Karl Marx had his finger on the pulse of international trade and was well acquainted with conditions in Ireland. In one of his essays, he criticised working conditions in a shirt factory in Derry City – now demolished - and condemned the “sweat shops” which the industry spawned in neighbouring counties such as Donegal and Tyrone. His daughter Eleanor is known to have visited the city.
Marx’s views were out of kilter, however, with those of workers in the so-called “sweat shops” of Donegal. Derry was the world capital of the white shirt industry and in the early 1900s had up to forty factories and 20,000 workers. As shirts were sewn by hand – and there were about 140 pieces in shirt-making – outstations were established by the city factories and women collected bundles which they brought back as finished shirts. Hours of work were long but the income boosted the household of many a farm family and kept bread on the table as well as paying the rent.
The Congested Districts Board was set up in 1891 to improve family income in western sea board counties. Textiles were among the targets and the Board set up Lace Schools where women learned basic skills not only in sewing but also in dress-making, embroidery and knitting. Donegal author, Seán Beattie has made a study of the work of the Board over a 32 year period in the dying days of the British Empire in Ireland. Lace schools feature prominently, and deservedly so as female emigration was greater than male. The Board not only taught women new skills but also embarked on a major marketing initiative. Two well-known London stores, Liberty and Debenham, agreed to stock Donegal lace and knitted goods while others brought the wonders of Donegal tweed, carpets and embroidery to an international audience by setting up exhibitions at World Trade Fairs in Paris and Chicago. By progressing the construction of railways – boosting employment for men – the Board used the new methods of communication to improve marketing.
Beattie’s book also examines the impact of the Board in fisheries, agriculture and poultry production and he argues that the Board – the first development agency in western Europe – was effective in improving living standards and modernising industry in forgotten regions of the country. It had limited resources but it made life bearable in rural communities although it had no success in stemming the flow of emigrants. As in our own time, it did succeed in improving skills’ levels which many emigrants put to good use in foreign lands.
Its greatest success story was Killybegs carpet factory with over 600 women being employed in carpet manufacture in south Donegal in the early 1900s. It lasted for over a century as the factory – on the cover of the book – is used today as a training centre. As we strive to promote entrepreneurship in our economy, Seán Beattie’s study has shown that prudent management of limited resources is the key to re-vitalising the Irish economy. This valuable and informative book reminds us of our potential as a nation and the hidden assets at our disposal. Jim MacLaughlin
Dr. Jim McLaughlin has lectured in UCC in the Dept. of Geography and is co-editor of Atlas of Donegal. Dr. Seán Beattie lives in Donegal and holds a Ph.D. in history from Magee College, University of Ulster. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary degree by NUI, Galway.
