Banríon Dierdre's Traditional Irish Ensemble!

Through the misty veil of Éire came a people curiously dressed in wide sleeved robes of deep saffron.

Céad Mile Fáilte! The history of the Léine (Irish for "Shirt" or "Tunic") is a long one and open to much interpretation. Worn by the women of both Ireland and Scotland as an outer garment, the léine varied in length from the lower calf in early medieval times to the upper thigh in the 16th century. Longer léines were often open in the front, and all leine's were worn pleated with a belt at the waist. Moreover, léines share the curious feature of having bagged sleeves. Serving as ideal pockets for gathering and storage, the bagged sleeves eventually lost this function in Renaissance times and became primarily ornamental.

As the centerpiece of our irish ensemble, our léine (pictured) is adapted from paintings and woodcuts from the 15th - 17th centuries. It is pictured here in light-weight cotton (recommended for hot climates or for wearing under heavy dresses), but also comes available in your choice of heavy cotton, linen, and silk noil (contact us for availability of colors in silk). Traditionally, the léine was wrought of white or saffron (yellow) linen, but green and red silks were also common in later periods.

Our Gaelic léine is a gathered scoop neck design. The sleeves measure approximately 20 inches from top-of-shoulder to hem. The leine's length from back-of-neck to bottom hem is 56” long but you may select your length. The body is extremely wide to allow for pleating at the waist and is extremely comfortable to wear.

The leine is designed to fit nicely with our Irish overskirt, which is made of a sturdy heavy-weight cotton. The overskirt's skirting is gathered and sewn into the bodice for a uniform and clean look. The overskirt is open in the front and versatile enough to use with other renaissance garb.

To accent your ensemble, two skirts are provided to fill out the traditional look of a fair Irish lass. Both the outer and under skirts are made of a color-fast cotton blend that is fully machine washable and shrink resistant. Hike both your skirts up and show a little leg, or show off your colorful Irish persona with these vibrant skirts!

Also available as an accessory is our head kertch to complete your Celtic ensemble! This beautiful kertch is made from your choice of linen or 100% natural muslin. The embroidered blackwork that adorns each of our kertch is the crowning touch...each kertch is carefully hand-crafted and unique. If you prefer a linen kertch, please contact us for availability and ship times.

NOTE: Please make all your selections for your ensemble carefully and accurately! We rely on this data to provide you with our finely crafted garments in exactly the style you wish!