THE IRISH NATIONAL COSTUME

New Zealand Tablet, 4 March 1915, Page 43

THE IRISH NATIONAL COSTUME

A short time ago we were asked by a Wanganui correspondent to define the Irish national costume; and as the query raised a question of considerable general interest we decided to treat the matter at some length

and to give our readers the best that could be got on the subject. For this purpose we enlisted the services of the Very Rev. Mgr. O’Leary, of Lawrence, well known throughout the South Island as an accomplished Gaelic scholar and keen Gaelic enthusiast, and as a high authority on all questions pertaining to the national history of Ireland. Mgr. O’Leary has kindly supplied us with the following notes on the subject. What is the Irish national costume ? Lord Ashbourne, in a discussion iii the Irish papers some years ago, said he had studied the'subject of the Irish national costume thoroughly, and his own dress in the picture is as he appealed in the House of Lords. He is a distinguished advocate of the revival of the Gaelic language, dress, music, sports, dancing,, etc. His father was the late Lord Chancellor, and he is a convert to the Catholic Church. There is an elaborate series of drawings of the various fashions in Irish national dress in the Social History of A uncut Ireland, by P. W. Joyce, honorary President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. Some of the figures are taken from ancient engraved book-covers of bone (14th century), others from the face of the shrine of St. Manchem (11th century), one showing the tight trews or trousers with fallain or short cloak, dyed olive-green, is from a copy of Giraldus (A.D. 1200), Irish costumes (A.D. 1600) of gentleman and lady of high classes, persons of middle rank, and peasants (page. 393). The following is a summary of Joyce’s description of Irish dress: —Woollen and linen clothes formed the

dress of the great mass of the people. » Both were homemade. Imported silk and satin were much worn among the higher classes. Both are constantly noticed in . our literature. Furs of seals, otters, badgers, and foxes were much used for capes and for the edgings of garments. - The Scotch tartan, the Gaelic tuartcin of which both the material and' name originated in 'lreland, is defined in the Sen chits J Lor to be a material containing cloth of every color.’ The ancient Irish loved bright colors, and they well understood the art of dyeing. Here is a description of an army in the epic called the Tain’:— ‘ Some with red cloaks, others with light blue cloaks, others with deep blue cloaks, others with green, or blay, or white, or yellow cloaks, bright and fluttering about them; and a young, red-freckled lad, with, a crimson cloak, in their midst.’ The several articles of dress were usually colored differently, like Joseph’s coat. The regulations of Teerumas, an old pagan king, ordered a slave to be dressed in clothes of one color, and a peasant or farmer in two. The king, queen, and ollave were privileged to wear six. 'Green, which is regarded to-day as the national color, is very modern. The ancient Irish had no national color. Here is a classification of the upper garments: (I) A large cloak without sleeves, varying in length, commonly covering the whole person from the shoulders down. (2) A. tight-fitting , coat or jacket with sleeves but no collar. (3) A cape, not always hooded. (4) A sort of petticoat like the present Highland kilt, and no waistcoat. The material of the cloak was according to the rank or means of the wearer. Among the higher classes it was of fine cloth, edged with silk or satin. It was commonly dyed, striped or - spotted. Sometimes it only reached the knees or middle thigh, according to the figures in the Booh of-Kells (7th. century). It was called Itraf/, winch was, and is still, a general term for any outer garment. The fallal (foiling) was applied to a loose mantle reaching above the knees. A coarse loose wrap, either dyed or the natural color of wool, was called hnnnwn. Women had similar cloaks called by the same names. The cloak worn by women had a

hood at the top, which could be turned up, to cover the head. This is still in use. A garment distinct from the preceding over-mantles, worn over all, and usually of linen, dyed saffron, called leine (two syllables), was

in general use by men and', women in outdoor life. -It had many folds and much material. ’ This is noticed by. .Spenser. The.tight-fitting, sleeved, upper, garment, like t the present frock coat, 1 had no collar. It usually reached the middle thigh, often only a little below the hips, with a girdle at the waist. It was' called mar, and had; other names. The short cape, with or without' a hood, was called cocholl (cowl). This fashion continued long later than the 17th century. The Highland kilt is the ancient, Irish celt, kilt being the' phonetic rendering. It is frequently met with in the illustrations of manuscripts. It must have been very frequently, worn by both ecclesiastics-and laymen. The upper garments were fastened by brooches, pins, buttons, girdles, strings. -Many ornamental pins, etc., can be seen in the National Museum. The ancient Irish wore a trousers, so tight-fitting as to show perfectly the shape of the limbs. Leggings ( ochra ) of cloth or soft leather were worn as an, accompaniment to the kilt. They were laced with strings tipped with findnine (white bronze). It was pretty usual with those engaged in war to leave the legs naked, a fashion perpetuated by the Scotch to this day. This Irish fashion is also indicated by such nicknames as Glunduff, Glungel (black.knee, white knee). Both men and women wore a garment of fine texture next the skin. It was called leine (shirt). It was usually made of wool-or flax. A belt (criss) was often made to serve as a pocket round the waist. The spa ran (purse) hung from it. Men wore a hat of conical shape, without a leaf, called barred. Peasants in daily life commonly went bareheaded. Sometimes military, when not actually fighting went bareheaded.. Camden describes Shane O’Neill’s gallowglasses, as they appeared at the English Court, as having their heads bare, their long hair curling down the shoulders, and clipped short in front above the eyes. Gloves of skins and furs, with the fingers divided, were commonly worn. The footwear, or hror/, was often made of untanned hide. There was a more shapely shoe of fully tanned leather, several specimens of which can be seen in the National Museum. There were also sandals bound on by straps. In the National Museum there is a great collection of ornamental objects of personal adornment, some of pure gold, some of pure silver, some of mixed metals and precious stones. The Irish interlaced worked was made in Christian times. Those that have no interlaced work are pre-Christian. All the articles of gold in the museum form by far the largest collection of the kind in the British Isles, being thirteen times greater than that in the British Museum.