Inexpensive Kilts

[RockyR]

House of Edgar registered their County Tartans in 1996/97. Gaelic Themes copyrighted their County Crest tartans in 2005.

The counties DO NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE them (nor does the Irish Government recognize the Irish National or Ireland's National). They are considered "Fashion Tartans".

The Solid color Saffron kilts (a goldish brown color) are the most "traditional" in the fact that they are colored to look like the Irish Liene (the "kilt like thing" that the Irish wore long ago). For more history on that, talk to Matt Newsome from the Tartan Museum.

[PiobBear]

The Solid color Saffron kilts (a goldish brown color) are the most "traditional" in the fact that they are colored to look like the Irish Liene (the "kilt like thing" that the Irish wore long ago).

Actually, the leine was "a nightshirt like thing", a unisex garment rather like a woman's shift, often with very exaggerated baggy sleeves.
While not historically Irish, the kilt became popularized in the 1880’s by the Gaelic League and Irish patriots like Patrick Pearse, Bernard FitzPatrick, Eamonn Ceannt, Douglas Hyde, and Pierce O’Mahony, until now it’s recognized as a form of national dress. The most common and widely recognized is the solid colored saffron kilt as worn by Bernard FitzPatrick and Pierce O’Mahoney while campaigning for home rule in Parliament in the 1880’s, by Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland in 1938, and by the pipers of the Irish Defense Forces and the Royal Irish Regiment today.

[Skweres]

so the irish gov. doesnt recognize any of the tartans? were there any specific reasons for why the tartans had certain colors and stripes? or was it just random?

[PiobBear]

As Rocky pointed out, the saffron kilt was adopted as the traditional color of the Irish leine. No idea of how Polly Wittering came up with the county tartans, but they sure are pretty.

[RockyR]

The Irish / Irelands National are green white and gold (with a little black) to reflect the flag's colors.

The HOE County tartans (to my knowledge) don't have too much color signifigance. I remember reading something about "the colors were chosen to reflect the soft rolling hills of the Irish countryside..." or something like that. Basically, they made up designs they liked and registered them.

The GT County Crest tartans (which are not registered with the STA, but are COPYRIGHTED) are designed around the crest for each county. They took the colors in the crest of each Irish county and designed tartans using those colors.

While the colors of some had meaning, the pattern itself (to my knowledge) did not. There's no reason why they used a thread count of 45 green vs. 40 green in the Irish national (to make up a couple numbers). The pattern itself was designed based on Polly's likes / dislikes and Scott Chalmers' likes and dislikes.

[gilmore]

While the colors of some had meaning, the pattern itself (to my knowledge) did not. There's no reason why they used a thread count of 45 green vs. 40 green in the Irish national (to make up a couple numbers). The pattern itself was designed based on Polly's likes / dislikes and Scott Chalmers' likes and dislikes.

Or perhaps what was thought to be marketable?

[Pour1Malt]

ya get whit ya pay fur...

cheap kilts arr craaaap!

save yur pennies fur a real kilt lad...

[RockyR]

Or perhaps what was thought to be marketable?

That was implied by "Likes and dislikes". They knew they were designing them for "public consumption", so they tried to make the most appealing tartans they could.

[Skweres]

ya get whit ya pay fur...

cheap kilts arr craaaap!

save yur pennies fur a real kilt lad...

oh, i did, but now im broke.....