Paddy Doyle's Boots

Step into one of the most wonderfully specific working songs in the shanty tradition. “Paddy Doyle’s Boots” was a bunt shanty, sung while sailors gathered the heavy middle of a furled sail up onto the yard. Unlike the sprawling verses of many shanties, Paddy Doyle’s was famously brief—the crew repeated essentially the same line, putting their combined effort into the final cry of “boots!” as they heaved the canvas into place.

Our design imagines Paddy Doyle on the other side of the story: proprietor of a well-worn portside boot shop, supplying sailors with the footwear that somehow still needed paying for once they were back aboard ship. Whether there ever was a particular Paddy Doyle behind the song is uncertain, but generations of sailors made sure his boots were never forgotten. Lace yours up, get to the yard, and remember—we’ll pay Paddy Doyle for his boots.

• 100% cotton
• Sport Grey is 90% cotton, 10% polyester
• Ash Grey is 99% cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 50% cotton, 50% polyester
• Fabric weight: 5.0–5.3 oz/yd² (170-180 g/m²)
• Open-end yarn
• Tubular fabric
• Taped neck and shoulders
• Double seam at sleeves and bottom hem
• Blank product sourced from Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Mexico

Disclaimers: 
• Due to the fabric properties, the White color variant may appear off-white rather than bright white.
• Dark color speckles throughout the fabric are expected for the color Natural.

Size guide