Saffron kilt showdown

[southern-pride]

Ok, Im looking at getting a SWK Standard Saffron kilt and am wondering what exactly it is. Turning to the powers of Google, I have gleened that it is a irish piping kilt, a military kilt, a skirt that is not actually a kilt. I have heard that it surely is an Irish style, and I have heard (quite strongly) that it is NOT an irish style. So I was wondering if any of you out there in kilt world can tell me precisely what a saffron kilt is all about.
Slainte!

[Sawney Bean]

The saffron kilt is worn by many Irish military bodies and other Irish associated organisations. It is definately more of an Irish thing than a Scottish thing (despite the Scots Gaels having as much a claim to the saffron colour as the Irish historically). Nevertheless, having seen Pipers from the Irish Guards and the London Irish Rifles up close I can testify that they look 'gey smert'. Guid luck wi' yer endeavours pal.

[beloitpiper]

I wear my SWK Saffron all the time -- especially now in the Autumn. Screw everybody who says otherwise. It's a kilt, it's Irish, and I love it.

[southern-pride]

I wear my SWK Saffron all the time -- especially now in the Autumn. Screw everybody who says otherwise. It's a kilt, it's Irish, and I love it.

Would you mind posting a pic of yourself wearin' it? I'd like to see what it looks like outside of the SWK website

[beloitpiper]

[southern-pride]

Wow, I like that! Many thanks, friend!

[Rex_Tremende]

[off topic]
Greg, it's funny, but though the colors in this photo are a little yellowed and washed out, it reminds me exactly of the scene in so many midwestern towns that I've passed through, you know the ones with the slightly faded-around-the-edges look.
[/off topic]

Regards,
Rex.

[beloitpiper]

[off topic]
Greg, it's funny, but though the colors in this photo are a little yellowed and washed out, it reminds me exactly of the scene in so many midwestern towns that I've passed through, you know the ones with the slightly faded-around-the-edges look.
[/off topic]

Regards,
Rex.

1) I didn't take the photo (obviously), it was done by a freelancer who sent me the photo later. I personally don't care for the photo but it's alright.

2) I know exactly what you mean.

[macwilkin]

As a proud native Midwesterner, I'm not sure if I should laugh or be offended...

(grin)

[O'Callaghan]

I have one too. I bought it here from NorCalPiper, who bought it from SWK, but it didn't fit him.

Saffron kilts are worn by all the pipers in all the UK Irish regiments and in both the Irish Army and the Irish Air Corps, as well as in Irish regiments in several commonwealth countries.

Apparenty, according to the UK Ministry of Defence the saffron kilt represents ancient Irish dress. By represents I don't think they mean it is identical, just similar. The ancient Irish wore the leine (a linen tunic), which was often dyed with saffron, and there are old drawings and carvings that show a pleated version of the leine, so the saffron kilt represents the lower half of the pleated saffron leine, albeit saffron dye doesn't produce the same colour in a woolen kilt as it does in a linen leine.

Saffron kilts were apparently first worn by the pipers of the Enniskillen Fusiliers, a distinguished regiment raised in Enniskillen, Ireland, which was part of the UK at the time, but is now part of the Republic of Ireland. One person here gave the date as 1859, so that's 150 years ago, and I have seen a photo elsewhere dated 1870 of the Enniskillen Fusiliers wearing the saffron kilt, so the slightly earlier date doesn't seem a stretch atall.

The saffron kilt also fits in with the move to adopt solid colour kilts as Irish national dress in the 1800s, although all the evidence I've seen is that only two colours were actually worn, saffron and green, the latter for more obvious reasons and never by the British Army (LOL!), and if anyone can push the date back further than 150 years I'd be very interested to hear it.