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The term ''Galway shawl'' ()Stitches In Time: exhibition of traditional clothing on Inis Oírr
/ref> usually refers to a specific type of heavy weight
Stitches in Time: Exhibition of Traditional Clothing on Inis Oírr
'. Inis Oírr, Galway: Áras Éana. 2011 The Galway shawl was a winter-weight outer garment worn over the lightweight shawl.
Paisley Museum
where it is still on display though it is no longer in working condition. (Edward Harrison states that the last two firms closed in 1941.Harrison, Edward.
The Paisley Shawl
'. Scottish Tartans Authority, June 1949.) According to Coughlin, the shawls were fringed at the factory in Paisley, and could be returned to the factory for repair if the fringe became damaged. Owens, however, reports that the shawls were shipped unfringed from Paisley to the Galway Woollen Mills where the fringe was added. Because several factories produced the shawls, both cases could be true. During the time of their popularity, the eye-catching shawls were costly items, worn with pride, and considered "Sunday best" in Ireland. They were usually inherited or acquired for the bride-to-be upon marriage. As years passed, the Galway shawl became unfashionable, and older women who continued to wear them became known as ''shawlies.'' The shawlies and their Galway shawls became associated in the popular imagination with poverty and backwardness. However, the costuming of Maureen O’Hara in a Galway shawl for the film "
File:Galway Shawl in Galway, Ireland.jpg, Woman wearing a Galway shawl in Galway, Ireland.
File:Galway Fish Market 1905.jpg, Women wearing Galway shawls at Galway Fish Market, Ireland. 1905
File:Chicks and Ducks in Galway (8488799148).jpg, Woman wearing a Galway Shawl in Galway. About 1910
File:Galway Shawl - View of Full Shawl.jpg, A vintage Galway shawl with fringe removed.
File:Galway Shawl Close Up.jpg, Close up of a vintage Galway shawl showing the weave. Fringe missing, holes remain.
File:Galway Shawl - Corner Flipped Showing Reverse.jpg, A vintage Galway shawl with corner flipped so both sides show.
File:Irish Galway Shawl on Inisheer.jpg, A Galway Shawl held in a small traditional clothing collection on Inisheer.
File:Close up of a Galway Shawl - Tan.jpg, A close up showing the weave of an Irish Galway Shawl.
The term ''Galway shawl'' ()/ref> usually refers to a specific type of heavy weight
shawl
A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...
that was worn by Irish women during the colder seasons. It became popular during the late nineteenth centuryCoughlan, Dan. Curator of Textiles, Paisley Museum, Scotland. 2016 and was still being worn up until the 1950s by a few older, more traditional Irish women. Throughout Ireland, not just in Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
, women traditionally wore various types of lightweight shawls
A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folde ...
that were hand knit
Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...
, crocheted
Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', meaning 'hook'. Hooks can be made from a variety of ...
, or woven
Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics are often created on a loom, and made of many threads woven on a warp and a weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to on ...
; and would have been of solid color, plaid, print, or paisley. Lightweight shawls, worn directly over the blouse and tied or tucked in at the waist, were worn in all seasons both indoors and out.Owens, Mary. Stitches in Time: Exhibition of Traditional Clothing on Inis Oírr
'. Inis Oírr, Galway: Áras Éana. 2011 The Galway shawl was a winter-weight outer garment worn over the lightweight shawl.
History
The Galway shawl was woven on a hand jacquard loom in Paisley, Scotland, but used neither the design nor construction of the shawl commonly known as the ''Paisley shawl
Paisley shawls were a fashionable item of women's clothing in the 19th century made of intricately woven and delicate wool. Although known as the Paisley pattern, the teardrop motif originated in Persia and India, becoming popular in Europe—and ...
''. The Galway shawl was woven on a cotton warp with a weft of botany wool. These reversible shawls were a solid color in the center with a decorative, multicolor, wide border; and they were fringed. The Galway shawl contained neither velvet
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
nor fur, but it was referred to by weavers as a ''velvet'' or ''fur'' shawl because it was heavily milled in the finishing and a soft, velvet-like nap was raised on the surface. In 1892 one company in Paisley employed 40 weavers producing this type of shawl. The last firm weaving fur or velvet shawls closed in 1943, and one of their looms was donated to thPaisley Museum
where it is still on display though it is no longer in working condition. (Edward Harrison states that the last two firms closed in 1941.Harrison, Edward.
The Paisley Shawl
'. Scottish Tartans Authority, June 1949.) According to Coughlin, the shawls were fringed at the factory in Paisley, and could be returned to the factory for repair if the fringe became damaged. Owens, however, reports that the shawls were shipped unfringed from Paisley to the Galway Woollen Mills where the fringe was added. Because several factories produced the shawls, both cases could be true. During the time of their popularity, the eye-catching shawls were costly items, worn with pride, and considered "Sunday best" in Ireland. They were usually inherited or acquired for the bride-to-be upon marriage. As years passed, the Galway shawl became unfashionable, and older women who continued to wear them became known as ''shawlies.'' The shawlies and their Galway shawls became associated in the popular imagination with poverty and backwardness. However, the costuming of Maureen O’Hara in a Galway shawl for the film "
The Quiet Man
''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 '' Saturday ...
" prompted a renewed appreciation for the beauty of the Galway shawl.
Gallery
References
;Notes ;Sources * Mahon, Brid. ''Rich & Rare: the Story of Irish Dress''. Cork: Mercier Press, 2000. {{Historical clothing County Galway Shawls and wraps History of clothing (Western fashion) Irish clothing Social history of Ireland Irish design Irish fashion