Our Growers

The Galway Wool Co-op

We are a farmer-owned and run co-operative; supplying an Irish grown bio-fibre that is Galway Wool.

Our farmers know that happy, healthy sheep are productive animals. We work in tandem with nature to shepherd our flocks with compassion and care.

All our wool comes from Pure Bred Galway Sheep that have a registered pedigree, ensuring our partners are creating and making with authentic Native Irish Wool.

Sustainability and supply chain transparency are increasingly important factors for consumers.

We believe the consumer deserves the highest standard of integrity and traceability when it comes to their wool purchases

We founded  The Galway Wool Co-op to restore the cultural integrity of Native Irish Wool and provide the consumer with unrivaled provenance for their woolen products.

From the clothes we wear, the rugs and carpets under our feet, and the soft furnishings in our home, the Supply chain is critical to the end product. Galway Wool represents an authentic, ethical, and durable choice for an increasing cohort of manufacturers and consumers.

Whether you’re creating with our wool or a treasured piece made from Galway Wool, we trust you will cherish it as much as we do.

An rud is annamh is iontach

The thing that’s seldom is wonderful or as we more commonly know it, what’s seldom seen is wonderful.

We believe Galway Wool is both rare and wonderful.

Galway Sheep Breeders Association

Established in the 1920s by a group of farmers in the Athenry Area of Co Galway. This group of lowland sheep breeders became anxious that the flock book established in 1895 by their neighbouring County of Roscommon was waning and failure to maintain a flock book could have rendered this lowland breed extinct. Almost 100 years of meticulous record-keeping and co-operation with the Irish Dept of Agriculture and other State bodies have to led to the preservation of The Galway Ewe or White Sheep.

The members meet once a year at their annual show and sale held at the livestock mart in the heritage town of Athenry.

This meeting usually occurs on the 3rd Monday in September and the timing of the sale is important for breeders as the beginning of Autumn signals the preparation for the breeding season.

The breeders of these Galway Sheep come from all over Ireland. Some travel for several hours to meet with fellow breeders and buy sheep at this annual event. To become a member of the Association you must have Pure Bred Galway Sheep and follow strict guidelines as set out by The Association when selecting stock for mating; this ensures the back breeding of animals does not occur.

The Association is responsible for the cherished flock book. Traditionally this flock book was maintained by the association secretary but in 2018 the entire flock book was uploaded to www.sheep.ie

Our Wool Growers

Our growers are a richly diverse group, farming in All four Provinces of Ireland with one common goal, to preserve The Galway; our much loved native Irish Heritage Breed.

Our group is made up of people from all walks of life. Some have smallholdings and a burning desire to keep our native breed alive, others may have larger flocks and enjoy the wonderful benefits of shepherding a Galway flock due to their docile nature and excellent mothering ability. All of our growers are committed to raising the standard of wool produced here in Ireland. The care for our sheep, and the support this lends to biodiversity in our countryside, is at the heart of everything we do.

Blatnaid & Niall Gallagher – Galway

Kieran & Bernie Shannon – Clare

Carmel Greene – Kildare

Karl & Jerry Lynam – Kildare

Dermot Connolly – Galway

Matthew Carroll – Galway

Martin Warde – Galway

Margaret & John Hegerty – Galway

Gerry Nolan – Galway

Karl Scanlon – Kildare

Sean O’Neill – Galway

Hubert Melia – Galway

Esther Logue – Donegal

Paddy Glynn – Galway

Olive Dempsey – Galway

John Greaney – Galway