Here at Blarney Woollen Mills we have a fantastic team of talented individuals. Not only are they great at what they do, but they are passionate! Geraldine is one of our longest serving staff members here at Blarney having worked at the Blarney Woollen Mills for the past 36 years.
“I first started in the Thatched Cottage that now sits on the grounds, I was a stock runner, and back in those days if you were a runner you ran! The Mill had just been bought by Christy Kelleher the year that I started, and over the years the store expanded a few feet at a time until the Blarney Woollen Mills grew to the complex you see today”
There have been a lot of happenings over the years that have made Geraldine enjoy every day that she comes in to work. For her, the main focus is always the customer. Part of this is making sure that the customer feels welcome and enjoys ‘a bit of craic’ as part of their Blarney experience.
“I feel as if I’ve never worked a day in my life. Coming in to work for me is such an enjoyable thing, I get to meet people from all over the world and hear their stories and quite often their connection to Ireland while assisting them with their shopping experience. It really makes my day to see someone leave having had a really enjoyable experience.”
Customer feedback is how we refine and amend our Aran offering here at the Mill, and the most interesting request Geraldine has ever had from a customer was 20 years ago for knitted Aran dog coats for a lady’s 2 little dogs. After much planning the dogs were measured and a knitter was sourced to hand knit these beautiful Aran doggie coats. You can say we were ahead of our time for bijoux doggie wear.
There isn’t a stitch, pattern or product in our Aran section that Geraldine wouldn’t know, and that’s what makes her so special. Customers return time after time to Geraldine when visiting Blarney Woollen Mills when looking for Aran Sweaters.
“From 2 little things, a knit and a purl stitch, you can not only create these fantastic designs, but within these stiches you see reflected the love, lives, losses and history of the Aran Island community.”
Every year new styles and patterns come in and everyone has their own favourite. Geraldine’s favourite Aran is the Hannah Aran Sweater . A lovely women’s hooded Sweater this sweater incorporates the diamond stitch with represents hope and future wealth while blending this effortlessly with a modern and versatile twist. Her favourite colour for this season? Heather.
