Black Watch kilt in Northern Ireland?

**John_Carrick** · 29th January 14, 04:30 PM

I do not encounter problems in any area when kilted here. People do not tend to recognise tartans or associate them with anything other than Scotland, Ulster Scots heritage and pipe bands. Kilted weddings are very common here.
The 2013 year of culture in Derry/Londonderry saw a greater integration and appreciation of different traditions than ever (e.g. pipe bands one week, the Fleadh the next).

**mattie** · 29th January 14, 05:56 PM

Welcome to XMTS. I say wear what you want! Of course you are conversing with a man that wore a Campbell kilt in Newtonmore Scotland best regards Mattie.

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**Hawk** · 29th January 14, 07:33 PM

Being this is your first posting......welcome to the XMTS Community. I believe others are knowledgeable about this, so I'd listen rather carefully....

Hawk

**O'Callaghan** · 29th January 14, 10:12 PM

No real life experience with Northern Ireland. In fact I try to avoid it, although I have been to Ireland, the independent country. Sorry if that offends anyone, but I am Englishman of Southern Irish descent, and have both Irish Catholics and English (Anglican) Protestants in my family tree, so I figure both sides could potentially think I am one of the other lot! I don't know which area is which, and with my background they could both potentially be the wrong one! Actually, I am an atheist, but that brings to mind Dave Allen's old Northern Ireland joke "But are you a Catholic Jew or a Protestant Jew?". Well, that's just upset a whole load of other people, but my point is just substitute atheist instead of Jew, and it pretty much still works.

As it is, the loyalists (the people who want Northern Ireland to remain in the UK) are predominantly (although not exclusively) of Scottish Presbyterian origin. Some Republicans (that is, nationalists, not the GOP!) may possibly associate kilts with loyalism, due to the Scottish connection. OTOH, I know for sure that some Catholics (who tend to be Republican) have been known to wear kilts, particularly some Catholic Boy Scout bands march in them, or at least have done in the past, but solid colour, not tartan. The 'wrong' kilt in the wrong place might be a problem, but never having been there I'm not sure where the 'wrong' place might be. It may well be much safer than I think, especially as the 'Troubles' are supposed to have ended, but why take a chance?

Anyway, the Black Watch is now (I think) the 42nd Division of the Royal Scottish Regiment, who have their own regimental tartan, and they wear that one. This means that no-one in the British Army now wears the Black Watch tartan, only civilians. I don't even know whether they were even posted there, but it is possible that some people might recognise it as the old "government sett', despite the fact that most people wherever you go can't tell one sett from another. Even if they don't know that much (they probably don't) they can at least identify whether your kilt is tartan or solid, and may form some (almost certainly) erroneous conclusions based on that.

I have taken no political position here. This is all about safety issues. Those who have actually been there say it is safe, except possibly in certain areas. Not knowing where those areas are, I don't think I'd do it.

FWIW, the independent part of Ireland is as safe as houses.

**John_Carrick** · 30th January 14, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by O'Callaghan

No real life experience with Northern Ireland.

That is very clear.

1.7 million people, with very few exceptions, are striving to make a happy, normal, prosperous, shared society. It gets better and better here, even if the process is not always linear.

Our friends from across the pond should come and see the place and then judge it. Wear your kilt if you want to and spend a few dollars around the place.

John

**Phil** · 30th January 14, 01:48 AM

Can I just add that during the entire period of the "troubles" there were no atrocities perpetrated by either side in Scotland. Quite the reverse, in fact, for whatever reason. So I think you can safely assume that Scotland, Scottish people and Scottish customs and dress were never an issue in that conflict and that is the case today.
So please have no concerns about wearing a kilt in Northern Ireland abd take the advice of people who have actually been there and experienced it.

**OC Richard** · 30th January 14, 05:07 AM

Wonderful to hear the experiences of people actually living there.

I will say that here, in California, I got stick one St Patrick's Day years ago from some Irishmen for wearing a Black Watch kilt. (The Black Watch were indeed serving in Northern Ireland at that very time.) I wasn't entirely sure that I would get out of that pub with all my teeth intact. I was just doing my job (the hired piper) and the last thing I wanted was to stir up trouble.

I've not worn Black Watch since. I stick to Isle Of Skye nowadays... everyone likes it, and there are no political overtones.

I tend to be very careful about such stuff. While in Glasgow I bought the shirt of a certain Glasgow football club but I didn't wear it until I got back to the USA. In Glasgow I wore my Los Angeles Galaxy shirt which everyone liked.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 30th January 14, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by John_Carrick

That is very clear.

1.7 million people, with very few exceptions, are striving to make a happy, normal, prosperous, shared society. It gets better and better here, even if the process is not always linear.

Our friends from across the pond should come and see the place and then judge it. Wear your kilt if you want to and spend a few dollars around the place.

John

John, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the post.