I am going to try and give you the tree and not the forest. These are points I am trying to set up tge bigger picture here without arousing confusion.

1. Murphy is the most common surname in Ireland and more Murphy's exist outside Ireland than within.

2. Kilts can be worn by anyone whether you believe it or not it is physically possible. Let's face it though, regardless of the origins of kilts and opinions can we agree that a lot of Irish people especially in the United States make up a fairly large portion of the DEMOGRAPHIC of kilt wearers kilt enthusiasts?

3. If 1 and 2 are true than there is a seriious problem with the business people who are interested in selling kilts.

If you have a demographic of people who are not being drawn into the culture then there is something that is being neglected. Maybe some questions that should be addressed by persons looking to keep the culture alive would be :

Who are our target groups? Demographic information...
What makes kilt culture special?
Are people turned off because they feel left out are there people asking where is my family tartan?
Regardless of exclusiveness to clan, regardless of history, is there a REALITY in the importance of family and the desire to have a kilt in a family tartan that exists in the average persons mind and is it not a really stupid practice to just not bother to reach out and try to make that a possibility for someone.
If a man wants a McFillinaname tartan that simply does not exist then what better way to tell a man **** you than to say oh it does not exist but 1000 dollars and I can make it happen. That is a pathetic attitude I have seen and it is an incredibly dumb business practice. That is where I feel there is a failure in the structure of the industry of tartans.

This effects people who just want a kilt, the potential sales for kilts tailors, and the weavers themselves. The weavers themselves are where the problem starts. If you don't want to see outsourced garbage, find a way to get your target group excited, engaged, and involved in your trade. If you have neglected your target group then we are going to ruin something really special for the next generations as interests are lost. And that makes Kevin Murphy sad.

This is meant to be thought provoking more than anything else. I am not claiming to be an expert on anything.