How old is your tartan?
What if I told you that the clan tartans as we know them today are only 200 years old?
This link is a page on the albanach.org site. Matt Newsome states that clan tartans came to be recognised and listed much later in history than I had imagined; in the 18th century!
There have been kilts and tartans in Scotland for at least since the 16th century. Nobody I know is questioning that, nor have I seen any solid evidence that kilts were invented anywhere else but Scotland. (My Irish blood compells me to add that if a Scotii combined a leine and brat, he'd get a rudimentary kilt.)
I had also thought that clan tartans were from the 16th century but the albanach.org site gives evidence to the contrary, even telling you the where and why that the clan tartans were made.
Whatever you think of the site, it's a fascinating read and Newsome certainly seems to know his stuff!
Also see The Irish Kilt Club for some interesting info on Irish kilts.
Padraig Pearce was a poet, a schoolmaster, a high ranking member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and a leader in the Irish Volunteers. He was shot after the Easter rebellion in 1916. He had written in a letter in 1900 that the Irish national costume should be a kilt.
They made a movie called The Quiet man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in 1952. In the movie are some youngsters in solid blue kilts.
Here's my train of thought. There is only 100 to 150 years difference in Scottish clan tartans and Irish solid coloured or place tartans. Historically, that's inconsequential. And they both seem to have been invented for similar reasons. Why then, do so many Scots keep telling me that Irish tartans are, "not traditional because they're too new and just invented tartans?"
I'm not picking a fight with the Scots with all this. It just seems to me that a lot of people seem to have the belief that clan tartans are as old as kilts, and seem to want to defend their 'ancient heritage' and hold to the common, incorrect beliefs, in spite of evidence to the contrary.
Suppose I can say today that clan tartans were designed and catalogued in Scotland in 1800, then in Ireland in 1950. In 500 years from now, I could say that 700 years ago the Scots designed their tartans and 550 years ago the Irish designed theirs. It doesn't seem so far apart if you look at it from a distance.
This link is a page on the albanach.org site. Matt Newsome states that clan tartans came to be recognised and listed much later in history than I had imagined; in the 18th century!
There have been kilts and tartans in Scotland for at least since the 16th century. Nobody I know is questioning that, nor have I seen any solid evidence that kilts were invented anywhere else but Scotland. (My Irish blood compells me to add that if a Scotii combined a leine and brat, he'd get a rudimentary kilt.)
I had also thought that clan tartans were from the 16th century but the albanach.org site gives evidence to the contrary, even telling you the where and why that the clan tartans were made.
Whatever you think of the site, it's a fascinating read and Newsome certainly seems to know his stuff!
Also see The Irish Kilt Club for some interesting info on Irish kilts.
Padraig Pearce was a poet, a schoolmaster, a high ranking member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and a leader in the Irish Volunteers. He was shot after the Easter rebellion in 1916. He had written in a letter in 1900 that the Irish national costume should be a kilt.
They made a movie called The Quiet man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in 1952. In the movie are some youngsters in solid blue kilts.
Here's my train of thought. There is only 100 to 150 years difference in Scottish clan tartans and Irish solid coloured or place tartans. Historically, that's inconsequential. And they both seem to have been invented for similar reasons. Why then, do so many Scots keep telling me that Irish tartans are, "not traditional because they're too new and just invented tartans?"
I'm not picking a fight with the Scots with all this. It just seems to me that a lot of people seem to have the belief that clan tartans are as old as kilts, and seem to want to defend their 'ancient heritage' and hold to the common, incorrect beliefs, in spite of evidence to the contrary.
Suppose I can say today that clan tartans were designed and catalogued in Scotland in 1800, then in Ireland in 1950. In 500 years from now, I could say that 700 years ago the Scots designed their tartans and 550 years ago the Irish designed theirs. It doesn't seem so far apart if you look at it from a distance.
