Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Libraries Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Blog Pricing
Podcast Image

Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam

Suzie Monaghan of Monaghans Cashmere

13 Nov 2025

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

1.533 - 26.824 Joe Lynam

Breakfast Business with Enterprise Ireland on Newstalk. Probably only one product that comes from goats that can command very high prices. And that's cashmere, of course. My next guest has been selling cashmere sweaters, socks and jackets for 65 years on South Anne Street. And as we approach Christmas, she expects her busiest time to start now. She's Susie Monaghan from Monaghan's Cashmere.

0

26.844 - 27.464 Joe Lynam

Good morning, Susie.

0

27.484 - 28.125 Suzie Monaghan

Good morning, Joe.

0

Chapter 2: What unique qualities make cashmere a high-priced product?

28.145 - 35.893 Joe Lynam

Thank you. Remind us where how you garner the material. I don't want to call it wool. It's not called wool. Is it from the goats?

0

35.873 - 39.919 Suzie Monaghan

So sheep produce wool, goats produce a hair.

0

40.339 - 45.506 Joe Lynam

Okay, and that is scraped off the, not scraped off, but kind of brushed off.

0

45.627 - 53.458 Suzie Monaghan

Brushed, just as you would brush your dog. You know the way you would have those combs for brushing your dog? Our goats would be done the exact same way.

0

53.518 - 55.681 Joe Lynam

And are they shorn like a sheep might be?

55.861 - 63.872 Suzie Monaghan

No, no, not our goats. I believe that some companies do, but that's damaging the hair and obviously we don't want that.

63.852 - 77.701 Joe Lynam

OK. And so it's all this wool is garnered and it ends up in bales, I presume. And then you make you don't make the sweaters in Ireland, but you kind of commission them to be made in Italy and Scotland. Is that right?

78.102 - 78.182

Yes.

78.55 - 85.601 Suzie Monaghan

Mostly in Scotland. We've been dealing with the Scots for 65 years from day dot.

Chapter 3: How does Suzie Monaghan source her cashmere materials?

85.941 - 88.766 Joe Lynam

I have to stress that you didn't set up the business 65 years ago.

0

88.866 - 112.328 Suzie Monaghan

No, my father did in 1960. He opened the store on his birthday. Wow. So we're celebrating 65 years this year and it also would have been Dad's 100th birthday. He was hanging out for that cheque from the government, but he didn't quite make it. He made it to 98, but unfortunately he passed away five days before his 98th birthday.

0

112.609 - 115.915 Joe Lynam

And he'd be very proud that you're continuing to run the business. And is it going well for you?

0

117.025 - 132.79 Suzie Monaghan

It's been difficult this year, I would say. In the summer months, we would be mostly tourists, but the tourist market, the American market, people just didn't seem to be travelling this year. That's interesting.

0

133.03 - 134.472 Joe Lynam

Yeah. So it's a softening market.

135.554 - 142.845 Suzie Monaghan

It's picked up, thankfully. Usually we would see the Americans from about May till October.

143.146 - 143.286

Mm-hmm.

144.397 - 163.084 Suzie Monaghan

They weren't coming in May, June, July. And I'm sure that's a lot to do with what was going on in the States. And a lot of people, I think, were afraid to travel. That's what they were telling us. But they've started to come September, October. So it's picked up, thank God. But it was a quieter summer for us.

163.484 - 172.738 Joe Lynam

And now that the Americans aren't here in the same numbers as you approach Christmas, then I presume most of your market will either be online or Irish customers.

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.