Connemara Basket Industry

Chocolate basket F:1993.352. Image © National Museum of Ireland

The majority of 20^th century basketmakers represented in the Irish Folklife Collection were men, but one of the most interesting examples of the Irish basketmaking industry was set up by Birmingham Quaker woman, Sofia Sturges, in 1888.

Sofia arrived in Letterfrack forty years after her fellow quakers James and Mary Ellis, who moved from Bradford and became the resident landlords who were invested in the post famine relief efforts.

In the same spirit Sofia Sturge set up the Connemara Basket Industry to assist those living in poverty in the area to earn an income and become trained as basketmakers themselves. Sofia began teaching in the local courthouse and eventually popularity grew so they could build a structure dedicated to the craft. In its first year over one thousand baskets were produced.

Figure 2. Wicker Vase F:1993.350. Image © National Museum of Ireland

The baskets came into the National Collection sometime in the early 20^th century. It is unclear if they came directly from Sofia Sturge or a person living working in the area. In wasn't until 1993 that the baskets were brought to the attention of the Irish Folklife Division and made part of our collection.
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Figure 3: Letterfrack Factory - Several examples of willow baskets and chairs can be seen sitting in outside of the building. Photograph: Robert French © National Library of Ireland

Unlike other basketmakers in the west of Ireland, this factory was not famous for producing the everyday potato or turf baskets that were used for agricultural and domestic needs but rather more bespoke basketry. In Tim Robinson’s notes on the history of the area, he notes the factory was used to make office furniture and equipment. This explains the peculiar umbrella holder, unlikely to be a feature in ordinary homes in Ireland.
Figure 4: Umbrella holder F:1993.353.1. Image © National Museum of Ireland

The baskets were exported via Westport Quay and sold in Britain. What is also notable about these baskets, compared to the usual thick robust style of more traditional Irish baskets, is that they are made from stripped willow, meaning the skin of the willow rods has been stripped off before the start of the weaving process. This would have been a more aesthetically pleasing finish for the upper-class British market. Approximately seventy different types of baskets, furniture and other wicker items were made at the factory.

Figure 5: Photograph: Robert French © National Library of Ireland

Sofia left Letterfrack in 1896 and returned to England due to poor health that many speculated was burnout from the vast efforts she put into the basket industry. The factory stayed open until 1906. Although no physical evidence of the workshop remains, there is still a strong memory in the community of Sofia Sturge.

A selection of the below baskets from the Irish Folklife Collection are planned to go on display in the Connemara Visitors Centre in the coming months after the completion of its redevelopments. If you are interested in learning more about Sofia Sturge, the book Sophia Sturge and the Connemara Basket Making Industry in Letterfrack by Joan Johnson offers an excellent insight into the full story.

Figure 6: Letterfrack baskets held in the Irish Folklife Collection. Left to right: Rectangular shaped basket (F:1993.353.2), Umbrella basket (F:1993.353.1), Woven vase (F:1993.350), Sweet or chocolate basket (F:1993.352), Basket (F:1994.60)