Quote Originally Posted by Zardoz View Post
I just want to note here that if you are ordering a Irish county tartan, be aware that there are 2 mills, House of Edgar (HoE) and Marton Mills (MM), offering different tartans for the counties, as well as 2 "national" tartans and other various setts. They are quite different, most of the HoE tartans tend to be more 'earthy' in their colors, while the MM tartans are based on the "County Crests" of the various counties, and are more vibrant.
So don't just tell a kiltmaker "County Waterford"and forget it! Aviod suprises and be sure to specify the mill, or better yet the STA number, of the tartan you want.
I think this is very good advice. I do not yet own a heavier weight kilt and am saving my nickels for the investment but at the same time doing a lot of reading and homework on the tartans, mills, kilt makers etc. Your comments are very much on the mark. Ron (Riverkilt) posted a pic somewhere (and I DO know it is not Irish but the principle applies) of 2 different IOS tartans and I was very surprised at the difference. Don't get me wrong, both very nice looking kilts just not the same.