In the early 1960s, Irish musicians, The Clancy Brothers, emerged in the hip Greenwich Village folk scene. Performing their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, the brothers famously wore matching Aran jumpers. Sixty years later, the Aran jumper is still recognised and worn worldwide. 

The Clancy Brothers reported in a 2009 interview they did not understand the significance at the time of appearing on the Ed Sullivan show, which reflected their choice of outfit. In the run-up to their performance that would forever change their career and Irish culture in America, The Irish musicians impressed one of Ed Sullivan's employees at a local concert. The brothers were invited to perform at the Sullivan show and were shocked that the show's headliner, Pearl Bailey, had cancelled. The Clancy Brothers were asked to do a last-minute stand-in for Bailey, resulting in 80 million viewers across America listening to Irish folk music.

It was reported while they were touring, it became freezing in New York. The brothers' mother would send the band aran jumpers from home to keep them warm, resulting in their iconic reputation for the jumpers. 

This première resulted in the exposure of the Aran jumper to the North-American market and saw a massive increase in sales and imports from Ireland. 

From a warm winter's jumper to a fashion trend, the Aran jumper became wildly popular with rockstars like Elvis movie stars like Steve Mcqueen wearing Aran jumpers well into the 1960s. 

Today, over 60 years later, the Aran jumper is still worn within popular culture. Taylor Swift is seen wearing an Aran jumper on her 'Folklore' album, and celebrities such as Patrick Dempsey, Chris Hemsworth and Ewan Mcgregor are photographed wearing the fishermen's jumper regularly. The Aran jumper is the perfect example of what an influence Irish culture can have worldwide, still with relevance in 2021.