I saw an Irish thread on here ago with some good banter about the 'High-Kings' of Ireland pulling the strings of the Finno-Korean Hyper war meme.
It reminded me, as I saw these images of the barefoot Irish. I know its probably a poverty meme, but in seriousness. Why were they always barefoot? I even came across an Irish baron getting in trouble at a party in Spain for being barefoot. Was that true too?
inb4 Irish are potato-niggers who can't afford shoes.
Both my parents grew up barfoot, their families simply had no money for shoes, so they only had some for winter but not in summer.
I think I was the first kid in my family that had shoes on in summer.
>Switzerland
>countryside, small farmers
it's easy to walk on soft grassland
It's nothing. I was born barefoot.
I actually found a snipper about this in a dairy of an English lady who visited an Irish lady of equal wealth who went barefoot.
Essentially she said that Ireland is so wet that wearing stockings only aids in getting feet infection. Bare feet could be dried by the fire more easily and changing into fresh stockings every time she went outside for a moment was not possible.
because they have good taste
>Was that true too?
Yeah, I remember the document you're talking about.
Irish historical fashion is very static. They were wearing basically the same stuff in the 15th century as they were in the 5th. Stuff like trousers and shoes don't really show up with regularity until the late 17th century.
Shoes were worn, sometimes, mostly by the nobility and military leaders. Irish literature from the early medieval period mentions Kings and Queens wearing slippers made out of brass and silver.
This. Obviously, the rich who could afford it would buy English/Scottish and Continental fashions, but for the vast majority, they were centuries behind, existing in a near vacuum.
It's quite fascinating, and i'll dump pics.
A repro of one of the rare, native made Irish pieces of armour: Lough Henney helmet... As primitive as it looks, its 16thC.
...
...
>Why were they always barefoot? I even came across an Irish baron getting in trouble at a party in Spain for being barefoot. Was that true too?
They just liked going barefoot. In Winter they wore shoes. People still did it until recently, my Granny used to go barefoot.
...
Even the rich were very conservative in their dress. They preferred Irish dress and cultural contamination was more likely to go the other way, with Colonists adopting Irish styles. The Gaelic aristocracy was still wearing Gaelic dress until the flight of the earls and Cromwell essentially ended that class, and even afterwards the remnants wore Gaelic dress under certain circumstances. Pic related is from 1680
I love those ring-hilted swords they used. Lochaber axes were aesthetic af too
the entire country is moss and peat bogs
...
>16th century
>Irish cavalry still wears shit straight outta 1066
Sans stirrups too if I might add.
Oh, but that is a given with any culture. The Aristocracy of any state will have its fashion minded, and its conservative traditionalists. The various Germanics are a good example too.
Though the traditionalist weight is something to reckon with. A great example is this guy, Captain Thomas Lee, who served under Queen Elizabeth I and spent most of his career in Ireland during the Tudor conquest. To better get the respect of his Irish troops, he fought without hose or shoes, as seen in the painting, and it apparently worked a charm.
Very much possible. The were using bronze age leaf-bladed swords they dredged up from peat bogs to fight the English in the 18th century. Pic is one of those swords. The sword is from 1000BC. The handle is hardened leather and wood, from the early 1700s.
comfy
aesthetic
mac daddy
underrated post
That's really fucking interesting my man
I'd be highly surprised if there was more than one of those. Though the fact they were using Pikes is relevant enough.
Doesn't Ireland get snow like every winter? How could they go outside wearing no shoes or trousers?
>Doesn't Ireland get snow like every winter?
No it's rare enough, though the climate has changed over the centuries and the 16th-17th centuries were particularly cold.
>How could they go outside wearing no shoes or trousers?
They wore them in Winter.
Ireland's climate is famously mild.
Nigguh that is aes-thetic. They modelled the elven helmets of LOTR on these, didn't they?
At least four recorded, and two in museums, with the one pictured being in the best condition and thus, most seen.
And yes, pikes, but that is not saying much really. In the American Revolution, there were pike units raised by some colonies, among st others.
Not all the time, or everywhere in Ireland. Also, see: . Wrapping your feet and lower legs, or heavy stockings was common across the world for winter, and pants are a relatively latecomer to most cultures, with many not developing them in Europe until the late bronze or early iron age.
Furthermore, the practicality of avoiding walking around in snow, and a good wool cloak go a long way
Actually, its a very generic helm shape, though yes, Weta just designed their armour off of preexisting pieces that were dressed up, and that is why its so believable.
Indeed. The song "The Rising of the Moon" specifically calls for them to gather up pikes.
Pikes.
In 1798.
To fight against muskets and cannons.
Wow all the images are great guys thanks!
What makes it primitive? Looks fine to me
Pikes were still in use a good bit in the early 18th century, I think it was the Marquis de Louvois and Louis XIV that started replacing them en masse with muskets which was copied by other European powers
Its roughly 400 years behind the technological curve of its time of production. Design, ergonomics, metallurgy, vision and hearing ability, everything.
Its literally contemporaries with lighter, stronger, better fitting helms such as the armet, burgeonet, morion, sallet, and other superior designs.
that's real fuggen interesting
where'd you learn all this?
any books you can rec?
have a mcbride for your troubles
Hearing i can agree with but the vision seems much better than the second pic you posted. What materials were the Irish helms made of?
Okay, so it's been established ITT that Ireland hated pants and shoes. How did they don't die of cold? It's not in the north pole, but being an atlantic country, Ireland gets pretty cold.
Maybe it's because I'm used to live in a mediterranean climate, but it's 13°C here and I'm already freezing my balls if I go out without a good coat, let alone with my feet and legs exposed to the wind.
hairy hobbit legs and feets
it's dropped to below 0 here and I'm still going out in shorts
feels nice
Atlantic climates are like the definition of mild climates on Europe.
The Irish were quite behind in terms of armament.
Due to their isolation and political fracturing their technological advancement can best be summed up as 'if it aint broke don't fix it'. They went around fighting in mail armor and a bascinet when continental Europeans were blasting away at each other with cannons.
Parts of Ireland are what you call a temperate rainforest. Due to the gulf stream it's a lot warmer than it would otherwise be.
That said people can simply be conditioned to live at certain temperatures. You can wear a t-shirt at 13 degrees Celsius not experience any ill effects if you sleep inside at night.
Maybe for atlantics and those influenced by them (remember the anglosphere is mostly atlantic). The atlantic is cold and specially in the early modern ages during the little ice age, it's the mediterranean that is mild and in a real middle ground between desertic and frozen.
Pike units were used in the American Revolution in several colonies as close combat units for both cost and efficiency, as a stop gap between the cut off of British muskets and the import of French.
Furthermore, the Confederates of the US Civil War fielded pike units on the battlefield, for want of supplies, and even later, pikes showed up in WWI trenches to counter storming actions.
Still today, many European navies still teach boarding pike drills as a tradition.
I am a professional historic educator, and have worked in several museums that include this period, furthermore, I reenact 16thC Irish.
>the vision seems much better than the second pic you posted
That is a fitted helm, with the occulars sitting close to the face, allowing decent sight while providing better defense. You can also lift the occulars, and leave the buffe, or raise the whole visor.
>What materials were the Irish helms made of?
Poor quality steel or even Iron.
>How did they don't die of cold?
The same way as every one else? Long clothes, heavy cloaks and not going outside in the fucking winter unless you absolutely have to.
We covered all that.
Mediterranean has broader temperatures.
>I'm already freezing my balls off if i go out without a good coat
13 degrees is tops off weather lad