Irish Clothing

As far as traditional Irish clothing goes, most people immediately point to the kilt. However, the kilt was associated with Scotland, and was never worn by the Irish.

Little is known about Irish apparel before the twelfth century. Historians believe that the early inhabitants of Ireland dressed in wool cloth, although some argue that garments made of animal skins were more prevalent. By the thirteenth century, the Irish were bundling themselves in mantles, which are coats made of wool cloth. Most mantles were composed of small scraps of cloth sewn together, although the wealthy were able to afford mantles made from a single but very large piece of cloth.

Cloaks, on the other hand, would signify wealth if they were made from several different colors. In fact, law decreed that slaves could only wear cloaks with one color, while freemen could wear four and kings wore several different colors. During the warm months, Irish men shed their mantles and cloaks and instead sported the léine, a tunic that extended to the knees. The leine was very wide at the bottom and narrow on top. Likewise, the leine's sleeves were narrow at the upper arms but widened greatly at the elbows.

Less is known of the early apparel of the Irish women and children. Like men, women's clothing was mostly derived from wool. It is likely that the earliest female inhabitants of Ireland also donned léines which looked similar (if not identical) to those of their male counterparts. By the fifteenth century, women were wearing long dresses made from wool cloth, often decorated with ribbons and other accessories. These dresses were created and worn in direct imitation of those found in England, where the nobility had banned Irish clothing.

The clothing that most consider "traditional" today was largely worn in the 19th century. Women wore simple dresses, similar to those worn by present day Irish dancers. Lace collars became quite fashionable at this time, as did the green color associated with Ireland today.