We believe in creating only the highest quality Irish Dancing footwear. Our shoes are handmade in our workshop in Dorset Street, Dublin, using techniques passed from a previous generation, skills that have been refined over untold years and an eye for quality that permits only perfection.
Cutting the Uppers
A shoe's journey starts when we cut out its uppers from handpicked supple leather. After sewing the uppers together to form the shoe upper, we apply its leather linings.
Lasting the Shoe
The next stage is to last the shoe, where we stretch the leather upper over a mould (or last) in order to add the leather sole.
Stitching Together
Once lasted, we make a groove in the sole and we attach the upper leather. We stitch these parts together, to make a much stronger bond than would be achieved with glue alone.
The leather composition and makeup of a Fay's shoe give it its flexibility, which is essential for Irish Dancing.
Adding the Toe and Heel
When stitching is complete, we add our specially formulated heel, which is screwed on for extra strength. The heel and the toe combine to produce the perfect sound that only a Fay's Irish Dancing shoe can create.
The Finished Product
Straps and laces are added, before one final, critical step – a check to ensure that each shoe is flawless enough to be called a Fay's shoe.
Fays on RTE
The following programme, which was shown on RTE television in May 2011, tells a little bit more of the Fays story.
