A world-renowned Aran knitwear shop and one of the oldest family-run businesses in Galway city is to close its doors for good at the end of the month in what locals describe as the "end of an era".
Siopa Uí Mháille has been an integral part of the city’s landscape for 86 years, ever since the shop was first opened by Galway native Pádraig Ó Máille on Dominick Street in 1938.
The business has since established itself on the other side of the River Corrib, on High Street, where its bright yellow exterior has become a famous landmark for tourists and locals alike.
The shop has been run by Pádraig Ó Máille’s nephew Ger for the past 50 years, alongside his wife, Anne Ní Mháille.
Their handknitted garments and high-quality, Irish made clothes are testament to the skill and craftsmanship nurtured by the pair over the years.
Anne is an avid knitter, who has cultivated the traditional style of Aran knitting.
All her life, she has worked closely with women from Conamara and the Aran Islands, west Clare and from north Mayo, who still knit in the original style and who provide the shop with all its clothing to this day.
Anne believes the traditional style of knitting is dying out. When these women are gone, she says, that will be the last of a great artform.
Anne says she has begged their daughters to learn the skills of the old knitters so that the knowledge is not lost forever, but they have no interest.
By the early 1950s, Siopa Uí Mháille had garnered worldwide attention, after Hollywood came to the shores of Galway.
The Ó Máille family were tasked with making the outfits worn by both John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara for the filming of The Quiet Man - a photograph of John Wayne and other cast members still hangs on the wall of the shop.
Shutting up shop once and for all will be very sad, of course, Anne says.
However, having given the best part of her life to the business alongside her husband, she is exhausted and will be glad of a break.
"We just loved wool," she says, "and we love the idea of goods that are made locally and made well, by people who are passionate about what they do."
While in the shop today, an American tourist approaches Anne with a small tear in his cardigan.
"Can you fix this?" he asks.
"We don't sell this particular yarn here," she answers, after pondering for a minute, "but if you can bring me a strand of it I'll have it done for you in five minutes."
"I like the way you do business", says the man, clearly amused.
"Well, it's my skill," Anne says.
Reporting: Donncha Ó Murchú
