September, whether at sea or ashore, marks the beginning of sweater weather. And what’s more appealing than the time-honored, masculine style of an Irish fisherman’s jersey? Even in updated form, it remains a practical, appealing garment, recognized by everyone as an authentic example of wearable folk art. Best of all, it’s a piece of clothing imbued with a sense of the past, with plenty of romance, not to mention legend, dogging its history.
Industrious women in the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, were probably the first to create the stylized, knitted pullovers we now call fishermen’s sweaters. Back in the 19th century, they were usually made of undyed unscoured sheep’s wool, still loaded with lanolin, which repelled water. This was no small thing for oceangoing fisherman, soaked…
