How They Prepared And Made Up Clothing Materials
The wool was taken from the sheep with a shears having two blades and two
handles, much the same as our present hedge-shears. After the shearing the
whole work up to the finished cloth was done by women, except fulling,
which was regarded as men's work. The wool, after shearing, was sorted
and scoured to remove the grease, and then carded into soft little rolls
ready for spinning. Both wool and flax were spun with the distaff and
spindle as in other countries; for the spinning-wheel was not invented
till the fifteenth or sixteenth century.
The thread was woven in a hand-loom, nearly always by women in their own
homes. Ladies of high rank practised weaving long ornamental scarfs as an
accomplishment, which they did by means of a long thin lath--something
like our crochet work--as the Greek ladies of old practised weaving
ornamental webs. The woollen cloth was fulled or thickened by men who
practised fulling as a distinct trade.
Our records show that linen was manufactured in Ireland from the earliest
historic times. It was a very common article of dress, and was worked up
and dyed in a great variety of forms and colours, and exported besides to
foreign nations. So that the manufacture for which Ulster is famous at the
present day is merely an energetic development of an industry whose
history is lost in the twilight of antiquity.
The flax, after pulling, was tied up in sheaves and dried, after which it
was put through various stages of preparation much like those of the
present day. After spinning, the thread was finally wound in balls ready
for weaving.
The beautiful illumination of the Book of Kells, the Book of Mac Durnan,
and numerous other old manuscripts, proves that the ancient Irish were
very skilful in colours: and the art of dyeing was well understood. The
dyestuffs were not imported: they were all produced at home, and were
considered of great importance.
The people understood how to produce various shades by the mixture of
different colours, and were acquainted with the use of mordants for fixing
the dyes. One of these mordants, alum, is a native product, and was
probably known in very early times. Dyeing was what we now call a cottage
industry, i.e., the work was always carried on in the house: as I saw it
carried on in the homes of Munster more than half a century ago.
The cloth was dyed by being boiled with the several dyestuffs. The
dyestuff for black was a sediment or deposit of an intense black found at
the bottom of pools in bogs.
A crimson or bright-red colour was imparted by a plant which required good
land, and was cultivated in beds like table-vegetables, requiring great
care. There were several stages of preparation; but the final dyestuff was
a sort of meal or coarse flour of a reddish colour.
The stuff for dyeing blue was obtained from the woad-plant (called in
Irish glasheen) after several stages of preparation, till it was made
into cakes fit for use. A beautiful purple was produced from a sort of
lichen growing on rocks, after careful preparation. A still more splendid
purple was obtained from a little shellfish or cockle. This method of
obtaining purple was practised also by the ancient Britons or Welsh; and
by the same process was produced the celebrated Tyrian purple in still
more distant ages.
For sewing, woollen thread was usually employed. Women sewed with a needle
furnished with an eye as at present. From an early time needles were made
of steel, but in primitive ages of bronze. In those days a steel or bronze
needle was difficult to make; so that needles were very expensive: the
price of an embroidering needle was an ounce of silver. The old Irish
dressmakers were accomplished workers. The sewing on ancient articles of
dress found from time to time is generally very neat and uniform: one
writer describes the sewing on a fur cape found in a bog as "wonderfully
beautiful and regular."
Embroidery was also practised as a separate art or trade by women. An
embroiderer kept for her work, among other materials, thread of various
colours, as well as silver thread, and a special needle. The design or
pattern to be embroidered was drawn and stamped beforehand, by a designer,
on a piece of leather, which the embroiderer placed lying before her and
imitated with her needle. This indicates the refinement and carefulness of
the old Irish embroiderers. The art of stamping designs on leather, for
other purposes as well as for embroidery, was carried to great perfection,
as we know from the beautiful specimens of book-covers preserved in our
museums.
Ladies of the highest rank practised needlework and embroidery as an
accomplishment and recreation. For this purpose they spun ornamental
thread, which, as well as needles, they constantly carried about in a
little ornamented hand-bag.
The art of tanning leather--generally with oak-bark--was well understood
in Ireland. By the process of tanning, the hide was thickened and
hardened, as at present. Tanned leather was used for various purposes, one
of the principal being as material for shoes; and we know that curraghs
or wicker-boats were often covered with leather. A jacket of hard, tough,
tanned leather was sometimes worn in battle as a protecting corselet.
