Man Of Aran Patch Cap With Embroidered Gold Shamrock
ALL AROUND THE WORLD THE WOLLEN FLAT-CAP IS SYNONYMOUS WITH IRELAND. WOVEN DIFFERENT FABRICS, EITHER
TWEED OR LINEN, THE CAP’S ARE SUITABLE FOR ALL SEASONS. EVOKING MEMORIES OF A BYGONE ERA,
THE TRADITIONAL, RUSTIC PATTERNS ARE REMINISCENT OF THE RUGGED LUSH GREEN LANDSCAPE OF IRELAND.
HEALTH AND HAPPINESS TO ALL WHO WEAR THIS HAT.
Man of Aran Ireland est. 1973
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY OF THE CAP
The Irish flat cap is a classic flat cap (also called a newsboy cap, paddy cap, cabbie-hat the list goes on) is a light, floppy cap, traditionally they are tweed hats or made of lightly spun wool. Variations of the flat-cap date back centuries, when wool was the backbone of the economy. It arrived in its present form (and variations thereof) in the early 1800s. Because flat-caps were cheap, comfortable and durable, they were frequently worn by poorer, working-class people looking for an affordable and effective head covering to keep their heads warm during outdoor work in cold weather.
The Irish flat cap style was not only popular in Ireland and Britain, but across Europe and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among both boys and adult men. Flat caps were very common for North American and European men and boys of all classes during the early 20th century and were almost universal during the 1910s-20s, particularly among the working ‘lower’ classes.
The Irish flat cap tends to come in two varieties: The traditional flat-topped cap and a variation called the Eight-Panel Cap (alternatively, also the six-panel cap). The eight-panel or six-panel cap is characterized by six (or eight, hence the name) triangular panels sewn together to make a rough circle on the top of the hat, held together in the center by a cloth knob or button. This variety of cap is sometimes called the a newsboy cap, because it was commonly worn by newsboys who sold newspapers on street-corners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As the 20th century progressed, the Irish flat cap became popular with a upper classes. During this period, most hat-styles were too bulky and cumbersome to wear with a pair of goggles, meaning early motorists would wear a flat cap with their driving outfits when they went out for a spin. The flat caps low profile meant that it would not fly off in the slipstream generated by early, open-top cars, and it would keep dust and grit from getting into the drivers hair.