Irish clothing

Traditional Irish Clothing is the traditional attire which would have been worn historically by Irish people in Ireland.

Many of Ireland’s clothing traditions were suppressed as a result of the British rule of Ireland. A series of photos captured by French photographers Marguerite Mespoulet and Madeleine Mignon-Alba in 1913 included images of Irish people in traditional clothing. Some of these photos were taken in Claddagh, a town thought to have retained much of its customs and traditional clothing.

Aran jumpers were invented in the early 20th century. Irish Tweed is a woven fabric incorporating mutli-coloured neps - scraps of wool said originally to have been swept from the floor under the looms at the end of the day, and incorporated into the next day's weaving. In the past, much weaving was done in the home, with the fabric being delivered to a broker. Today, a few mills exist around Ireland which re-create this tweed in the traditional manner. Donegal is the heartland of Irish tweed and Donegal tweed is better known than other Irish tweeds.