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

[Bugbear]

Just be awear and respectful that many tartans represent clans or groups, etc. The tartan might not have the same power of meaning to you if you wear that tartan as to someone of that clan or group, etc.

Same goes for saying a tartan is ugly or something like that.

[CDNSushi]

No history here. 100% Czech on both sides of the family as far as I can trace back (which, honestly isn't THAT far). The tartans I own are universal or district. Wouldn't stop me from getting something that I really liked, however.

[O'Callaghan]

Briefly, the kilt developed in the Scottish Highlands from combining the Irish brat (striped woollen cloak) with the Irish leine (pleated linen tunic), some time after the indigenous Picts (possibly Celts, but if so then Britons, not Gaels) were conquered by the Dal Riada, aka the Scots, a tribe of Gaelic Celts from Ireland.

Tartan was worn by Celts for thousands of years before they ever came to the British Isles, but the patterns (known as setts) had no significance.

Even up to the '45 (the defeat of Scottish rebels in 1745 after the union with England in 1707), few clans had a clan tartan, probably no more than a dozen of them, but were identified mostly by sprigs of different plants worn in their hats.

Tartans with some kind of meaning, including clan tartans, mostly, with these few exceptions, date after highland dress was legalised in 1782, having been banned in 1746, and mechanised woolen mills having been started in the interim, and especially gained momentum after the King gathered the Scottish clan chiefs in London in 1822.

It is at this point that Irish kilts enter the picture, in the 19th century (1800s for the numerically challenged), to largely disappear again by World War Two. They were suggested as Irish national dress, and were plain colours, not tartan, mostly either green or saffron.

As pointed out elsewhere, pipers in military units on both the Irish and British sides of the border still wear the saffron kilt, e.g. in the Royal Irish Regiment (British Army), the Irish Air Corps and the 28th Infantry Division of the Irish National Army. Pipers in the London Irish Rifles (a British Territorial Army unit, i.e. similar to the National Guard in the US) wear solid coloured kilts in something called 'Hodden Grey'.

Irish tartans having specific meanings are a post-war thing, mostly worn by Irish Americans and mostly designed by Scottish and even English woollen mills. They mostly represent Irish counties, although there are two unrelated sets of Irish county tartans designed by different mills, or represent Ireland itself, but there are seven or eight different tartans for Ireland. There are also tartans for each of the four traditional kingdoms, and for maybe a dozen Irish clans and/or names (and no, that does not include any Scottish clans that may be represented in Northern Ireland).

So, all that said, if you have Irish roots and want to wear a kilt, then why not wear a green or saffron one, or a tartan that represents Ireland or the county your people come from? Even if there is a tartan for your Irish clan or name it is likely to be an expensive special order, but you can still afford something relevant without selling the farm.

[macwilkin]

Pipers in the London Irish Rifles (a British Territorial Army unit, i.e. similar to the National Guard in the US) wear solid coloured kilts in something called 'Hodden Grey'.

Actually, that's the London Scottish that wear Hodden Grey, along with their affiliated regiment, the Toronto Scottish. The pipes and drums of the London Irish Rifles (both units are now part of the London Regiment) wear saffron kilts.

You'll see a picture of a LIR piper on the front cover of a book on the regimental association's web site:

http://www.londonirishrifles.com/books.cfm

Regards,

Todd

[McNulty]

I'm Scots/Irish, mostly Irish. I've got an Irish National, a Dark green kilt and celebrate my multi heritage by wearing my kilts often and with pride. I have other kilts in various tartans and wear them with as much pride as I do the "Irish" ones. But when someone asks me, I'm "Black Irish" from the Sout (no H ) side of Chicago. Know what I mean youz guyz?
Nulty

[BearMinister]

100 % Finnish and I wear a kilt. I try to stick to the universal tartans, but if I find a good looking (and cheap) clan tartan kilt from the ebay, I won't let the lack of scottish heritage stop me from bidding...

[M_Beorn]

Being Irish/German on my fathers side and English/Norwegian on my mothers, I wear the the kilt to celebrate my Irish heritage. I currently have the Ireland's National kilt, but am rapidly expanding my inventory with a box pleated black canvas, box pleated Westmeath Country Crest, and a knife pleated Navy Edzell.

While I don't wear mine daily, I don't hesitate to wear it to the pub, dinner, concerts, soccer matches, etc.

Great history O'Callaghan!

[NewPiperinNY]

O'Callaghan, thanks for the history lesson! And that is indeed what I intend on wearing, either a Heritage of Ireland or saffron colored (as my uniform kilt is). I do own a non-clan tartan phillabeg, but that was because it was purchased for a Kilted Christmas Eve and incorporated the representative colors of the holiday.

If I was to entertain the thought of wearing a tartan that was other than non-clan, I would indeed learn the background of it so that I could pay the proper respect to the clan.

[Riverkilt]

Each of my grandparents had an Irish line so have a saffron kilt and an Ireland's National tartan kilt.

Have tartans for my family clans, Macdonald, Gordon, Cameron, Gunn, Fraser, and Scott.

Have tartans to honor family service, Army, Navy, Royal Air Force, Firefighter's Memorial.

Have district tartans, Caledonia, Isle of Skye, Antarctica

Have the X Marks the Scott tartan

Have a couple clan tartans I just happen to like, Loud MacLeod, and MacLean Hunting (Sir Sean's tartan).

Even have a fashion tartan I like, the Warrior tartan.

There are many ways to go with tartans.

And within a clan tartan you often have many variations....I have four different Macdonald tartans and four different House of Gordon tartans.

You can never have too many kilts. Just order up what you like.

My only advice would be have your most meaningful tartans made up in a hand sewn kilt by a craftsman kiltmaker you do business with personally.

Ron

[Robert Lamb]

I am a 100% kilter and I do have Scottish, Irish, Dutch, English, German and French.
I don't wear a kilt to be a Scot in a kilt. I wear a kilt to be Man in a kilt.
I have made a dozen plaid tartan kilts that rep. nothing more than I like the pattern and the colors.