More
-
How Ireland Became The Most Learned Country In Europe
In old pagan times, long before the arrival of St. Patrick, there were schools in Ireland taught by druids. And when at last Christianity came, and was spreading rapidly over the land, those old schools were still held on; but they were no longer ... How Irish Handicraftsmen Excelled In Their Work
All the chief materials for the work of the various crafts were produced at home. Of wood there was no stint: and there were mines of copper, iron, lead, and possibly of tin, which were worked with intelligence and success. From the most remote... How Irish Missionaries And Scholars Spread Religion And Learning In Foreign Countries
Towards the end of the sixth century the great body of the Irish were Christians, so that the holy men of Ireland were able to turn their attention to the conversion of other people. Then arose an extraordinary zeal for spreading religion and lear... How Kings Chiefs And People Were Subject To The Brehon Laws
The ancient Irish had a system of laws which grew up gradually among them from time immemorial. And there were lawyers who made law the business of their lives, and lived by it. When a lawyer was very distinguished, and became noted for his knowle... How The Ancient Irish Excelled In Art
The old Irish people became wonderfully skilful in some branches of Art; and many specimens of their handiwork still remain--preserved through the wreck of ages--which exceed in beauty of design and in perfection of execution all works of the kind... How The Ancient Irish Excelled In Music
From the very earliest ages Irish musicians were celebrated for their skill, not only in their own country but all over Europe. Our native literature, whether referring to pagan or Christian times, is full of references to music and to skilful mus... How The Ancient Irish Lived As Pagans
When Ireland was pagan the people were taught their religion, such as it was, by Druids. These druids were the only learned men of the time, and they had in their hands all the learned professions--they were not only druids, but judges, prophets, ... How The Ancient Irish People Were Governed By Their Kings And Chiefs
There were in Ireland, from times beyond the reach of history, kings, who were of various grades according to the extent of the country or district they ruled over. The highest of all was the king of Ireland, who lived in the royal palace at Tara.... How The Ancient Irish Physicians Were Skilled In Medicine
Among most nations of old times there were great leeches or physicians, who were considered so skilful that the people believed they could cure wounds and ailments as if by magic. In some countries they became gods, as among the Greeks. The anc... How The Ancient Irish Wrote Down All Their Literature And How Books Increased And Multiplied
Printing was not invented till the fifteenth century, and before that time all books had of course to be written by hand. According to our native records the art of writing was known to the pagan Irish, and the druids had books on law and other ... How The Character Of The Old Irish People Showed Itself In Various Circumstances And On Various Occasions
Some of the modes of salutation and of showing respect practised by the ancient Irish indicate much gentleness and refinement of feeling. When a distinguished visitor arrived it was usual to stand up as a mark of respect. Giving a kiss, or more ge... How The Irish Derived Amusement And Instruction From Historical And Romantic Tales
From the earliest date, the Irish people, like those of other countries, had Stories, which, before the introduction of the art of writing, were transmitted orally, and modified, improved, and enlarged as time went on, by successive shanachies, or... How The Irish People Lived As Christians
It is not our business here to tell how the Irish were converted to Christianity; for this has been already related in our Histories of Ireland. Whether St. Patrick was born in Gaul or in Scotland, we know at any rate that he brought with him to I... How The Irish Scholars Compiled Their Annals
Among the various classes of persons who devoted themselves to Literature in ancient Ireland, there were special Annalists, who made it their business to record, with the utmost accuracy, all remarkable events simply and briefly, year by year. The... How The Irish Travelled On Land And Water
That the country was well provided with roads we know from our ancient literature, and from the general use of chariots. They were not indeed anything like our present hard, smooth roads, but constructed according to the knowledge and needs of the... How The People Dressed
An oval face, broad above and narrow below, golden hair, fair skin, white, delicate, and well-formed hands with slender tapering fingers: these were considered as marking the type of beauty and of high family descent; they were the Marks of Aristo... How The People Held Great Conventions And Fairs And How They Amused Themselves
Public assemblies of several kinds and for various purposes were held all through Ireland; they were considered very important, and were looked forward to on the several occasions with great interest. Affairs of various kinds, some affecting the w... How The Warlike Old Irish Conquered Foreign Lands
From the remotest times the Irish had a genius for war and a love of fighting; and if it fell within the scope of this narrative, it would be easy to show that these features in our character have come down to the present day. For good or for bad,... How They Ate Drank Feasted And Entertained
Dinner, the principal meal of the day, was taken late in the afternoon; and there was commonly a light repast or luncheon, called 'Middle-meal,' between breakfast and dinner. It was the custom to have better food on Sundays and church festivals th... How They Built And Arranged Their Houses
Before the introduction of Christianity, buildings of every kind in Ireland were generally round or oval. The quadrangular shape, which was used in the churches in the time of St. Patrick, came very slowly into use; and round structures finally di... How They Fenced In And Tilled Their Land
Ever since that remote time when legend and history begin to give us glimpses of the occupations of the inhabitants of this country, we find them engaged in Agriculture and Pasturage. For both of these purposes open land was necessary; and accordi... How They Prepared And Made Up Clothing Materials
The wool was taken from the sheep with a shears having two blades and two handles, much the same as our present hedge-shears. After the shearing the whole work up to the finished cloth was done by women, except fulling, which was regarded as men's...