McKernan Woollen Mills

McKernan Woollen Mills is a family-run weaving studio and workshop in the village of Tuamgraney, County Clare, on the western shore of Lough Derg between Killaloe and Mountshannon. It was established in 1985 by Eugene and Anke McKernan, and the business remains centred on the design and making of woven and knitted textiles at its Tuamgraney premises.

The mill is best known for its richly coloured scarves, produced in original patterns with a range of natural textures. Alongside scarves it makes shawls, hats and other knitted accessories, each piece hand-finished on site. Production brings together carefully restored nineteenth-century Hattersley looms and modern knitting machinery, combining traditional weaving with contemporary technique.

Visitors are welcome at the studio, which offers free guided tours of the working weaving and knitting rooms, where you can see the looms and machines in operation and follow a design from concept through to finished piece. Tours are available in both English and German. They finish in the on-site mill shop, where the full range of accessories can be browsed and bought.