Stitches In Time exhibition of traditional clothing on Inis Oírr SeanStíl Éadach Taispeántas d’éadaí traidisiúnta in Inis Oírr p2 p3 Introduction Réamhrá Many writers, artists and scholars visiting the Aran Islands Ba chúis iontais é gléas na n-oileánach do chuid mhaith in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were scríbhneoirí, ealaíontóirí agus scoláirí a thug cuairt ar struck by the manner in which the islanders dressed. Oileáin Árann ag deireadh na naoú haoise déag tús na Their take on traditional Irish dress codes lent them a fichiú haoise. Bhreathnaídís difríocht ó dhreamanna eile in distinctive appearance, even among their contemporaries Iarthar na hÉireann mar gheall ar an mbealach a gcaithidís in the West of Ireland. A style or costume evolved here an gléas traidisiúnta. Cuireadh an gléas in oiriúint don which reflected local raw materials, traditional skills in bhunábhar áitiúil, do scileanna traidisiúnta teicstílí, do textiles, physical conditions on the island, the demands choinníollacha fisiciúla an oileáin, don éileamh oibre agus of work and a shared aesthetic. This style of dressing was don tuairim chomónta faoin rud a bhí slachtmhar. Bhíodh still evident among older members of the community an gléas seo á chaitheamh ag an dream a bhí suas sna until the 1960s. Now that it has disappeared, a group of blianta suas chomh deireanach leis na 1960aidí. Mar go women on Inis Oírr have assembled an exhibition of the bhfuil sé imithe uilig as an saol anois chuir grúpa ban in island costume as they remember it. They have gone Inis Oírr taispeántas d’éadaí traidisiúnta an oileáin, mar is rooting in presses and attics to find old items of family cuimhin leosan é, le chéile. Chuaigh siad ag cuardach na clothing and, with the help of photographs and their own seanéadaí i gcófraí agus áiléir agus le cúnamh grianghraf recollections, they have brought to life, once again, the agus a gcuimhní féin tá bailiúchán acu den ghléas traditional Aran ‘look’. traidisiúnta. A distinctive dress code Gléas ar leith Homespun fabric and homemade clothes were Bhí éadaí a bhí déanta agus sníofa sa mbaile coitianta in customary throughout nineteenth century Ireland but Éirinn sa naoú haois déag ach go gcaití ar bhealach áirithe the clothes were worn in a particular way on the Aran iad ar Oileáin Árann. Glactar leis nach gcaití na bróga islands. The only items regarded as being truly unique úrleathair, déanta as craiceann bó, agus an bheilt fhite to the islands were the cowhide shoes ‘bróga úrleathair’ ar a dtugtar ‘crios’ in áiteacha eile seachas sna hoileáin and the woven belt ‘an crios’. The outer sleeveless seo. B’ábhar suntais iad na fir lena gcuid veisteanna gan ‘veist’ gave the men a signature look while layering and mhuinchillí in éineacht le go raibh baint mhór ag dath colour played their part in making the Aran costume agus ag an gcaoi a gcaití na brait le gléas ar leith Árann. distinctive. Blue, for example, was always used for the Bhíodh dath gorm mar shampla ar dhroim na veiste ach back of the ‘veist’ while the front was left a natural d’fhágtaí dath glas ar an bpíosa tosaigh. Ní in Oileáin Árann grey-brown (dath glas). The women’s famous red skirts amháin a chaití na cótaí dearga cáiliúla ach go rabhadar (cótaí dearga) were not unique to the Aran islands, but an-choitianta ann. Bhí an seál donn ‘Paisley,’ a raibh an-tóir they were widely worn here. The heavy brown shawls ag na mná sna hoileáin air, coitianta go maith in Iarthar na much-loved by island women were popular throughout hÉireann ach ba isteach as monarchana in Albain a thugtaí Stitches In Time County Galway and were in fact, expensive imports na seálta daora seo. from Scottish factories. exhibition of traditional clothing on Inis Oírr Cibé cé as ar dtáinig siad mhair na héadaí traidisiúnta in Whatever their origins, traditional dress codes persisted Oileáin Árann níos faide ná mar mhair siad in aon áit eile longer on the Aran islands than elsewhere in Ireland and in Éirinn agus dá bharr seo tugtar suntas dóibh sa lá atá SeanStíl Éadach so caught the attention of the modern world through inniu ann trí obair ealaíontóirí cuairte, grianghrafadóirí, Taispeántas d’éadaí traidisiúnta in Inis Oírr the work of visiting artists, photographers, ethnologists eitneolaithe agus scríbhneoirí ar nós John Millington Synge. and writers such as John Millington Synge. They Chuir siad féiniúlacht Oileáin Árann chun cinn bunaithe popularised notions of Aran island identity based on the ar shimplíocht, féindóthanacht, tíosaíocht, ársacht agus virtues of simplicity, self-sufficiency, frugality, antiquity cruas. Is féidir na luachanna seo uilig a bhraith in éadaí and hardiness. All of these values can be read into the traidisiúnta