Mountmellick Museum

The main focus of the Museum is to conserve and display original pieces of Mountmellick Work (Embroidery) and to protect the memory of Mountmellick’s rich Quaker industrial past. Mountmellick Embroidery is unique as it is the only form of white on white embroidery from the Nineteenth Century which can claim to be entirely Irish in origin and design. It began in 1825 when there was a world wide revival in embroidery and lace making. A local lady called Johanna Carter took inspiration from the local Flora and Fauna and sourced materials which were being produced locally. She used white satin jean fabric and worked it using white cotton thread. One of the features of the embroidery is, in fact its serviceability, it is meant to be used and it is for this reason that so many pieces are in such good condition as can be seen in the Museum.