Irish Tartans Questions

[Gàidhlig]

I searched through the site here and didn't find much on this subject so I thought I would ask. I'm searching for my wife's family tartan from Ireland. I don't know how many of you have tried to search for an irish tartan, but it isn't easy. What I run into is some sites list her family's name and others do not. Some list tartans as either national tartans or county tartans. So I have become confused as to what my wife should have? I want it to be as accurate as possible, but what am I to believe is correct?
Here is what I know of her family, help me if you can.
Maiden name: Bowling
Three sites list Bowling as an Irish tartan, but I was under the impression this was an English name. I also cant seem to find a picture of this tartan
Family Name: O'Connell or O'Conail
Again some sites list O'Connell as the tartan, while other list O'Conail
County: Kerry
This is the only tartan I have been able to find that is consistant across the board.
Any help would be great!
Thanks



PS: I know you are on here...somewhere....so Hi Dad!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

One of the reasons you don't find a lot about Irish tartans is that they are relatively new. Most Irish tartans are associated with a county or province, and not with a specific family, though some Irish family name tartans have been developed. Some (such as Cian) actually have the approval of a family society or other governing body, but most would strictly be regarded as fashion tartans.

The Bowling tartan is the same as the Cladadh tartan, if memory serves, which is itself just a color variant of the Royal Stewart. I seem to recall that sometime in the 60s the information for the Cladadh tartan was recorded and there was a hand written reference to either the name Bowling or Dowling (the handwriting was not clear) and that is how the name became affiliated with the tartan.

[Gàidhlig]

So I should continue to look at the Tartan for County/Province Kerry?

[pipesndrumsnun]

Can't answer your question, but WELCOME from Flint, Michigan!

[gilmore]

So I should continue to look at the Tartan for County/Province Kerry?

Some, perhaps most of those informed, are of the opinion that a tartan is the official tartan of an entity, whether it is the tartan of a clan or a district (a political, geographic entity) only when it is officially approved or adopted by the governing body of that entity. For clans this would be the clan chief. For states in the US, this would be the state government, and indeed there are several state tartans. The rest are called fashion tartans, and while the tartan manufacturers and kilt merchants are happy to sell you these as authentic, almost all are of very recent provenance and have not been taken up by the various counties, states and provinces they purport to represent. As I recall none of the Irish counties has approved such a tartan. In fact, the notion of Irish tartans is a fairly recent invention, dating back only a few decades for the very oldest.

[Gàidhlig]

So in essence, a County Kerry tartan is just as historically accurate as giving her a worn pint mug full of ale and saying "Drink up ya ginny"?

[gilmore]

So in essence, a County Kerry tartan is just as historically accurate as giving her a worn pint mug full of ale and saying "Drink up ya ginny"?

Less so. Ale had been drunk from worn mugs in Ireland for many centuries before Irish tartans emerged.

Most Scottish tartans were invented in the early to mid-19th century. In the late 19th century a few Irish nationalists started the idea of kilts as a symbol of pan-Celtic identity. It was another hundred years before almost all Irish tartans made their appearance.

If your wife is an American whose family has roots in Virginia, it might be more historically accurate to dress her as a native American of the Powhatan tribe, since many Bowlings are descended from them through Pocahantas (as am I.) Of course, the neighbors are likely to gossip about exposed tattooed bosoms, but that's a small price to pay for historical accuracy.

[macwilkin]

Most Scottish tartans were invented in the early to mid-19th century. In the late 19th century a few Irish nationalists started the idea of kilts as a symbol of pan-Celtic identity. It was another hundred years before almost all Irish tartans made their appearance.

One noteable exception is the "Ulster" tartan, which dates from the late 1500s-early 1600s and was discovered by a farmer in the 1950's in the form of a pair of trews which had been buried:

http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/tartanandkilts.asp

Regards,

Todd

[auld argonian]

Yeah...I wouldn't get too weird about the Irish County Tartans being of recent vintage...whether they are or not, it's still a nice thought and that's what's important.

They would certainly be as legitimate as, say, some Tartan that was cooked up for something like an on-line kiltie community...not that such a thing is likely to happen.

Best

AA

[davedove]

One noteable exception is the "Ulster" tartan, which dates from the late 1500s-early 1600s and was discovered by a farmer in the 1950's in the form of a pair of trews which had been buried:

http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/tartanandkilts.asp

Regards,

Todd

But even though the tartan itself is old, that just means it existed back then. It didn't have any official recognition.