Help me pick a caubeen

[Haegl]

yes an Irish caubeen .. I have been talking to JByous about one and he threw the black one into the pot to consider.. I am a 7 year Marine Corps Infantry veteran and I would like to represent my Scot/Irish heritage along with my pride of serving in the Marines. I wear a 7 1/8 they will make custom fit.
I am English born (Suffolk) but I would feel uncomfortable wearing another services badges, even though my grandfather, uncles, and cousins served in the Royal services it's not me.

I recommend JByous. I have one of their Caubeens and I love it

[Jack Daw]

Black goes with everything.

[O'Callaghan]

With respect, "The IRA wear black caubeens" is a somewhat broad and perhaps not entirely accurate statement. Being the type of paramilitary group that it is, they don't have regular 'uniforms'. While the modern IRA does have an ad-hoc "dress uniform" generally only seen in the 70's at funerals and other photo ops, it's headgear generally consists of a black beret, not a traditional caubeen. It's like saying the flatcap or newsboy is IRA headgear because the volunteers wore them in the 20s!

Without getting into politics, wear what you want! I doubt think anyone, at least in the US, is really going to see you and make a Hat = IRA connection or call you out for wearing a black caubeen!

With respect, have you ever lived anywhere that the IRA is an illegal organisation? I grant that you did say "at least in the US", and I'm sure you're right, but although the OP is in the US he is from the UK. I'm sure you can get away with it in the US, but I don't want anyone to get arrested. I don't think that's really taking a political position.

Why do you think civilian pipers in the Republic sometimes wear green caubeens but never black ones? No other reason comes to mind off the top of my head. I imagine that if it has some insignia or some colour on it (as opposed to just plain black) it may be OK, though.

BTW, I think the band and ribbons on the Irish National Army piper's black caubeen are saffron, although they look orange in the photo of the J Byous version. Probably due to light/camera/monitor issues?

[macwilkin]

The United Irishmen of the 18th century wore a green shamrock in their caubeens, but I don't know what colour their hats were. People still wore caubeens as daily wear back then, so I imagine they were whatever colour they already owned.

I've never seen any contemporary depiction of United Irishmen in the 1798 Rebellion wearing caubeens. There's a veiled reference to one in the song The Wearing of the Green, but it has always been my understanding that the word "caubeen" may also refer to a cap or hat.

The caubeen, as we know it, is a late 19th century innovation, although some have tried to trace it to Owen Roe O'Neill:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british...s/es10_t01.gif

Do you have a source for United Irishmen wearing a caubeen?

The IRA wear black caubeens. That could make black a good or bad colour depending on your PoV.

Zardoz is correct; without going anywhere near the troubles, the only photos I have seen of IRA paramilitaries wearing uniforms show them wearing black berets and not caubeens.

And just a point of clarification; the Republic's armed forces are known as the Irish Defence Forces, not the "INA". In the Irish the name is Óglaigh na hÉireann. And, to further clarify, in the IDF, caubeens are known as "glengarries". So while the Irish Air Corps Pipe Band wears Scottish glengarries, Army pipers technically also wear glengarries as well. As a reference/source, I would recommend The Irish Defence Forces since 1922 by Donal MacCarron and Bill Younghusband, Osprey Men-at-Arms Series No. 417. It is one of the best one-volume works on the IDF available, and it does discuss the glengarry/caubeen issue.

Regards,

Todd

[Colonel MacNeal]

The dark green caubeen with your globe/anchor/eagle badge would look mighty sharp.

[thanmuwa]

it has always been my understanding that the word "caubeen" may also refer to a cap or hat.

Yes, caubeen, from the Irish cáibín, just means little hat, and could equally well mean, for example, a beret.

And just a point of clarification; the Republic's armed forces are known as the Irish Defence Forces, not the "INA". In the Irish the name is Óglaigh na hÉireann.

Which is also the Irish for the IRA. Not surprising I guess when you consider that both the modern IRA and the IDF descend from the original IRA and previous to that the Irish Volunteers, from whence the name.

[Bigkahuna]

I always thought they were called the Fianna.

[Colonel MacNeal]

Bordering on political here. Those admins will getcha.

[macwilkin]

I always thought they were called the Fianna.

Not the ROI's Armed Forces:

http://www.military.ie/

That being said, you will find Fianna on IDF cap badges and buttons, in reference to the legendary Fianna, as well as in the name of the Irish political party, Fianna Fail.

Bordering on political here. Those admins will getcha.

Not especially, and even if it did, INMHO, it's a good thing to shut down arguements about "The Troubles".

Regards,

Todd

[thanmuwa]

I always thought they were called the Fianna.

Not the ROI's Armed Forces:

http://www.military.ie/

That being said, you will find Fianna on IDF cap badges and buttons, in reference to the legendary Fianna, as well as in the name of the Irish political party, Fianna Fail.

It is confusing, but the two phrases were both originally Irish translations for the "Irish Volunteers" and were later used by multiple other groups, sometimes at the same time.

Óglaigh na hÉireann - very literally "young male warband of Ireland" - Irish for the IDF (amongst other groups).

Fianna Fáil - Fianna literally means the followers of Fionn (mac Cumhaill) and symbolically means a warband/soldiers and Fáil means destiny (as in Lia Fáil - stone of destiny, now known as the Stone of Scone).
Taken together, Fianna Fáil = "soldiers of destiny" - now the name for Ireland's main political party, but also the "FF" in the centre of the capbadge of the IDF:



Confused? Who ever said we Irish were straightforward?