Herring & Sons: The Heritage Shoe Brand That Still Fits Ireland

When you think of Herring & Sons, a heritage shoe brand founded in Ireland over 150 years ago by a local cobbler who built shoes for wet streets and rocky coasts. Also known as Irish-made leather footwear, it’s not just a name on a label—it’s the kind of shoe your grandparent wore to work, and your parent still keeps in the closet for winter walks. This isn’t some imported brand chasing trends. It’s rooted in Irish soil, built for Irish weather, and made to last through rain, mud, and cobblestones.

What makes Herring & Sons different isn’t the logo. It’s the Irish leather footwear, full-grain hides tanned to resist dampness, stitched with waxed thread, and lasted over wooden lasts shaped for Irish feet. You won’t find thin soles or glued-on heels here. These are shoes made to be resoled, not replaced. And that’s why they still show up in shops in Galway, Kilkenny, and Derry—not because they’re trendy, but because they work. The same goes for heritage shoe brands, companies that prioritize craft over speed, durability over disposability, and local needs over global trends. In Ireland, where winters are long and pavements are uneven, you don’t buy shoes for Instagram. You buy them for Tuesday morning in Bray, when the rain’s coming sideways and your feet need to stay dry.

And that’s why Herring & Sons still matters. It’s not the biggest brand. It doesn’t run ads on billboards. But if you’ve ever walked through a Dublin rainstorm in shoes that didn’t leak, cracked, or fall apart by March—you’ve probably worn something made in the same tradition. The oldest shoe brand, the one that survived two world wars, the rise of fast fashion, and the collapse of local industry—it’s still here because it never stopped listening to Irish feet.

Below, you’ll find real stories from Irish shoppers who chose practicality over hype. You’ll see how Herring & Sons compares to other heritage names, why people still repair their shoes instead of tossing them, and how this old-school brand fits into modern Irish life. No fluff. No trends. Just real shoes for real weather.