Irish Kilts

[M. A. C. Newsome]

But ... finally, I really would like a kilt that has some kind of traditional certainness to it to show respect to my ancestors and my heritage of being descended from people living in Co Clare Ireland.

So, how do I ensure that I am not showing disrespect by getting a modern "made up" tartan versus one that actually represents the tartan of Co Clare? If there is no written proof of it, then is there proof of a solid color worn by Irish people that I could be proud to wear instead?

Jeff,

Yes, it can certainly all be confusing! Irish people have certainly worn kilts in the past, though not in the "ancient past" as many have erroneously assumed to be the case. The idea of an "ancient Irish kilt" actually originated in Scotland among people trying to establish an ancient pedigree for the Scottish National Dress, by suggesting the Irish Scoti brought it with them when they emigrated 1500 years ago to Dal Riada!

In the past 100 ~ 150 years or so, certain Irish groups have adopted the kilt, either as a uniform for a pipe band, or as a symbol of the Celtic Revival movement. But the kilt never was a part of the day-to-day native indiginous dress of the Irish Gaels as it was with the Scottish Gaels. And the Irish never developed a native tradition of wearing tartans in a representative (symbolic) manner, as developed in the Scottish tradition.

More recently, there has been an attempt to superimpose the Scottish tradition of named, symbolic tartans on the Irish. Some of this has some merit, some does not. There are certain Irish tartans that do have official recognition by the head of the family -- for example, the Cian tartan. These would be viewed with the same legitimacy as a Scottish clan tartan that is recognized by the cheif, although perhaps with not as much pedigree behind it.

On the other hand, most of the "Irish tartans" people are familiar with today are, strictly speaking, "fashion tartans." By that I mean that they are designed and given a name, and sold under that name, but they have no actual recognition by any kind of governing authority for that name. (Note, this is the case for a lot of Scottish tartans, as well).

The prime example of this would be the popular Irish county tartans (either the original ones designed by the House of Edgar in the mid 1990s or the more recent ones designed by Marton Mills). Absolutely none of these have any recognition by anyone within the Irish government or anyone else who would otherwise have the authority to speak on behalf of the counties whose names these tartans bear.

Now that does not stop people from wearing them in a representative fashion. Ultimately, the meaning behind a tartan -- as with any symbol -- is the meaning we give it. If your family comes from Co. Clare, and you choose one of the Co. Clare tartans to wear as a kilt, and by doing so honor and remember your ancestors from that county, then that's just fine.

But if you are looking for a tartan that has actually been recognized by the county, so that it can accurately be called the tartan for County Clare, then no such tartan exists.

As for solid kilts, certainly no one is suggesting a kilt must be a tartan to be a "true" kilt. Most of the kilts that have been worn by those Irish who have chosen to adopt the kilt have in fact been solid -- saffron and green being popular colors. For that reason many have associated a solid kilt with the Irish, but the fact of the matter is that solid kilts have always been worn in Scotland, as well. They just never have been as popular or as common as tartan kilts. But no one would suggest that they are not "true" kilts.

So if you wish to honor your Irish heritage by wearing a solid saffron or emereld green kilt, that would certianly be fine to do.