Caubeen

Traditional Irish beret

The Caubeen is an Irish beret which was formerly worn by peasants, however has since been adopted as the head dress of the Irish regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies, where its formal name is the ‘Bonnet, Irish, Green’.

The name caubeen dates from early 19th century Irish and literally means ‘old hat’.

It is derived from the Irish word cáibín, meaning “little cape”, which itself is a diminutive form of cába, meaning “cape”. The caubeen is fashioned on the cáibín worn by Irish military chieftain Eoghan Rua Ó Néill (1585–1649).