved the history of the place. I was hugely determined but times were tough.” Wexford businessman Tom O’Mahoney, an investor, was of huge help to him as a confidant and business advisor, Joe freely admits.
Aware of the need to stay ahead of trends, in 2000 Joe asked designer Helen McAlinden to join the team, advancing their designs for a new era. She continues to draw on the colours of the Mayo countryside to inspire her stunning combinations for seasonal collections of throws and a bed linen range which is made for Foxford in Portugal. Old colour cards with yarn of beautiful hues stand in an office that I imagine has not changed much over the years. Pigeonhole storage shelves are full of old and vital records of this fabulous institution.
One such piece is the heritage Michael Collins blanket, a design that dates back to 1922, made specifically for Collins as the commander-in-chief of the newly established Irish Army. The three colours were chosen to mirror the sentiment of a new Ireland. The Foxford blanket was found in Michael Collins’ car and covered his body after he was shot. Saved by a nurse, it was later given to the National Museum. The blanket has been reproduced; woven in a traditional Foxford check of green, white and gold, using a vintage 4-ply yarn which is extra warm and durable with a traditional roll fringe, it is a really special piece.
In 2006, Queenan opened a café at the mill, run with the same ethos of quality, creating employment for the local community, and using local produce wherever possible. Everything is freshly cooked in their kitchens under the inspirational direction of chef Kathleen Flavin. The café and shop are hugely popular with locals and visitors alike.
The mill is still in the tin building that Mother Arsenius built, complete with all of its religious icons. Old machines are still in operation, colourful spools turning, threads being woven by armies of long, slender steel needles into intricate patterns. The building and remaining artefacts create a beautiful window to the past with echoes of kindness and industry lingering in its hallways. Light streams in through the large windows on the mill’s upper floor overlooking the river. Here there is an impressive warping machine fitted, when I visited, with white diaphanous mohair threads catching the light like an intricate cobweb, a piece of art in itself.
Joe has a love and respect for the mill and community that is hugely admirable and reflects the ethos first expressed by Mother Arsenius, continuing her legacy. His tenure has been far from easy, with more than a little nervous tension over the past 40 years. However, the success of Foxford today is testament to his vision, tenacity and commitment. May it linger in our consciousness and grace our homes for generations to come.
Photography: Cliodhna Prendergast
This feature originally appeared in the spring/summer 2024 issue of IMAGE Interiors. Have you thought about becoming a subscriber? Find out more, and sign up here.
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