Árann. traditional Aran costume. p4 p5 Host family to visiting scholar Thomas Mason, Inis Oírr, 1929. An teaghlach ar fhan an scólaire cuairte Thomas Mason leo in Inis Oírr, 1929 p6 p7 Men wore several layers of homespun Bhíodh glac mhaith brait éadaí, a bhíodh sníofa woollen clothes to keep them warm and dry agus déanta sa mbaile, á gcaitheamh ag na as they worked outdoors in all weather. The fir le go mbeidís te agus tirim ag obair taobh layers varied according to the seasons. amuigh i chuile chineál aimsire. D’athraídís na brait de réir na séasúr. A peaked cap Caipín le speic Léine ar dhath A light grey shirt éadrom liath (Léine ghlas) A white sleeved Seaicéad bán jacket le muinchillí (vástchóta) An outer THE MEN’S COSTUME waistcoat Vástchóta taobh amuigh (Veist) ÉADACH NA bhFEAR A woven belt Beilt fite (crios) Heavy, wide “There were always three pockets in the “Bhíodh trí phóca sa veist i gcónaí. Iontu seo trousers Treabhsar trom, veist. In it a man would keep things like choinníodh na fir tobac, bosca cipíní solais, leathan (Drár glas) tobacco, a box of matches, snuff, a couple of snaois, cúpla tairne, paidrín, píosa Pailme nails, rosary beads, a piece of blessed Palm, beannaithe agus b’fhéidir cúpla bonn airgid. a few coins maybe. Sometimes, they also Bhíodh bonn beannaithe ar an taobh istigh den Knitted socks had a holy medal pinned inside the collar to chába acu corr uair freisin le hiad a chosaint ar Stocaí cniotáilte protect them at sea”. an bhfarraige”. “There was a lot of work in making a veist or “Bhí obair go leor i gceist le veist nó péire maith Bróga úrleathair a pair of good trousers”. treabhsair a dhéanamh”.. Pampooties p8 p9 Ba iad na gnáthéadaí a chaitheadh fir Inis Oírr ná: • Léine ghlas - seo léine éadrom liath gan cába déanta as • Choinnítí suas an drár nó treabhsar le crios a bhíodh cadás nó olann a chaití leis an gcraiceann. casta timpeall an bhásta cúpla babhta agus sáite isteach thiar ar an droim. • Léine ghorm - léine olann níos troime le caitheamh os cionn léine. Sna blianta níos deireanaí chaití geansaí • Stocaí cniotáilte a théadh go glúin. Bhídís dubh nó gorm cniotáilte in áit an léine ghorm. dúghorm de ghnáth le pátrún triantánach ag áit na méaracha agus cúpla líne ar bharr na stocaí. Doirtéal • Vástchóta - Seaicéad bán d’olann a sníomhadh sa a dhéantaí sa mbaile a bhíodh acu ag coinneáil suas na bhaile. Is minic go gcaití é seo sa samhradh in áit an léine stocaí. ghorm nó mar bhrat eile sa ngeimhreadh. • Bróga úrleathair, ar a dtugtar ‘pampooties’ anois, • Veist - seaicéad olann níos troime gan mhuinchillí a dhéantaí iad seo as craiceann bó agus dhá phíosa dorú a chaití os cionn na n-éadaí eile. Bhíodh droim na veiste bhíodh iontu mar iallacha bróige. Bhí greim maith ag na daite gorm agus d’fhágtaí an dath glas ar an bpíosa bróga úrleathair ar charraigeacha fliucha, nuair a bhítí tosaigh. Bhíodh líneáil báinín ar na píosaí tosaigh. ag baint feamainne mar shampla agus iad thar a bheith Bhíodh cába uirthi agus trí phóca. feiliúnach sa gcurrach canbháis nó craicinn mar nach • Drár glas - treabhsar trom, leathan déanta as olann. bpollaidís í. • Chaitheadh na fir drár bán faoi seo, bhíodh an drár bán • Is caipín speice nó hata feilte a cheannaítí i nGaillimh níos éadroime. Chaití an drár bán leis féin sa samhradh is mó a chaití in Inis Oírr. Bhí ‘tam-a-shanter’ na hAlban, nuair a bhíodh sé te. Bhíodh scoilte iontu in íochtar le go beret cniotáilte le bobailín, coitianta in Inis Mór. mbeadh sé furasta iad a iompú suas agus a choinneáil The typical men’s costume on Inis Oírr consisted of: Ní raibh sé d’fhaisean ag na hiascairí cóta ná seaicéad báistí tirim nuair a bheidís ag sá currach mar shampla. a chaitheamh. Bhídís ag brath ar olaí nádúrtha a n-éadaí • A lightweight grey woollen or cotton collarless shirt • A woven belt (crios) was wrapped around the waist olann le hiad a choinneáil réasúnta tirim san aimsir fhliuch. worn next to the skin (léine ghlas). several times and tucked in at the back to hold up the • Corr uair bheadh treabhsar maith ag fear d’ócáidí Baineadh triail as “oilers” baile, sé sin chuimlítí ola rois drawers or trousers. speisialta ar nós lena bhainis nó le dul go Gaillimh. • A heavier blue, woollen over-shirt (léine ghorm). In Gheobhaidís treabhsar ar iasacht ó chomharsan mura isteach i gceaileacó láidir. later years, this was replaced by a blue knitted jersey • Knee-length knitted socks (stocaí). These were usually mbíodh ceann maith acu. (geansaí). black or navy blue with a triangular pattern on the front at the toes and a couple of stripes at the top. • A jacket (vástchóta) of white homespun wool. This Socks were held in place with home-made garters was often worn instead of the léine ghorm in summer (doirtéil).