My wounded Saffron pride!

[slohairt]

Earlier today I was at a wedding for my wife's friend. I went kilted of course: I was wearing my saffron kilt with my green Kilkenny jacket. Anyhow, the couple getting married had many friends and family from all over the globe. I was approached by a young Scotsman and his friends who snickered and asked why I was wearing a skirt. I replied that it was an Irish saffron kilt, not a skirt. He then told me in a most authoritative manner that kilts were only tartan and only for people from Scotland! (I noted he was wearing boring khakis and a blue shirt).
He needlessly regaled me with all sorts of nonsensical quasi-history as if I were some fool who fell off a turnip wagon yesterday! I told him I was a kiltmaker and that kilts can be made in a variety of materials. I told him that I wore the saffron for my Irish heritage. (I was born in Bunbeg, Co. Donegal-but we moved to Canada when I was 4).
Fed up with his nonsense, I told him that being from Scotland made him no more an authority on kilts than me being from Canada made me an authority on maple syrup! His friends laughed at that and wandered away!

Has anyone else encountered this kind of behaviour?

[Mr. Kilt]

I wore my SWK Saffron kilt to my parents place last week for Thanksgiving. My mother has grown accustomed to seeing me in kilts over the past 3 years, but when she opened the door she exclaimed "Now THAT looks like a skirt! Kilts are supposed to be tartan". Tried to explain the Irish angle of the solid kilts, but she seemed stuck on the tartan idea. Sad, really, especially since my grandfather came from Co. Antrim.

[McClef]

You probably do know more about maple syrup than he does about a kilt!

Sounds like this guy had a very dog in the manger attitude besides being unbelieveably ignorant despite the Scottish education system.

[slohairt]

Actually you're probably right, I seem to remember attending a few "Sugar Bush" school trips as a kid!

An Bhreatain Bheag go brath!

[David Dalglish]

It is usually Scotsmen that have never worn a kilt that have this narrow minded attitude to others wearing one. I am glad we are not all of the same opinion. Wear your kilt with pride

[slohairt]

It's sad but it seems whenever I wear an Irish kilt (solid-coloured) I usually have to wear all the kilt accessories with it to make the layman realise what it is.

[Blu (Ontario)]

While I've had a few incredibly ignorant and stupid remarks tossed my way, I've not encountered anything this blatant from a Scot. It's unclear what agegroup this fellow falls into, but his men spirited, spoil-sport attitude is clear.

Makes you wonder why it is that some people have such a burr up their backside about it..... a boost to their own ego perhaps.

Conjecture....

It wouldn't have made any difference if you had been wearing a tartan kilt.

.

[Blu (Ontario)]

It is usually Scotsmen that have never worn a kilt that have this narrow minded attitude to others wearing one. I am glad we are not all of the same opinion. Wear your kilt with pride

I was wondering about that possibility myself. And if he had, it most assuredly would have been in the protected confines of his own little group.

.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I've encountered that attitude before (if it's not tartan, it's not a kilt), but solid colored kilts are most definitely Scottish, and most definitely historical.

Here is a link to an article I did on the topic recently for The Scottish Banner

http://albanach.org/solid_kilt.htm

[Blu (Ontario)]

It's sad but it seems whenever I wear an Irish kilt (solid-coloured) I usually have to wear all the kilt accessories with it to make the layman realise what it is.

I have a solid color kilt on order at the moment. And since I'm not in the habit of wearing much in the way of the accessories you describe, I may very well be in store for similar nonsense.

Anyway, I'm sure we'll have some storys to swap for the next SW Ontario pub nite... whenever that happens.