Jacket Etiquette: What to Wear and When in Ireland

When it comes to jacket etiquette, the unwritten rules around when, where, and how to wear a jacket in everyday Irish life. Also known as outerwear manners, it’s not about looking fancy—it’s about not looking foolish in the rain, at a pub, or in a boardroom. In Ireland, a jacket isn’t just warmth. It’s a signal. Wear the wrong one at the wrong time, and people notice. Not because you’re rude, but because you’re out of sync with how things actually work here.

Take the formal jacket, a tailored blazer or suit coat worn for work, weddings, or formal dinners. This isn’t a weekend item. In Dublin or Cork, you’ll see men in them on Tuesdays and Thursdays—never on a Tuesday night at the local pub unless there’s a live band and a dress code. Women wear them to job interviews, not to the farmers’ market. The key? Fit matters more than brand. A cheap jacket that fits well beats an expensive one that hangs like a sack. Then there’s the casual jacket, the kind you throw on over a hoodie or t-shirt for walking the dog, grabbing coffee, or catching the bus in drizzle. This is where most Irish people live. A denim jacket, a waxed cotton coat, or a lightweight windbreaker—none need to match. They just need to keep the wet out. And then there’s the weather-appropriate outerwear, the unspoken hero of Irish style: waterproof, breathable, and durable enough to survive three seasons of rain. This isn’t fashion. It’s survival. A jacket that soaks through after ten minutes in a light shower? You’re not stylish—you’re just damp.

Here’s the thing: jacket etiquette in Ireland isn’t about rules written down. It’s about reading the room. Walk into a café in Galway wearing a tuxedo jacket? You’ll get stares. Walk in with a muddy hiking jacket and no shirt underneath? You’ll get nods. The locals don’t care what you’re wearing—they care if you’re prepared. That’s why you’ll see teachers in wool coats, nurses in water-resistant parkas, and builders in insulated field jackets. They all follow the same code: function first, form second.

You don’t need to own ten jackets. You need two: one for when you need to look put together, and one for when you need to stay dry. The rest is noise. And if you’re wondering whether to button it, roll the sleeves, or leave it open—just watch what the person next to you does. In Ireland, style isn’t loud. It’s quiet. It’s practical. It’s the jacket you forget you’re wearing because it just works.

Below, you’ll find real advice from Irish homes and workplaces—on what jackets work in rain, what to avoid at the office, and how to pick one that lasts longer than the season. No trends. No fluff. Just what actually matters here.