Woman wearing an Irish cloak, Macroom, Co Cork

The traditional Irish cloak, also known as the Kinsale or West Cork cloak, has been worn in Ireland for hundreds of years. This serviceable garment was large enough to envelope the whole person, protecting the wearer from all weather. By the twentieth century West Cork alone upheld the tradition of the Irish cloak with local towns in the area – Macroom, Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bantry – producing their own ornamental variations.