Your opinions, please.

[DireStraitsFan]

I know what its like to want a tartan that means something, even though you can rightfully where any you like. Therefore, I make this suggestion.

Follow your geneology up the paternal side untill you find a name with its own tartan, or associated with a clan with a tartan. (I did this, but also followed up the maternal side as well, as my female ancestors played no smaller role then the males, you may wish to do the same).

Also look at the tartans for the country/county/city your ancesters where from.

Look at the tartans for the country/state/county/city you're from.

This will give you a lot of tartans to look at, but it will have eliminated many more, and they should all be relivent, and a decent point of conversations should anyone ask. Simply chose the one you like the best from the range you've put together.

I personaly ended up with Irish national, as it was one of the most easily available and and the best quality of the they easily available ones. (also, I think it looks better then the clan tartan I could have chosen.)

Great suggestions! I really appreciate you taking the time. I really would like to wear a Tartan that has family significance. I didn't know if it was appropriate, or even relevant to wear a Tartan that didn't come from your surname, but came from elsewhere in your family line.

Anyone know if Mathews has a clan affiliation?

[McGurk]

Off the top of my head, I dont know, but it seems (judging from th 1881 and 1998 census, available at http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/Surnames.aspx ) that Mathews is a a predominantly welsh/cornish. However, if Mathews is a contraction of Mathewson, then that'd be a lowland scottish name.

Dont know if that helps or not, eventualy, you'll reach a dead end, I cant track my family back any further then when they left Ireland, because ireland was a 3rd world country at the time and didnt have very good records of its populace. Internet reasearch leads me mainly to MacFarlane or MacNeil, but gives me nothing for certain (mainly because the family spent less then a generation in scotland before moving to Tyneside).

[gilmore]

I compliment you on wanting a kilt made of a tartan that has some relevance meaning to you, rather than just "wearing whatever you like," as the merchants who want to sell us as many kilts as possible would have us do.

McGurk's suggestion is a good one. In ancient times when the clan system was viable men often became part of their wives' clan, so following your genealogy on all sides back to a Scots family is commendable.

As was said, some wear a district tartan from the area their family came from, and some wear tartans that all Scots do traditionally, such as Black Watch and Stewart. There are also more modern general Scots tartans, such as Pride of Scotland and Heritage of Scotland. Or the Irish tartans, such as the one that Stillwater sells, if you have Irish ancestry.

A factor you might want to consider is that the rarer tartans are harder to find and more expensive.

[Riverkilt]

The joy of being a Celtic mutt is you'll have lots of tartans to add to your collection of kilts.

Talk to your aunt. Your family tree has the answers for you.

Then you can also supplement with other tartans that are meaningful to you..military, historic, district.

Breathe in...order a kilt....breathe out....order a kilt...breathe in...order a kilt....

You're gonna need a lot of kilts.

Ron

[fluter]

Wow! I like the bluebonnet tartan also! I bet those special tartans would cost a bundle to have woven into a kilt, though.

If it's a custom weave, it may run up the price: consult your kilt-maker. For a wool kilt in the (waves hands a bit) $350-400 range, our members

Matt Newsome Scottish Tartans Museum,albanach.org specializes in the 4 yard box-pleat, and can do a 4-5 yard knife pleat.
Rocky Roeger USA Kilts does a 5-yard knife pleat.

If you have to wait a bit for a wool custom-made kilt, then some of the other options mentioned are good.

Rocky's American Heritage tartan is strikingly attractive, and now available in PV. He offers several "universal" tartans associated with Scotland (Caledonia, Scottish National, 3 Stewarts, etc), Wales (St. David's, Prince of Wales).

For your generic Irish connection, Stillwater's Irish National in acrylic fabric or Rocky's similar Ireland's National look good, as do a solid green or saffron.

More specifically, your genealogist may turn up Irish counties or a Scots geographic connection for a district tartan; or a clan connection. My Scots lines mostly come through my mother, so I'm a fan of exploiting any direct connection in the family tree.