Clothes Our Grandparents Wore

Children playing in the snow

This old photograph shows two young boys playing in the snow long ago.

Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Children playing in the snow
Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Children playing in the snow

This old photograph shows two young boys playing in the snow long ago.

Courtesy of South Dublin Libraries

Enlarge image

Our grandparents' clothes were made in natural materials like wool and cotton. Sometimes their clothes were made at home or in the local dressmakers. They were expensive to buy or make.

Clothes were often passed down from older brothers or sisters or cousins. Often, their mammies fixed the holes and tears that playing and working made in trousers and skirts.

Mother and daughter on Communion Day, c.1970s

This photograph shows a mother and daughter on Communion Day in the 1970s.

Courtesy of Waterford City Library

Mother and daughter on Communion Day, c.1970s
Courtesy of Waterford City Library

Mother and daughter on Communion Day, c.1970s

This photograph shows a mother and daughter on Communion Day in the 1970s.

Courtesy of Waterford City Library

Enlarge image

Now, clothes are made in factories. Often these factories are in China or India.

New man-made materials like polyester are used. They are cheaper and new clothes are bought much more often.

When clothes get too small they are often sent to a charity shop or to a Bring centre where they can be reused.