Shawls

Shawls were once a common item of women’s clothing. Draped around shoulders or head and wrapped about the body, they came in various shapes, sizes, patterns and colours. Some shawls were worn purely for fashion, while others were worn to protect the wearer from the cold, wind and rain. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, one type of shawl, which was manufactured in Scotland, became so popular in the west of Ireland that it became known as the ‘Galway Shawl.’