Aran Crafts Irish Sweaters

The village of Monasterevin in the county of Kildare is the home of West End Knitwear. Molly’s dream was to incorporate a family knitting business whose heritage stretched back for over 100 years. Molly is the granddaughter of Kate O’Shea, who, in 1856, was the first craftswoman in Ireland to commercially market her robust, hand knitted woollens. Molly’s sons John and Paul along with her grandson

Niall are the present owners of the company. All involved are naturally proud of the long knitting tradition in the Cullen family. That’s the story of how West End Knitwear began. Today, it is the biggest knitwear manufacturer in Ireland, it’s a modern company with a young, energetic workforce. We are the largest Aran sweater and jacket producer in the world. West End Knitwear is conscious of its roots in the past; however, the company has its eyes firmly focused on the future. From it’s situation in the west end of Europe it takes pride in being the first company to manufacture garments which were originally designed for those engaged in a rugged, outdoor life. Some of these garments have been adapted for modern worldwide markets and are worn by men and women with pride and pleasure. All our Aran Craft garments are knitted using the highest quality merino wool, or pure new wool. NUA, our newest range is knit using a combination of 90% Merino wool and 10% silk giving the garments a luxurious handle. We have a large capacity in 3 and 5 gauge knitting. We produce for customers own brand labels, this is an important part of our business. Any trade enquiries regarding contract knitting are welcome, please contact us for further information.