Shop Like a Local In... County Kerry, Ireland
In this new Yahoo Travel column, we scout out the most amazing (and the most secret) shopping addresses around the globe. These are the places where insiders go to find their treasures — and the best deals. After all, who doesn’t want to know how to shop like a local?
Ah, County Kerry, Ireland: this is the land that shopping legends are made of: from the charming fishing town of Dingle to the dramatic Ring of Kerry. This is the place where your grandmother traveled when you were a child and brought back itchy Irish sweaters (at least mine did). Things have come a long way: the clothes are more stylish, the crafts more creative, and even the sweaters softer. Here, some of the finds we uncovered on a recent visit.
The Linen Chest, Dingle
Kids clothes and linens at the Linen Chest in Dingle (Photo: Linen Chest)
Ireland is known for its fine linens, and this sweet boutique behind one of Dingle’s colorful façades really delivers. The Linen Chest is also a great source for kids’ clothes, from hand-smocked jumpers to lace-lined Victorian pajamas (which also come in adult sizes, if you want to rock that mommy-daughter look). The shop also stocks adorable handmade rag dolls wearing nurse outfits, pirate costumes, and classic floral pinafores.
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Lisbeth Mulcahy, Dingle
The interior of Lisbeth Mulcahy (Photo: Lisbeth Mulcahy)
One of the country’s most famous weavers, Lisbeth Mulcahy puts a fashionable spin on traditional tweeds, using deep colors to create lush herringbone scarves. Everything is hand-woven on old-fashioned looms in the second-floor atelier: if you ask nicely, they’ll take you upstairs to watch the artisans in action.
Kathleen McAuliffe, Dingle
A hat by Kathleen McAuliffe (Photo: Kathleen McAuliffe)
Who doesn’t need a butterfly-bedecked chapeau? Milliner Kathleen McAuliffe creates the kind of statement-making hats and fascinators that you could imagine a British royal rocking at a glamorous wedding. There are also more practical looks: from tweed berets to felt trilbies to faux-fur pillbox hats, if you can call a pillbox practical.
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Mary Neeson Ceramics at the Blue Pool Gallery, Killarney
Ceramicist Mary Neeson (Photo: Original Kerry)
Just down the street from the hauntingly gorgeous Muckross Abbey, on the edge of Killarney National Park, is this chic ceramics shop and studio set in a former post office. Owner Mary Neeson has a wonderfully quirky sense of humor: check out her cups emblazoned with a vintage Volkswagen Beetle and her wall-mounted porcelain toothbrush holders (a toothbrush holder has never looked this good). You can also watch Neeson at work, creating her light-as-a-feather pottery.
Kerry Woolen Mills, Killarney
Outside Kerry Woolen Mills (Photo: Kerry Woolen Mills)
It’ll take some effort to locate the outlet shop for Kerry Woolen Mills, down a narrow country road on the outskirts of Killarney. But it’s worth the detour. There are great prices, as well as products that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, like a sweater and skirt set for a Barbie doll. Out back you can watch the sweaters being made on the old-fashion wooden loom.
Wisteria, Killarney
A dress from Traffic People, sold at Wisteria (Photo: Traffic People)
From the street, Wisteria looks like a vintage clothing shop. But step inside this well-edited boutique, and you’ll find all-new fashions with a retro twist from European brands like Traffic People, whose coquettish designs incorporate lots of diaphanous silk and metallic jacquard.
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