What is a a traditional Irish Cap called?

Answer 1

I've collected a few Irish caps that work well in the weather of Seattle, Wa., and I've learned a little lore along the way.

What most people refer to as an Irish cap is one of two different types usually made of wool with the front of the crown attached to a bill or visor by a snap or button.

The most common type is made from a single piece of fabric sewn together along its edges. This type is called a one-piece or flat cap. It can be traced back to the 14th century, when the English government, trying to stimulate wool consumption, issued an edict that all men and boys in Britain and Ireland must wear a wool cap or be fined. The flat cap was an economical way to produce a useful hat. The nobility were exempted from the edict, which may be the source of the flat cap's reputation as a working man's hat.

The second type is made of wedge-shaped segments sewn together and joined at the top to a cloth button. This type has roots in the Irish countryside and is considered the true Irish cap. They are also sometimes called apple caps because, viewed from the top, the panels resemble a segmented apple. They are further defined as 4-, 6- or 8-piece caps depending on the number of panels. A cap of moderate volume with a reinforced bill is simply called an Irish cap. A more voluminous cap with a softer bill made only of layers of fabric is either called a newsboy cap (crown snapped down to the bill) or a baker-boy cap (no snap).

Answer 2

A flat cap, sometimes called a tweed cap or paddy cap.