Mary McNelis – Matriarch of Rossan Knitwear celebrates her 100th birthday

Take a drive to the far west on the Sliabh Liag peninsula until you see Rathlin O’ Birne island at the end of ‘Ceann Ros Eoghan’ or Rossan Point and there you will find an archaeological honey pot for tourists where the many megalithic tombs are dotted around the Malinmore valley.

The Cloghanmore court tomb or ‘Clochcurra’ is a great heap of stones that dates back 5,000 years to 3000BC, which had long been buried in the peatlands of the Malinmore glen until it was discovered by turf cutters in the 19th century. Across the road from this ancient site was where Mary and husband Paddy McNelis raised their family of three girls and two boys.

It was here that Mary first set up business without too much planning, except to earn some supplementary income for her growing family on a small farm. Down the years, she has told her story, and extracts from the Rossan website are quoted on how she created the business by chance and how proud she was that she was able to keep her family close by and working steadily when all the youth were emigrating to England and America at that time.

READ NEXT: 'Women were isolated' - Meet the woman at the heart of Donegal Area Women's Group

“Back then, all people ever talked about was emigration, just waiting for families to grow up and emigrate. I thought what a terrible way to live, you know, to bring up big families at the time. If they go by choice, that's fine. But if they go from necessity, that's what is sad about it, but because of our factory, four out of five of my children were able to stay'.”

"I earned twenty-one shillings in old money for an Aran sweater. And it took most of a week to knit it'. 'I never dreamed it would come to all of this!'

"No one paid me no mind, a woman starting a business. I was a young mother then. What I really wanted to do was to get out of my kitchen!' ' I knitted through the winter and through the spring. At the beginning of July, I put a sign up at the top of the road, a very simple one, KNITWEAR FOR SALE. It was mainly children's jackets, but by the end of the season, I had everything sold.' Not long after, Mary’s new workspace was in a mobile home at the end of her laneway, knitting away every chance she got. 

Her new reception room became a social call for so many locals who would call in for a cup of tea and a chat. Word of mouth recommendations brought hotel guests and new customers and valuable sales. 

So, while the Rossan Knitwear story began back in the mid-seventies, her business took a leap when she first acquired a handloom and linking machine in a small room next door to the family home and the build-up of her business grew gradually while she and Paddy raised their family of five.

By the end of the seventies, Mary’s business began to increase in demand at a time when her family were becoming interested in getting more involved. In the early 1980s, her two sons, John and Michael, with her two daughters, Pauline and Sarah, under the watchful eye of Mary, set up their own business.

Designs varied from the standard Aran styles to their own range of tweed knitwear using Donegal fleck for the annual Crafts Fair in Dublin, where orders for export to the USA and UK grew. International buyers became loyal customers who ordered according to the fashion demands, which changed every season during those growing years of the nineties. With this export success came increased employment numbers, and they became the second largest production employer in the parish after the Errigal fish processing factory in Meenaneary.  

Mary was the ultimate salesperson and had the vision to see the potential as she filled orders for bespoke handknits in the unique local yarns, which were manufactured in the next parish of Kilcar. Today, Rossan sell their sweaters in both of their retail shops, The Glencolmcille Woollen Market in Malinmore and the Sweater shop in Carrick, which are both on the Wild Atlantic Way, which attracts many tourists. Their stock is complemented with other Irish brands, which makes for an exciting shopping visit. 

Mary has always been the matriarch and pioneer of entrepreneurship to so many women and men in Donegal.  Sadly, Johnny, who was the Managing Director, died a few years ago, and is missed by all.  

It was with great joy in the community that on February 11, she celebrated her 100th birthday with a mass in St Columba’s Chapel in Cashel with all her family and close friends in attendance. 

It was followed by a big party with refreshments in her granddaughter’s Anne Marie Kelly’s Kitchen restaurant in the Lace House across the street, where all agreed that the McNelis family couldn't have a more inspiring mentor or a more visionary leader. All the speeches on the day wished Mary many more years of health and happiness to see the fourth generation take over the helm at Rossan.  Comhghairdeas!!!