In April 1883, Alice and Ernest Hart, wealthy philanthropists from London, visited Donegal after reading reports of famine and hardship in the northwest. Disturbed by the poverty and lack of employment, Alice Hart, a medically trained and socially conscious woman, sought to revive traditional cottage industries such as weaving, knitting, and embroidery as a means of raising family incomes. By 1884, the Donegal Industrial Fund (DIF) was established, distributing materials and setting up training for local women. Initially focused on weaving, the initiative soon expanded to lace-making, sprigging, and veining, with local women both learning and teaching these crafts across the county.
Alice Hart was particularly passionate about lace and worked to bring Donegal skills to international standards. She sent women to Oxfordshire to master pillow lace-making, focusing on Torchon and Kells styles inspired by Celtic designs. On their return, these women taught lace and embroidery at schools across Inishowen, including Derrybeg, Knockestolar, and Bunbeg. The Kells embroidery schools produced household items like curtains, tablecloths, and book covers, while sprigging classes in Milford, Termon, and Gweedore supplied Belfast markets. Free classes with examinations and prizes encouraged high standards, and dyeing techniques using vegetable dyes were also taught, ensuring the work met the expectations of a wider market.
By the 1890s, Donegal lace had gained recognition in Dublin and London, with patrons including Liberty’s and the royal household. Lace-making families in Inishowen, including Malin Head, benefited from the new markets, while local social gatherings in the evenings strengthened community bonds. The Lace Schools, supported later by the Congested Districts Board, operated throughout Donegal, teaching not only lace but weaving, embroidery, and crochet. Though the rise of cheap machine-made goods after World War I led to their decline, these schools left a lasting legacy, with some adult education lace and crochet classes continuing into the 1930s in villages like Carrowmena. Today, the surviving buildings and the skills they nurtured remain an inspiration for entrepreneurs in Donegal.
