The Ború Cape

I love a good old yarn (pardon the pun) about an item of clothing that has had an interesting life across the generations. One of the standout pieces from the National Treasures roadshow was a beautiful autumnal-hued 1970s Jimmy Hourihan wool cape which author Henrietta McKervey brought to the show, it was her mother Clare’s much-loved cape and she submitted her piece online with the following quote:

My mother was given a present of this cape. It was expensive. It was ‘good’. Jimmy Hourihan is a family brand and over fifty years old, so this Ború label cape (what a logo!) must have been from an early collection. The colour of falling leaves, when the cape came out the wardrobe every September, it meant summer was over. ” – Henri

As a striking object it was no surprise that it made its way onto the National Treasures show as it is an item which showed us how Irish fashion created in the mid-to-late twentieth century could traverse generations but also to showcase the business acumen, quality and trend-driven fashion that was produced in Ireland for the Irish and international market. Jimmy Hourihan is a brand which has specialised in Irish capes and shawls and is still run by the man himself and retails in House of Ireland to this day (more details on Jimmy Hourihan coming in a following blog). This particular cape was part of Jimmy Hourihan’s Ború label produced in the early 1970s and illustrated with a Brian Ború figure on the label.

To find out more information on the piece I caught up with Henri  and her mother to see if they could let me know more on the story behind it. Clare had been an Aerlingus air hostess (as well as a United Airlines hostess) and an incredibly stylish lady as the images below will show. What I found most fascinating about this object is the personal story and how is sheds light on style and women careers in Ireland at that time. The cape in question is a 1970s piece but her story talks of fashion in Ireland from the 1960s onwards and reveals some of the more realistic (rather than romantic) reasons on why certain fashion objects stay in our wardrobes. Here’s her story…

Image above and below: Clare McKervey (née Morrissey) wearing the cape in 1970s and Henrietta McKervey (her daughter) wearing her Jimmy Hourihan cape in October 2017- now featured on the cover of the National Treasures book.

Where did you get the cape?

It was a gift from my younger sister Margaret. I looked after her four children – along with my own three – so she and her husband could have a week’s holiday, and she brought it back from Kerry as a thank you. 

What year was it?

We can’t remember the exact year, probably the early 1970s.

Clare and Henri’s Jimmy Hourihan cape in the line up at the National Museum of Country life, Turlough Park.

What did you know about the brand Jimmy Hourihan at the time? 

Nothing at all! I had never heard of it. I was living in Belfast in the 1970s, and I sometimes wondered did she realise she had given me an orange cape during the Troubles. Although a friend once said, who knows, perhaps it was your saving, wearing it then. One Christmas I happened to be wearing it when I was shopping in Belfast – not only was there security on the streets, but going into the shops too. I was searched going into each place, my bags too. A UDR woman searching me complained, “I hate people like you, wearing capes.”

“A UDR woman searching me complained, I hate people like you, wearing capes.” – Clare

Why did it stay within your wardrobe so long? 

Odd as it sounds, because it was awkward to wear. The pockets are small, so I couldn’t fit my purse into it. It wasn’t good in the rain because it’s such heavy wool, so even though I liked it, I didn’t wear it every day. It stayed in good condition as a result. I suppose I forgot about it for years too. Everything has its moment. Then my daughter discovered it in the wardrobe and took it!

What do you think makes this piece so timeless? 

Frankly, I’ve no idea! To me it’s not specific to a place and time in my life. To me it’s just a cape. It was something different, was what Margaret said when she gave it to me. 

How did you wear it at the time you bought it and did that change over the years? 

I wore it with the belt during the day, but if I put it on to go out in the evening I used to wear it without the belt.

Clare McKervey (née Morrissey) middle row third from left, as an air hostess in United Airlines.

Do you have any style stories about Aer Lingus you could share with me? 

I worked with United Airlines before I was with Aer Lingus. During the United training, we were told we had to wear a girdle. I didn’t want to, I’d never worn one. Our instructor Marilyn said it was so that if men pinched us as we walked up and down the aisles, their fingers would slip. It never happened to me, though I was prepared to be ready to react with a pot of hot coffee! We had to choose from three lipsticks too. It was quite formal and regimented. You could be fired for very little; I remember a stewardess getting the sack for announcing ‘Welcome to Frisco’ to the passengers instead of ‘San Francisco’. 

