Hi Reddit, later this year as part of a midwinter festival I am wanting to attend, I'm interested in going as one of the early Irish Fianna, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Diarmid O'Dyna) to be precise. Diarmuid was said to be fostered by Oenghus, Gaelic god of love, youth and poetry while his father was Donn, Gaelic god of death and also a member of the Fianna. The Fenian cycle which Diarmuid is a character in is believed to be set sometime around 200CE-400CE. Information on the early Irish Gaels (Scotti in Latin, is pretty slim particularly when discussing their clothing.
From what I've pieced together it's likely that Gaels/Scotti of the time were wearing thigh/knee length tunics with sleeves (shorter sleeves than the later Irish Leine). Info on pants seem to be both for or against with info saying both close fitting and loose trousers being noted (even striped/checked in colours like earlier Britons/Gallic peoples) considering it'll be the middle of winter I'll probably go with some pants. All this seems to be held up with a belt. Pants also may have had leather straps wrapping the lower legs (can't find much more for or against this or name of it)?
It appears a large woollen cloak called a brat, probably patterned with colours and fastened with a pin or a brooch (Penannular brooches are still from a later era though). Although standardised tartans are over 1000 years after the time period of the Fianna, checked/plaid cloth sure was around. I'm wanting to make a cloak from cloth similar to the "Ancient Campbell" tartan pattern. As Diarmuid was apparently the founder of this clan (which my surname apparently is a sept of) I think this pattern is a fitting choice for the cloak.
Armour in general seems unlikely even though mail was known to the earlier Britons and Romans/Romano-British. There seem to be some references to leather armour at the time but it's pretty flimsy and what's being described seems inconclusive. Only for I'd have is considering the Fianna were hunters and early Irish warfare was between small bands/raiding, some kind of leather chest padding/coat may be possible? There's also nothing for or against leather arm guards/vambraces. A later story mentions Diarmuid getting hit by poisoned darts that go through his armour and shield.
For weapons I'm going to make 2 spears and a short sword as Diarmuid had 2 magical spears which inflicted wounds which couldn't be healed; Gáe Buidhe, the Yellow Spear and Gáe Dearg, the Red Spear which was only used in serious battles. His short sword was named Beagalltach, the Little Fury. On top of these I'm thinking I'll add a skinning/hunting knife and maybe a small hatchet to the belt, once again calling back to the Fianna as hunters/adventurers.
Small round shields similar to bucklers (approx 40-50cm/16-21inches or thereabouts) are known around the time period, It seems they were likely covered with rawhide or leather and possibly painted/coated. It appears the Irish weren't using as large shields as their British, Roman and Germanic contemporaries. I'm thinking of painting a Celtic styled hound and boar on it, animal designs were apparently pretty common in earlier Celtic societies and with the contemporary/later Pictish. The hound and boar are to reference Diarmuids death against a giant boar which was the reincarnation of a man that Diarmuid's father Donn killed in jealousy years earlier (It's also the reason there's a boar head on the Campbell Clan badge).
There isn't much about Gaels wearing helmets during the time period I was thinking I'll probably just go without one.
Shoes are likely pointed, made out of leather, I have some leather shoes that will probably look the part although laced, the should be covered by the pants ends.
I was thinking of wearing a headband made from Leather twined with copper wire, perhaps making a torc as well. Torcs still seemed to be worn in the centuries following the turn into the millennium. The neighbouring Picts were still wearing them circa 6-7th centuries.
Thanks for your time, any feedback and links are appreciated
Let's use Diarmuid as a stand-in for a potential historical member of a fiann. First we need to define what the fianna were, and what his role would have been! A fiann refers to a warband comprised of young landless aristocratic males. There were many fianna, each led by a rífhéinní (king-Fenian). For half the year, féinnithe would live in the wild, hunting and participating as an ad-hoc military aid for local kingdoms they were allied with, usually through blood, as their members would have been aristocrats from said lands. So, our Diarmuid would have had a very active role. I can't speak entirely for his fashion, but I can shine some light on our hypothetical féinní's arms and armour.
You're absolutely right that the sword and spear were integral parts of the Irish arsenal. Aristocrats' swords were commonly decorated with gold, gems and even the bones and teeth of sea animals. As for spears, you will find it hard to acquire magical ones, but indeed there were many varieties of spears in common use in Ireland, alongside darts or javelins which could be thrown long distances. Weapons would be accompanied by what was usually a wickerwork shield, covered in animal hides and then with metal studs or bosses. You're correct in that they'd potentially be painted with the image of an animal. The actual shield itself was also often brightly coloured, often whitened with a material such as lime.
As for armour, our Diarmuid doesn't really have a lot! Indeed, the Gaels didn't adopt metallic armour in large part until about a thousand years after the myths of Fionn and Diarmuid are set. As for non-metallic armour, there is more to go off, though little we have physically confirmed. Medieval literature about this Iron Age period rather extensively talks about the use of layered leather and fabric in the form of an armoured over-shirt, as well as a sort of greaves to protect the legs. Diarmuid would also most likely be wearing a helmet or a cathbharr (battle-top), potentially adorned with a crest in the figure of an animal.
I feel less confident speaking about the fashion of this era. We have pretty extensive depictions of medieval era Irish clothes for men, but most sources for fashion in the pre-medieval era are in the form of mythological descriptions, which, whilst I am fairly well versed in, I don't know if I could rely on as a crutch. Broadly, however, Diarmuid would have worn a sort of tunic held at the waist by a belt, over which he could have donned a tight form of jacket, and then finally a cloak over that. The colours of these clothes would have been fantastic, with Diarmuid's status as an aristocrat giving him the right to wear around five colours.
I'm sorry I couldn't be as definitive with the clothes historically as I could be with the arms and armour! If you want some further inspiration in that regard, I would read the Táin Bó Cúailnge (the medieval Irish literature saga) and perhaps consult the drawings of Stephen Reid which it inspired. Though bear in mind that those aren't strictly historical as to what a hypothetical féinní would have worn.