In the 16th century, English rule in Ireland became stronger.
There were several military campaigns by the Crown forces across the island, which strengthened the influence and control of English laws.
Henry VIII launched a re-conquest of Ireland from the 1520s onwards.
For the past century at least, power in Ireland had mainly been in the hands of various local Gaelic and Gaelicised lords, who ruled with the permission of the English King, but mainly ran things as they saw fit, warring and allying with each other as before.
In order to break this power, and increase the power of the English crown in Ireland, Henry VIII increased the amount of armed forces on the island, and brought in a policy of surrender and regrant – the land-holding nobles were given royal protection once they formally surrendered their lands to the Crown, who re-granted them straight back by Royal Charter. They were granted English titles and admitted to the Irish Parliament in Dublin for the first time. This policy did not discriminate between Gaelic or Anglo-Irish nobles, and was gradually taken up by all chieftains and lords.
In areas where there was some resistance to this – like Laois, Offaly, Antrim and Munster – the Crown forces began Plantations – areas of the country were settled with people from England, who would bring in English language and customs and remain loyal to the crown. There was plenty of resistance to this policy and many of the plantations had short lifespans or very difficult early years
Another aspect of English control in Ireland were several laws that dictated how people could dress. The most well known law, "An Act for the English Order, Habit & Language", was enacted in 1537, and it forbid people to wear certain clothing that was considered ‘Gaelic’.
Men were forbidden from wearing their léinte (shirts) long, and dying any clothing saffron was forbidden for all. All people were to wear “clothing of the English fashion”.
Many people continued to wear these forbidden fashions regardless, sometimes adopting English dress for particular occasions. A long linen shirt with wide full sleeves, called a léine, was worn by men and women alike, usually dyed bright yellow with pollen and urine. Over this, a huge cloak or mantle, called a brat, was worn to protect from the cold and rain. This basic costume was worn by people of all walks of life, while those who were better off wore other items along with this such as a long, pleated gown with open sleeves, or short leather jackets with fringing and decoration on the leather.
In addition to this, various English chroniclers complained about the hairstyles of Gaelic men, such as the croiméal – a moustache without a beard, and a “glib” hairstyle, where the hair was grown long at the front over the face and was shaved at the back over the ears.