“During the United training, we were told we had to wear a girdle. I didn’t want to, I’d never worn one. Our instructor Marilyn said it was so that if men pinched us as we walked up and down the aisles, their fingers would slip. It never happened to me, though I was prepared to be ready to react with a pot of hot coffee!” – Clare

Clare McKervey (née Morrissey) working the shamrock and her chic Aer Lingus uniform for an event in the 1960s. This was a press call that air hostesses had to incorporate into their schedule as part of their job. The press release with the picture says: “The first shamrocks of the season are delivered to Sandler of Boston by Clare Morrissey, Irish International Airlines. Recipient is not a leprechaun but the Sandler Cobbler (Boston Shoe Firm).  William Giddon, Vice President, states that he will mail live shamrocks to their dealers across the country (US).

“The Aer Lingus uniform was lovely, excellent quality. It was blue and green with a lemon blouse. We had a waistcoat too, so you could take the jacket off. The jacket wasn’t too fitted, so it was easy to work in. Our hats had to be worn at a certain angle. We bought the shoes ourselves, but the uniform was supplied – we had to return it when we left. The staff working in the airport had a raincoat too. We had gloves for events like parades.” – Clare

Tell me your experiences of being in the Paddy’s Day parades as an Aer Lingus hostess in the US?

There was a series of radio adverts for Aer Lingus – Irish Airlines as it was known there – in the early 1960s in the States, and people just loved them. They loved the announcer’s Irish accent. The connection between Aer Lingus and the Irish Consulate was strong already, so companies used to phone the Consulate and ask for Irish representatives for the parades or to present shamrock to local businesses. Con Howard at the Consulate would call the Aer Lingus office and ask us to do it. There was a lot of shamrock involved! It was an informal part of the job; we didn’t officially get paid for it, but got time off in lieu instead. At one stage I had six weeks’ time off in lieu saved up from doing all these extra events. The parade in Holyoke was the biggest one outside Boston then. In 1963, I was in New York on a training course and was asked by the CEO to go to Honolulu to represent Ireland in the parade there. That was a big event; I had to make a speech and do radio and TV inteviews and there was a big dinner. I had gone to. I only got a day’s notice to go on the trip, so went out to Werth’s in Newbury Street in Boston on my lunch break and found a beautiful emerald green silk dress in a sale. It had a cape with a white silk lining. I loved that dress. Years later, the basement of our house in Belfast was flooded and it was destroyed. 

What were your memories of Grafton Street from 1960s and what stores were the ones that everyone aspired to shop in? 

Richard Alan’s at the top [of Grafton Street] and was one I had always wanted to go into when I was a student in UCD but I never did then. When I was getting married in 1966 I bought my going away suit there. It was gorgeous, pink tweed with a pill box hat. We were going to the Caribbean and were delayed in New York for three days. We went back and forward to the airport each day, I was getting very tired of wearing the suit. On the third day, a man stopped me and asked me where I bought it. When I told him he said he’d woven the fabric! 

“In 1966 I bought my going away suit… it was gorgeous, pink tweed with a pill box hat. We were going to the Caribbean and were delayed in New York for three days. We went back and forward to the airport each day, I was getting very tired of wearing the suit. On the third day, a man stopped me and asked me where I bought it. When I told him he said he’d woven the fabric for it!” – Clare

If you loved National Treasures TV series (which was broadcast in April) you’ll love the book which is out just in time for Christmas. Compiled by Ciaran Deeney and Dave Clarke with a foreword by John Creedon  it details the objects uncovered and analysed by us curators (Richard McElligot, Linda King, Donal Fallon, Roisin Higgins and myself) on our 4 roadshows, its a fabulous record of the extraordinary objects we found on our journey. It hasn’t hit the book stores yet but it will be ready to pre-order here.

Plus you can still catch the National Treasures how on the RTE Player here.