garvarry, n., ??

[goliard]

One of the quotations the OED gives for "God bless the mark" (section III.11 of the first entry for the noun 'mark') is:

1833 Dublin Penny Jrnl. 2 23/2 ‘An' they say’, remarked a third, ‘that if a body swears in the wrong wid that [sc. the garvarry] about his neck, his face'll be turned to the back of his head, God bless the mark

Comments

[dakiwiboid]

Could it have been a distinctive type of knitted scarf or neckkerchief from a particular part of Ireland, perhaps?

The glengarry bonnet or cap, which is now worn all over Scotland with the kilt, was apparently invented in the late 18th century, and popularized when it was made part of the uniform of the Glengarry Fencibles. The cap bears the name of the founder of the Glengarry Fencibles, although there's some debate about whether or not he invented it.

Distinctive sweaters, hats, kerchiefs, and other items of clothing were once relatively common in parts of the British Isles.

[goliard]

That sounds like a plausible guess. Some deeper Googling on my part, though, unearthed this, which says that the Garvarry was the crozier of a saint. This could be a false scent, however, since I'm not sure how or why you would place a crozier around your neck. (Google Book Search also turns up a tantalizing snippet of the OED's quoted source, but it's too fragmentary to be informative.)