Figure 1.--Inishmaan (Inis Meadhóin) was the middle of the three main Aran Islands in Galway Bay along the western coast of Ireland. It today has a population of about 183 (2016), making it the smallest of the Aran Islands in population. It may have had a smaller pipulation when the photograph wa s takem The Aaran Islands hves been one of the most important strongholds of traditional Irish culture. The islands are predominantly Irish-speaking and part of the Gaeltacht, although the islanders all know English. We are not sure when they began to learn English. Here we see a group of boys by the Inishmaan post and teleraph office. The mostly wear tams with poms, jackets, and flannel dresses. One discreption reads "They are all wearing homespuns, and red woolen petticoats, so they are quite safe from the fairies. There is an old legend throughout many parts of the Connemara Coast that certain fairies liked to run away with little boys but would not steal little girls; therefore, to deceive the fairies, boys dress in skirts up to twelve years of age, or until they are old enough to protect themselves.’ A rather more practical reason for wearing these kilts is that they were considerably easier and cheaper to make than trousers. Note also their cow-hide pamputi shoes." The photograph reportedly appeared in a 1915 'National Geogrraphic'. The boys may have the O'Maolchairin (Mulkeerin) brothers, although they seen rarher close in age to be brothers. The 'National Geographic' caption implies that they lived on the rocky Shark Island (Inishark).

We do not know much about Irish headwear. We do not see many Irish children with heaswear, although this may redlect our lkimited archive. The endemic poverty oif Ireland may be a factor. Mist chilkdren did nit hace nuch of a wardrobe. Headwear wiukd seem to be an optional garment even though headwear was much more common in the 19th abd early 20th century than is the case today. Most children would not have special headwer. Ireland was the poorest area of the the United Kingdom, poorer than Scotland and Wales. HBC knows of no difference between the caps worn by English and Irish boys. There was a difference in what Irish families could afford to pay for clothing. If they had school caps, that is what they probably wore for everyday wear. Middle and upper-class children of course were better dressed, probaly the same styles as worn in England. Peaked sSchool caps were virtually universal in England, Scotland, and Wales. They do not seem nearly as common in Ireland, but we vdo not have a large Irish archive so we are not entirely sure. We are not entirely sure just how common headwear in general was in ireland. This oncludes both the boys and girls. We are not bsure why this was. The endemic ppverty may have been a factor. We note ore group of boys on the Aran Islans wearing tams with poms along jackets and flannel dresses looking almost like kilts. The flannel dresses were widely worn, but we see few examples of the tams. There may be some similarity with isolated areas of Scotland.