The Female Irish Dance Dress

The Female Irish Dance Dress

The Irish dance dress, as you know it today did not come into being until the twentieth century. In the eighteenth century when Irish dance was first being taught by the Dancing Masters the dance dress was a simple affair. It was usually just a girls “Sunday best”.

A Little Irish Dance Dress History

In the early days dance dresses were long and heavy. This restricted dance movement and the duration a dancer could perform. They also wore whalebone corsets further restricting movement.

Since the weather in Ireland was usually on the cool side, another item of clothing female dancers wore was a heavy wool cloak or “brat”. The cloak also had a hood attached to help keep out the cold. These came in many different colors. Black, blue, grey were used. Red was the most popular color until the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, when it became too “British” looking. A cloak was very warm to dance in. This also shortened the length of time a dancer could perform.

Couple Dance an Irish Jig on the Village Green

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By the end of the nineteenth century the traditional cloak was shortened to a half drape thankfully lightening the weight for female Irish dancers. This new style cloak also was embroidered with some type of Celtic design for decoration. They eliminated the hood too.

At the beginning of the twentieth century with the Gaelic Revival came a new style of Irish dance dress. It was usually white, sometimes green, with green ribbons and was pleated. A coatee was worn over the dress along with a shawl the same color as the dress. This became a very popular dance dress in the 1920’s and 1930’s. This style was used up until the 1980’s when the pleats were replaced with a flared look.

Note About Embroidery And Crochet

You may think, like I did, that embroidery on the Irish dance dress is a centuries old tradition. This is not the case. In the 1920’s embroidery began to become popular on dance costume. It began as simple designs based on ancient Celtic ornamentation in the Book of Kells. This is why I thought it was an old tradition because of the Celtic designs.

Over the following years designs have become much, much more elaborate. Some designs are more modern with the use of gold and silver thread. Some also use glitter and sequins, which have no traditional Celtic meaning.

Other ornamentation used on dance dresses today is crocheted collars and cuffs. These are usually made of lace. Many are just plain white but can be any color now days to match or contrast with the dress.

Irish Dance Dress Of Today

Beginning Irish dancers usually start out with their schools dance dress. This is a very distinct design. They are much shorter than the dress from the old days. When seen in this dress people, in the know, will know which dance school you are from.

The picture at right shows an example of what a school dance dress looks like. They are usually a simple style with simple Celtic designs. (The girls just happen to be two of my nieces. This picture was taken when they were first learning to dance.)

Besides the school Irish dance dress, more advanced dancers also have a solo dress. These are one of a kind unique costumes designed with very elaborate embroidery described above. In the 1980’s they were mostly black or dark navy to show off the designs. In the 1990’s every color in the rainbow began to be seen and still is.

With the coming of “Riverdance” in the 1990’s many solo dancers began wearing a much simpler dress. These dresses have plain colors and very simple designs around the collar and sleeves. They are short and the adult dancers wear black tights while the younger dancers wear white poodle socks. While some dancers have these dresses in their wardrobes, they will never replace their more elaborate and expensive solo dresses. I think it has something to do with a strong sense of Irish pride.

Now, there's nothing wrong with a bit of Irish pride.

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