Beady pocket

Beady pockets are culturally important traditional items of clothing for the Traveller Community. They were part of traditional dress and a woman wouldn't be properly dressed without one.

The wearing of pockets, even among the older generations, seems to have generally stopped about 30 years ago.

This beady pocket was made by Mary McDonagh, Co Mayo. She described the pocket being worn outside and to the side of her skirt and tied at the back. The pocket is square shaped and made using a single coloured material for the main bag, and different coloured material for the borders and for the ties. It has a simple horizontal opening.

The pocket has a zig-zag shaped trim or rick rick at the bottom. Mary said she followed this pattern because her mother, like many others, liked it on pockets.

Read more about the tradition of beady pockets