Not sure how to title this.. (Irish Ancestry)

[NewPiperinNY]

Well -- being new to kilting I am curious about a lot of things... but here is my first 'quandry'.

Being of Irish heritage doesn't speak volumes for wearing a kilt. And to be honest I don't plan (at least while I am working) to be kilted full time, just special occasions, and with tartans of the American or Irish influences.

Does everyone here have a historical tie to their kilted-ness?

[xena]

Nope. You don't have to be a cowboy to wear blue jeans, nor do you have to be Scottish to wear a kilt.

It's just polite to know at least the name of the tartan you're wearing.

For what it's worth, the pipers of the Irish Defence Forces wear saffron kilts, as do the members of the Royal Irish Regiment. There's debate as to how far back kilts go in Irish history, but they're there now, at the very least.

Kilts really were originally just something of the Scottish Highlands, then they became common all throughout all Scotland. Now they're being popularized throughout all the Celtic nationalities, and beyond.

[tooltruckguy]

NO. I'm part Irish and part German. I have and wear kilts Irish National, County Galway and Irish Saffron. I wear them on special ocassions as well as every day sometimes. I guess it depends on what mood I'm in.

[Spc. Scott]

I'm pretty much a mutt. There's some Scottish stirred in there but I know that I'd be wearing a kilt either way. I have a few kilts that have a family connection and a few others that I just happen to like.

I do try to learn a bit about the history of the clans for the kilts that I have no connection to. Just seems like the right thing to do for me.

In the end it comes down to the fact that kilts, in my opinion, are an all around great garment to wear.

[Raphael]

I am 100% Chinese and I wear the kilt regularly.

[GMan]

About 37% Irish here, and I am Kilted tons of times.

[nab2488]

I am about 1% Scottish so I really have no basis to wear a kilt. However, I wear them all the time. I find it very funny the only times I hear people say "you have to be Scottish or Irish to wear a kilt." they themselves are not Scottish or Irish. Last time I heard that I was on campus at kennesaw state university and a frat boy said it under his breath behind me in line at the lunch counter. First off how could he have know if I was Scottish or not? I was just standing there. So that proved to me he was an idiot. I turned around he was wearing a University of Georgia hat. So I asked him "Do you go to the University of Georgia? Because I think you should only be allowed to wear a UGA hat if you go there." I waited for a response he just looked at me with his mouth open so I just waited in line he never said another word.

I do make sure to learn as much about a clan tartan I wear before I wear it. So if someone asks I can be informed and tell them about the clan this tartan represents. If I am wearing it to a Highland games or something where a lot of traditional scots will be I tend to wear a universal tartan.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

You can wear a kilt. Or you can wear one of those quasi-kilt things made out of canvas with snaps and pockets and funny looking pleats.

If you choose the former, then as mentioned by others, you'd be advised to know a bit about the tartan you are wearing so you don't look a fool if someone asks "what tartan is that?" You would probably do well to dress along more traditional lines, too. And avoid wearing white socks with your kilt.

Or you can wear the quasi-kilt man skirt sort of thing, in which case it won't matter a fig if you know anything about tartan or not. But at least you can wear white socks.

The choice is up to you as to what you wear and how you wear it. No "historical" tie is required.

Enjoy your kilt.

[GDub]

Half Irish, half Icelandic here. I wear the kilt because I like wearing the kilt. I do have a couple of clan tartans, but plan on sticking with contemporary and/or "fashion" and Irish-centric tartans in my next wave of purchases. Just a choice thing...

Kilt on!!

[The Barry]

As has been suggested already, I'll just parrot some good advice.

If you want to wear a kilt more "appropriate" for an Irishman, you can check out a saffron kilt, an Irish county tartan (which can be quite good looking), or one of the many Irish universal tartans (national, pride, heritage, etc).

Or, if you find a clan tartan that you really like, wear it. Double-check that there isn't a restriction on its use here: Scottish Tartan Registry

Or, if you like, you can always wear any of the "universal" tartans: Black Watch, X-Marks, Scottish National, etc.

Like has been said, if you wear a tartan, know something about it, people will ask.

And the most important rule: wear a kilt!