IWTB a 16th c. Irishman

[Pádraigín Ó Ruairc]

Hello,

I would like to be a 16th c. Gael. Probably from the area around Cork during the period from 1525 to 1550. My persona will involve fighting for the Irish in the Irish wars and I intend to be a swordsman. I would like to be a son of the clan chief and not one of the mercenaries from Scotland or a peasant fighter. Info about armor(go figure), weapons used and clothing worn would be wonderful. If you need more info I can provide it.

Many thanks!

[Tibbie Croser]

I'm not sure about the earlier 16th century, but for the Irish wars of the Elizabethan period there's an Osprey book. Look at the "Image of Ireland" by John Derrick. (1581)
http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/about/bgallery/ ... eland.html
It's a short book from the late 16th century with illustrations of Irish native troops as well as English troops. For clothing patterns and information, go to reconstructinghistory.com, Kass McGann's site. She has articles on finds of Irish clothing as well as patterns. She's a fountain of knowledge on 16th-century Ireland, especially clothing. If you strive for accuracy, she'll be very helpful.

[Pádraigín Ó Ruairc]

I already have an Osprey book about the Irish wars, but it is broad covering 1450-1603 so only brushes my time period. The images looked awesome, though they seemed more focused on the English conquest of the "wild man". But all the same, an image can say a thousand words. I will take a look at those patterns too, thanks a bunch.

[Bake Nasty]

This site doesn't seem to have exactly what you are searching for, but you may find it useful regardless.


http://www.geocities.com/na_degadmediev ... pment.html

[Pádraigín Ó Ruairc]

That site no, but branching off from that site I have found three or four of great use in clothing styles as well as general armor(More info would still be desirable). This was a great find thanks!

[LeeC]

The Osprey book is one of the worst they have made. Just look at the paintings with the gauntlet that would not close, and the helmet with the visor that turns into a shovel instead of covering the face. Throw in that green ionar peplum tutu of doom and I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth just thinking of it...

I highly suggest Mairead Dunlevys "Dress in Ireland" for softkit.
here is a site I would have given much for back when I helped found one of the top 16th c Irish reenactment groups in Socal back in the 90s.

https://www.reconstructinghistory.com/s ... &a=194&w=2

You pretty much have two choices. As the son of a clan chief you would quite possibly if not likely be thoroughly educated on the mainland somewhere. It would be quite feasible for you to dress and arm as any other gentle of Europe at the time.

Or you can gho "Wild Irish" as they would say.

Get a good leine, ionar, and mantle perhaps a flat cap throw in a belt pouches and shoes and you are set for soft kit.

[Pádraigín Ó Ruairc]

I agree about the Osprey book, very very poor. And what you say about education and dress make sense, I was already planning to have my persona having gone away from Ireland to go to university. So that works out great. I think I can sew all that myself (hopefully). I did some looking around at the Portland State University library which had quite a bit on the Irish wars, though many focused on the English and what they did. From what I gathered the more European chieftains and other educated nobility would dress in European armor with an air of the wild Irish. I have not seen any pictures or paintings of this though. Does anybody know if that is really the case? When I say air of wild Irish I meant that they used Irish weapons and had slightly less armor then their mainland counterparts.

[Saritor]

You don't really, for whatever reason, have "Irish weapons" that are anything other than a "look" thing. (Ring-hilted longsword, for example, with the tip a little more square.)

A lot of armour by that point was scavenged from either family stores (so, out of date armour, even back to 14th century stuff in at least one account) or, for the wealthy, bought new from Germany. Greenwich wasn't up and running yet, so there's no real "English" style. There's also a fair amount of armour scavenged from the English occupying troops discarding things, but Cork's far enough out of the Pale that I doubt there was much in the way of that happening.

I'm not too sure about O Ruairc in Cork...most of what I have regarding them as players and lordlings in the later Irish Wars have them all as doing so in Leitrim and Cavan (divided by long-time feuding between O'Reilly and O'Rourke) or Ulster. One Hugh O'Neill's men was a lord in Breifne, Brian, which was sandwiched conveniently in between O'Neill lands at the other end of Ireland.