The Irish
are recorded as normally going around bareheaded. Hats were sometimes
worn and usually fell into two main styles. The Bairéad (pronounced
"barrayd"), has been worn since the late sixteenth century,
perhaps earlier. It is older than the similar shaped beret. It is sometimes
called a Boinéad (English bonnet) and a Caipín (English
cawbeen).
The Bioraid
(pronounced "birridge") is another commonly worn
hat and is known in English as a Phrygian Cap. It is indeed very similar
to the ancient Phrygian Cap and was probably its ancestor, but the Irish
form is stiffer, especially at the top, the part which normally flops
forward on continental forms.
