Wearing a clans tartan

**Freelander Sporrano** · 14th November 04, 01:15 PM

Anthony,

I too am a little like you in the fact that for my first kilt (Modern Gunn)I wanted one I at least had a connection to however tenuous it might be.

I have figured that there are so many really nice tartans out there. That it would be a shame not to have a kilt in this ,or that tartan just because you are trying to "Go by the rules"

If you are not planning to go to a clan gathereing then I don't think it would matter too much.

I have a Hunting Maclean just because I liked it. I'm not planning on a clan gathering. Whats more I still have a lot of choices

Co Fermanagh (My father is from there)
Irish Diaspora (Irish blood Tartan)
Hunting Macleod (My Surname is a Sept)
Irish National

And these are just 4 of the Tartans that are on my list that I have a connection with There's load I just like too.

So get that Muir and have fun

**Jerry** · 14th November 04, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Freelander Sporrano

Anthony,

I too am a little like you in the fact that for my first kilt (Modern Gunn)I wanted one I at least had a connection to however tenuous it might be.

I have figured that there are so many really nice tartans out there. That it would be a shame not to have a kilt in this ,or that tartan just because you are trying to "Go by the rules"

If you are not planning to go to a clan gathereing then I don't think it would matter too much.

I have a Hunting Maclean just because I liked it. I'm not planning on a clan gathering. Whats more I still have a lot of choices

Co Fermanagh (My father is from there)
Irish Diaspora (Irish blood Tartan)
Hunting Macleod (My Surname is a Sept)
Irish National

And these are just 4 of the Tartans that are on my list that I have a connection with There's load I just like too.

So get that Muir and have fun

My father's family are also Irish. County Tyrone, hence my use of Jer "Mc" as a screen name. I am also considering other tartans as well. Like I said above I have seen it said many times that it doesn't really matter. I guess I am a member of Clan MacNeil of Canada at least the sent me the latest newsletter on Friday. The quote about they not caring, came directly from , the clan chief.

**Freelander Sporrano** · 14th November 04, 01:32 PM

There's a link Anthony if you havn't already looked it up
http://www.clanfinder.com/foreversco...p?clanCode=280

**Riverkilt** · 14th November 04, 03:05 PM

Anthony, you have a fine connection to the Muir tartan, go for it. Being adopted (some say a remaining form of slavery) is as close as being a sept of a clan.

If you're not already aware of it check out a great "uppity" adoptive rights website www.bastards.org

A Muir tartan kilt would look great with their t shirt.

Ron

**Anthony** · 14th November 04, 03:39 PM

Riverkilt, thanks for that link to the "Bastards" site, I hadn't heard of them and I would like to know about blood line.

**macwilkin** · 14th November 04, 04:03 PM

Several years ago I wrote the Clan Muir Society and asked them for their permission for to wear their tartan, since I am a seasonal US National Park Ranger, and one supporter of our National Park System was Scotsman John Muir. The Society's secretary enthusiastically responded "yes" to my request -- although I have not been able to do so yet, I would imagine that "yes" still stands.

Bottom line: There is no "right" to wear a particular tartan, save "restricted" tartans such as the Balmoral Tartan and some clan/family tartans wear you must by the material from the Chief and/or society and prove descent. Thompson says:

The dictionary definition of rights lists three kinds: legal, moral and divine (as in "the divine right of kings.") Since it has never been suggested that any use of the tartan is illegal, immoral and ungodly, it is meaningless to talk about anybody's right to any tartan.

A connection to a tartan, however large or small, is better than no connection at all, but even no connection to a tartan is not "wrong" either. Again, bottom line: if you have the connection, and like the tartan, then wear it. I would recommend joining the Clan Society (if there is one) of the tartan you are wearing -- most clan societies, save a few, allow anyone to join, regardless of "blood" -- and that is what many clans in days of old practiced anyway.

My father's family are also Irish. County Tyrone, hence my use of Jer "Mc" as a screen name.

I used to hear this a lot when I worked as a genealogy librarian, but "Mac v. Mc" defining whether one was Scottish or Irish is pure myth. "Mc" is an abbreviation of "Mac", plain and simple, and sometimes you even see M ' as the abbreviation -- nothing more than the product of a lazy clerk or immigration officer! :mrgreen: You find Macs and Mcs in both Scotland and Ireland.

Cheers,

T.

**Highlander775** · 18th November 04, 03:38 AM

For what it's worth,through my research,I've learned that Clan Tartans are a relatively recent invention.Prior to the 19th century(Victorian Era)a clan wore whatever tartan that was most affordable for their Chieftan.The first "officially" recognized tartan was "Government Sett" or "BlackWatch" tartan.This was easy to see since the wearing of the kilt was illegal in the Highlands under the "Disarming Acts" after the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746.The "Government Sett" however was worn by the Black Watch and other highland independent companies who were in the service of the crown and acted as a highland constabulary.The right to wear the kilt again for highlanders not serving in the British Army did not happen until after the American Revolution when the Highlanders had distinguished themselves in that war and the French & Indian War. 8)

"Bringing History To Life"

**mcnice** · 18th November 04, 04:19 AM

as the tartans had been designed just after the hipe from queen victoria II around 1830, they are not really the patterns worn by the high time of clan system during middle age or renaissance.

i feel that there are just to many nice looking tartans that we would not give a good service to kilt wearing if we don t wore them.
this concerns especially non-scots who only would have the right to wear non clan related tartans.

the author of an interetsing book wrote that the scots are much to proud of their history and sensible with their traditions, that they would never allow the mainstream abuse of tartans if they really had been historical ;)

**Donnie** · 18th November 04, 04:53 AM

If the only waty to be able to wear a tartan was by permission or right, there would be far fewer tartans to choose from. It would be too expensive to purchase! The mills wouldn't make the material in as large a quantity, if at all. I like to have a connection with a tartan as a conversational tool.(

) Wear what you want!

**macwilkin** · 18th November 04, 05:13 AM

I've posted this web site before, but it seems germane to post it again on this thread:

http://www.albanach.org/

Matt is the curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, North Carolina.

Check out the article entitled "Pre-Culloden Tartans", as well as the other articles -- very good research & advice.

A point of clarification: the Chief didn't necessarily determine the tartans in "ye olde days"; more likely, it was the women of the village, clan, etc. that did, because they were the ones producing it. You'll see quite a few paintings of Chiefs wearing tartan that looks nothing like the "clan tartan" for that clan today.

Case in point: in 1815, the Chief of the MacDonalds, Lord MacDonald, received a request from the Highland Society of London asking for his "clan tartan:. LMcD wrote back with the reply:

Being really ignorant of what is exactly The MacDonald Tartan, I request that you will have the goodness to exert every Means in your power to obtain a perfectly genuine pattern, such as will warrant me in authenticating it with my arms.

From: "Tartans" by Blair Urquhart

Cheers,

T.