"In another thread elsewhere - the subject of Aran sweaters as a sort of folk stereotype"

I saw that thread to.
Prior to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, folk songs were being kept alive by tenors in penguin suits. "The Rose of Tralee" was then, what "Danny Boy" came to be.
The Aran knits were as much of a statement as the Beatle haircuts.
A very clever piece of marketing, I'd say.
Trouble is, I wouldn't be caught dead in an Aran jumper now and I love them.