Derrick's The Image of Irelande (1581) & Irish Clothing

[Tobus]

I'm curious about the headgear worn by the man on the left in this picture. What is that?

[CMcG]

I don't have much to add to the discussion but I'm certainly enjoying this thread!

[thescot]

Magnificent images, Terry. I shall spend a lot of time examining them in detail. Thanks.

[slohairt]

Your very welcome!

Since I had a touch of some stomach "bug" the last couple days, it took me a wee bit longer to put together than planned...



You & me both, Scott! :mrgreen:

I would also love to see this "Dungiven paper" that Matt & Peter allude too (hint, hint)...



I've always felt that these trews/outfit belonged to an Ulster-Scot, someone from the emigrant Scots/Galloglass community....however this is just a feeling and nothing more. Like Scott (MoR), I think we'll never know for certain. And also, like Scott, I think it's fun to conjecture



Nice! Thanks for sharing that, 'X'!

I hope if anyone else has Tudor period illustrations of Irish /Galloglass dress, that they would consider adding them to this thread.

Great pictures, Terry!

It certainly is possible that they belonged to an Ulster Scot or a Gallowglass. It should be noted, Terry, that those terms aren't really that interchangeable. Ulster Scots (usually) refers to those who came with the Plantation and were mostly Protestant Lowlanders. The Gallowglass were (usually) Gaelic-speaking Catholics who assimilated to Irish culture with even greater ease than the Normans. There are many Irish with Gallowglass ancestry (myself included) that don't really identify as being an Ulster Scot.

[slohairt]

It's too bad Pearse and co. didn't give the Dungiven costume more thought than they did. It could have been 'updated' fairly easily: a modern military-style trews, a doublet of some kind, and a plaid. Maybe even a Kilmainham or pennanular brooch thrown in for panache!

[Paul Henry]

some pictures from The Highland Kilt and the Old Irish Dressby William Pinkerton in The Ulster Journal of Archaeology, First Series, Vol. 6 (1858), pp. 316-327
the text that goes with it is:
The figures, 1 aid 2, in the accompaying plate, taken from a very rare, (I believe, unique) en graving of Irish costime, purporting to be "DRxw?r APTE, R TH QrcMEr," and preserved in the Douce collection, in the J3odleian Library-exhibit the plaited shirts, lwhose sleeves hang trailing down;" the short-waisted jerkin, with "pleates set thick about" the middle. In it we see also the formidable "skene,"2 and the peculiaxly shaped swords, lke those on the tomnbs of Irish kings, as represented by Waler. Again, in figure 3, repr?esenting O"More, an Irish chief, in 1600, from a MS. in Tlinity College, Dublin, we see the "'fernoralia silfijoisasima et arctissinaa" of Camden, 'Quod vero ad mores, iuitom, et lingasm spectat, a silvestribus illis Hibelmicis, de quibus egimus, ne tantillum dis crepaut ia facile unaan eadem esse gentem cognoseamus,
320 tlhl II Irish trouzes" of Derrick. Figure 4 is from DeiTick, and represents " Donolle Obreane," an Irish agent employed by the government to negociate with insurgent ehiefs. He is in the act of receiving a letter from the hand of Lord Depuaty Sir Henry Sidney, who is on horseback. Figure 5 is from the same work, and represents a "Lamerne," clothed in a mantle, driving off a herd Of cattle after a successfLl foray on the English pale.

It's another interesting article on Highland/Irish Dress.

The Hensall article is fascinating, Especially as a child I often saw the model and the tartan in a glass case every time I went to the Museum,(about twice a week!)
I've got a reference copy as well, but not sure whether I am allowed to openly show it

ps. sorry the pdf copy has not faithfully copied the text, but I'm sure you get the gist!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I'm curious about the headgear worn by the man on the left in this picture. What is that?

The two men on the left are both wearing helmets. Presumably the one on the far left has a nose piece that folds down to further protect the face of the wearer. Since this engraving was done by Albrecht Drurer in 1521, I suspect that both helmets were of German manufacture, Germany then being the center of the armour industry. Interestingly the close fitting "skull cap" helmet is padded on the outside which raises the question as to its construction. The padding suggests that it might be a leather arming cap, intended to be worn under a heavier iron helmet, as opposed to being the actual iron helmet itself.

The other fellow (the one wearing the Birkenstocks and carrying the bow and arrows) is wearing an equally interesting helmet as it appears the the visor is actually a bevor which is designed to fold down to provide protection for the throat and lower face while leaving the wearer with an unobstructed field of view in a battle. The style of this helmet suggests that it is probably a quarter century older than the date of the engraving, thus it is likely that it is an example of the transition from the very open basnet-style of helmet to the sallet helmet which was close fitting and provided full protection for the head and neck.

Neither helmet is what would have been considered cutting edge technology in the first quarter of the 16th century, but rather they are solid and serviceable pieces of armour of the sort that would have been commonly encountered throughout Europe at that time.

[macwilkin]

It's too bad Pearse and co. didn't give the Dungiven costume more thought than they did. It could have been 'updated' fairly easily: a modern military-style trews, a doublet of some kind, and a plaid. Maybe even a Kilmainham or pennanular brooch thrown in for panache!

A variant of that idea was actually suggested at one point for the Free State's ceremonial guard:

"Originally, the artist Seán Keating headed up a committee to design a uniform in a suitably modern-but-Celtic style, as was the general artistic bent of the Irish state at the time. Keating’s design called for a saffron léine tunic with six rows of black braid, black cuffs, a blue brat cloak, pantaloons, and a black Balmoral bonnet with saffron feather."

-- http://www.andrewcusack.com/2010/04/...-blue-hussars/

http://www.military.ie/army/speciali...it/history.htm

Instead, the Army decided to go with a uniform patterned after the British 8th Hussars -- thus the Irish "Blue Hussars" were born.

T.

[BoldHighlander]

Great pictures, Terry!

It certainly is possible that they belonged to an Ulster Scot or a Gallowglass. It should be noted, Terry, that those terms aren't really that interchangeable. Ulster Scots (usually) refers to those who came with the Plantation and were mostly Protestant Lowlanders. The Gallowglass were (usually) Gaelic-speaking Catholics who assimilated to Irish culture with even greater ease than the Normans. There are many Irish with Gallowglass ancestry (myself included) that don't really identify as being an Ulster Scot.

Thanks John.

I didn't mean to imply that the Galloglass & the Ulster-Scots were one and the same. I actually meant to convey "belonging to either or". Sorry for the confusion.

[Downunder Kilt]

Thanks for the thread Terry. As always, you have given us something to think about, and in my case, enlighten me about something I knew nought about. Cheers mate