Irish dancing costumes

One of the questions posed following the foundation of the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) in 1893 was what constituted traditional Irish dress for both males and females. To date there has been no satisfactory answer. Many of the costumes suggested were unacceptable as they were too stage Irish, while the kilts which were adopted are not the definitive answer as they are not of Irish origin. Few if any members of the public make any attempts nowadays to wear any kind of everyday Irish dress. The question of acceptable Irish dress is however, still important for Irish dancers.