British Army Gloves - Northern Ireland, circa 1980s. These gloves were designed to be comfortable, hard wearing yet still stylish. The Northern Ireland (NI) Gloves were made from high quality soft leather with padded knuckles and knitted cuffs with lining. Time was that the only gloves on general issue were Gloves (Woollen) - which were absolutely useless. The only alternative was to acquire a pair of NI Gloves. As gloves went, they were not too bad. They could be treated with Nixwax or boot polish and were asight better than the alternatives of the day (cumbersome ski mitts or motorcycle gloves). They have since been replaced on general issue by the Gore-Tex-lined CS95 gloves.