Irish tartans overview

[figheadair]

I'll put it into a timeline as best I can.

c1580-c1620 Dungiven bog costume trews.

Dug up in 1956 so not included in the review of Irish bog finds reviewed in Old Irish and Highland Dress by HF McClintock.

As mention in a separate thread, the dating is more likely 17th that 16th century.

1880 Clans Originaux.

A tartan swatch-book. Some of the tartans were misidentified as Irish and have been woven as such in modern times. I'm sure there are more, but I found

Murphy/Tara: MacLean of Duart given a green ground.

O Farrell: Royal Stewart given a tan ground.

Neither tartans are included in the STA's copy of Clans Originaux. The earliest reference to the Murphy as Tara that I can find is in 1967. During the 1977 International Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh this sett was sold to an American visitor as Murphy which is the earliest reliable reference I have for it.

O'Farrell comes from the 1990s records of the now defunct US based TECA (Tartan Educational and Cultural Organisation). Again, there is no early record of this tartan and it appears to be a fashion design.

[OC Richard]

Neither tartans are included in the STA's copy of Clans Originaux. The earliest reference to the Murphy as Tara that I can find is in 1967. During the 1977 International Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh this sett was sold to an American visitor as Murphy which is the earliest reliable reference I have for it.

O'Farrell comes from the 1990s records of the now defunct US based TECA (Tartan Educational and Cultural Organisation). Again, there is no early record of this tartan and it appears to be a fashion design.

Thanks for clarifying that! I'll change it.

I'm trying to understand the Murphy/Tara thing more clearly. So the sett now known as Tara/Murphy first appears in 1967 simply as Tara?

Is it known who got the idea to weave MacLean of Duart with a green ground, and who wove it?

About the Clans Originaux mess, I took this

Later research suggests that none of the tartans included in Clans Originaux are Irish.

to mean that patterns in the book have been shown to be Scottish, not Irish, not that the patterns themselves weren't in the book, along the lines of "none of the accusations included in this report are true"

[figheadair]

Thanks for clarifying that! I'll change it.

I'm trying to understand the Murphy/Tara thing more clearly. So the sett now known as Tara/Murphy first appears in 1967 simply as Tara?

Correct

Is it known who got the idea to weave MacLean of Duart with a green ground, and who wove it?

Not that I know on either count.

[figheadair]

About the Clans Originaux mess, I took this

Later research suggests that none of the tartans included in Clans Originaux are Irish.

to mean that patterns in the book have been shown to be Scottish, not Irish, not that the patterns themselves weren't in the book, along the lines of "none of the accusations included in this report are true"

To be clear, those tartans are not in the book at all. Here is this list of the tartans.

[OC Richard]

As mentioned in a separate thread, the dating is more likely 17th that 16th century.

For now I'm sticking with the dates given by Dr Audrey Horning (Queens University Belfast) "late 16th to early 17th century".

[figheadair]

For now I'm sticking with the dates given by Dr Audrey Horning (Queens University Belfast) "late 16th to early 17th century".

Do you have Audrey Henshall's paper? If not, I can send via FB Msg.

[OC Richard]

Do you have Audrey Henshall's paper? If not, I can send via FB Msg.

No I don't, that would be wonderful, thanks!