Talk:Caubeen/Rewrite
The caubeen (/kɔːˈbiːn/) is an Irish beret. [1] It was formerly worn by peasents,[2][3] however has since been adopted as the head dress of the Irish regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies, where its formal name is the "Bonnet, Irish, Green".[4]
Name[edit]
The name caubeen dates from early 19th century Irish and literally means "old hat".[1] It is derived from the Irish word cáibín meaning "little cape", which itself is a diminutive form of cába meaning "cape".[1] According to the Regimental Catechism of The Irish Regiment of Canada, it is suggested that the name caubeen may have been derived from the French word "corbeau" refering to the dark green colours of the bonnet,[4] given to it by the French, for whom many Irish soldiers fought as mercenaries over the centuries.[4] Though it is also stated in the Regimental Catechism that it is "more likely" derived from the Irish word "caipin" (sic: cáibín) meaning "old hat".[4]
British & Commonwealth army usage[edit]
Other usage[edit]
The caubeen recieves mention in the Irish song "The Wearing of the Green", of which the best known version was written by Dion Boucicault for his 1864 play Arragh na Pogue, or the Wicklow Wedding, set in County Wicklow during the 1798 rebellion.[5] The following is from the second verse of Dion Boucicault's version:[6]
When the law can stop the blades of grass
From growing as they grow,
And when the leaves in summer time
Their verdure dare not show,
Then I will change the color
I wear in my caubeen,
But till that day I'll stick for aye
To wearing of the green.
The caubeen is also worn by the honour guard of the Division One, Orange County, California branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. On their website they remark: "And we wear the green caubeen and carry the pike, the distinctive headgear and weapon of the Irish warriors of old".[7]
Caubeen's are also sold as a womens wooling winter hat by an Irish hat retailer.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "caubeen". Oxford University Press.
- ^ Terence Patrick Dolan: A Dictionary of Hiberno-English. Gill and MacMillan, Dublin. 1999. ISBN 071712942 X
- ^ William Carleton: Willy Reilly, 1856, Chap. XIII, etc.
- ^ a b c d "Regimental Catechism The Irish Regiment of Canada" (PDF). 29 July 2007.
- ^ Vance, Norman (2002). Irish Literature Since 1800. Pearson Education, pages 81–2. ISBN 0582494788
- ^ "(Ireland) The Wearing of the Green". Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "The Hibernian Guard of AOH Division One, Orange County, California".
We have adopted a uniform which acknowledges the present and hearkens back to our past. We wear a peasant shirt emblazoned with the modern day logo of the AOH. And we wear the green caubeen and carry the pike, the distinctive headgear and weapon of the Irish warriors of old.
- ^ Caubeen