My dad has requested I bring him back one or two tweed flat caps from my trip to southwest Ireland this summer. I've never been to this part of the country before, so I was wondering if there's an area or shop that's particularly good for finding them? We'll be basing in Killarney, Dingle and Ennis. My best guess so far is the Blarney Woolen Mills, but I'm not sure if that's a good spot. Thanks for any suggestions!

It's not so much where as the make. I would go for Magee - which is a brand from Donegal.

You should be able to pick up a hat like this easilty in Killarney or Dingle. Try any mans shop.

In Killarney there is a Quills which probably has a good selection. I'm not sure how Quills compares prisewise though they were having a crazy sale in February and had things that were low priced even with the conversion. I would take Lawchick's suggestion on make.

Bill

My brother-in-law picked up a nice one at the Quill's in Glenngarriff, in June of '05. Dunno the brand, but it was under 20 euro. He loves it.

Bob

Thank you so much for the suggestions! Last time I brought him one from the Powerscourt gift shop - figured I could do a bit better this time. This helps greatly.

When we went to Ireland we were asked by our neighbor to get her husband a new one of those (yes, he's Irish) and the one he wore looked like it had been ravaged by wild dogs. AT our first stop in Killarney we went into a non-touristy men's clothing shop - small and cluttered and they had just what we were looking for. It was about $5, so we bought it. On the rest of the trip we got into the habit of looking for them at every tourist, souvenier, and "tweed" shop we found. Nearly everyone had them, and often they were the exact same make (which I don't recall now). The only difference was they were generally between 25 and 40 dollars worth instead of 5.

A very important consideration is to measure your father's head. Caps in Ireland come in many different sizes. If he wants one that fits properly you will need that measurement.

I agree with NeoPatrick about looking in men's clothing stores as well as the tourist oriented shops. Quills as well as Blarney Woolen Mills and Bunratty Village Mills will have tweed caps. You will find them at the duty free too.

Very good point, IrishEyes - I hadn't thought of that. Thanks again for all the advice!

If you buy one at the open market in Ennis, check the label. Make sure it's made in Ireland! In Galway, they sell Aran Fishermen's sweaters that are knit in Nepal.

NeoPatrick: Was that a St. Vincent de Paul Thrift shop where you bought an Irish knit flat cap for $5? I haven't found any that cheap (less than 10-15 Euro).

I have a Donegal patchwork flat cap I bought at Shannon airport's Duty free and a Cashmere one from Castlebar, Co. Mayo that I bought at Nordstrom's Rack.

I priced tweed flat caps in the shops along O'Connell Street in Limerick City and they were quite expensive

Ditto on buying the Magee brand. A good one will run around $40 plus. Ask your dad to specify color of tweed, and whether he wants the Gatsby type or not. Those had a poofier top that the wearer could store their pipe in.