They met in a carpet factory. Six decades later Cork couple weave time-travel 'tapestry'

The 16-year-old Tom was selected for the role and so began a career that was to span over three decades until he retired, having reached the level of production manager, in 1984.

Youghal Carpets was established on Monday, March 8, 1954, and at its peak, employed over 600 people.

The company closed in 2006 and when the factories in Youghal and Carrigtwohill shut up shop in 1984, the area was devastated. Today an Aldi store stands on the site of the Youghal building where Tom and his colleagues once wove the creations that were sent across the globe.

It’s also where he and his future wife Kay met.

Kay worked in the factory’s office and the couple’s paths would cross as they went up and down the backstairs.

Now 88, Tom recalls how the textiles the plant produced also began to crisscross the globe, including the first-ever carpet, which was transported by the local postman’s horse and dray to the train station in Youghal. “From there it would be delivered ultimately to the customer,” says Tom.

Forty-two hands were required to set up the loom — and famous feet were often destined to tread those threads, “The factory was renowned for its high quality and carpets featured in Las Vegas casinos as well as in the Sultan of Brunei’s palace,” he says.

Hearsay among former workers has it that Frank Sinatra was among the clients placing orders.

For many years, Tom and his colleagues attempted to set up a museum or visitor centre — to no avail.

And it was Kay who was to carry the thread of Youghal Carpets’ story into the present.

She and Tom had safeguarded wool and memorabilia from the factory which now forms the basis for an art exhibition created by former employees, their families and the community with west Waterford artist Katie Nolan at Greywood Arts Centre in Killeagh, Co Cork. “One day Kay Donnelly arrived at a workshop with a big bag of wool. ‘I took it out of the factory when it closed,’ she told me,” says Katie.

“My work is driven by a fundamental interest in how human interaction with technology shapes cultural and sensory experiences.

“I was experimenting and playing with the Youghal Carpet wool attempting to develop ideas or a concept that might relate to the rich and multidimensional history of this renowned textile industry.”

As well as spools of wool, Kay also gifted Katie 1970s photographs. “The photographs, taken by the design team at Youghal Carpets in the 70s are of stone walls, lichen, and other elements from nature that were used to inspire the colours for the wool. So precious!” adds the artist.

Over several months last year, events were organised at Greywood Arts for former workers at Youghal Carpets from both the Youghal and Carrigtwohill factories. “They came armed with precious memorabilia, old wool and jute, photographs and documents from their Youghal Carpets days,” says Katie.

“I felt compelled to honour these keepsakes and to record the workers’ anecdotal stories.”

An initial social gathering of ex-employees in January 2024 at Greywood Arts revealed a community of workers eager to recount and share their stories and memories. “The event was a celebration of shared experiences and a rekindling of connections that time hadn’t eroded, “adds Katie.

A papermaking workshop ensued whereby photocopies of these items along with unspun old Youghal Carpet wool were re-contextualised into new handmade sheets of paper. “The recorded memories of the workers are printed onto these handmade papers, a potent gesture to embed the words of the workers within some of the original fibres from the factory,” she adds.

“The handcasting workshops at Greywood Arts involved 42 hands cast in plaster, to represent the role of the 42 workers that were needed to prepare the looms before the machine could weave a carpet.

“My intention was to make a faithful and potent representation of the manual skill and labour that was part of the Youghal Carpet workforce. The sculptures form part of the exhibition alongside a multi-screen video installation exploring various aspects of the workers’ tasks, memories and experiences.” 

On Friday, March 14, Greywood Arts in partnership with Katie opened the exhibition The Knot on the Fly, reflecting on the rich history and cultural legacy of the Youghal Carpets factory. The display will be at The Mall Arts Centre in Youghal until March 23.

The exhibition is the culmination of the collaborative project with former workers and their families. “We wanted to explore its socio-economic, cultural, and artistic impact,” says Katie.

“Through video, installation, 3D prints, letterpress, printmaking and sculpture, The Knot on the Fly considers the nature of modern technology and the diminishing role of touch and manual skill in contemporary life. At the heart of the work is the concept of the human hand as technology, drawing parallels between traditional craftsmanship and the digital age.

“The Knot on the Fly has been supported by Cork County Council and Creative Ireland, fostering engagement with East Cork’s multi-ethnic community and using textiles as an intercultural language to encourage dialogue and knowledge-sharing.” 

Greywood Arts creative director Jessica Bonenfant adds: “Youghal Carpets was such a huge part of the local community and economy in East Cork for many decades, and its closure in 1984 had such a significant impact on the socio-economic fabric of East Cork. This exhibition celebrates the workers. 

"By offering ways to reconnect with one another through workshops in papermaking and weaving, storytelling, and hand-casting, artist Katie Nolan combines their stories and shared experiences into a poignant and important creative expression. We invite everyone to come along and experience this unique exhibition.”

• The exhibition will be open daily at The Mall Arts Centre in Youghal from 10.30am to 4.30pm until March 23; see Greywoodarts