The Bainin Celtic embroidered Communion Dress 'National Costume'

"This traditional Irish First Communion costume has been in the 'hot press' of our family home for the past 50 years. All four of the children in my family wore it during the 1960s for our First Holy Communion at The Pro Cathedral Marlboro Street, Dublin. Hilary O'Kelly of NCAD heard of it's existence through a school friend. We found it, dusted it down and gave it to her, on loan, about two years ago. She gathered information on it's background, it's historical significance. It stems back to Douglas Hyde's speech on 'De-Anglicising Ireland' in 1892 encouraging cultural revival, through the use of the Irish language, and the return to traditional Irish customs, literature and dress. After 1916 and in the early years of the Free State it was worn for these Special Sacraments by children in Irish speaking schools. It died out by the 1970s. "