Interesting email from an Irish fellow about Irish kilts.

[Highland Logan]

Of all the research out online... it is overwhelmingly in support of the kilt being Scot.. and the Irish adopting the Scottish National Dess, is really a non fact.. but what we have is a movement that was to revive the Irish culture that was almost lost, due to English suppression. The Irish grasped their Celtic past and turned to its close Scottish relation, and borrowed the kilt, and turned to saffron as a color to show their Irish Identity... mind you.. saffron kilts were first used by the military as early as 1859, by the Royal Tyrone Fuisiliers Militias adopted the Saffron kilt for their pipers.. The first Irish President wore the Saffron kilt as a way to show an Irish Identity and not an English one.
First the Irish borrowed the kilt, then the Welsh, who wished to identify with their Celtic roots, and they had their own revivalist movement, it was followed by the Cornish, who had to have their language reconstructed, because so much of it was lost, The Galacians, and Bretons, followed suit...all of these Celtic Nations have National Tartans.. and all have taken to wearing kilts as a way to show pride in their common Celtic roots... but then again.. is it really that much different to Lowlanders adopting the Highland dress as a way to show pride in Scottish Nationalism, and to seperate themselves from the English?
I am not saying Ireland and the other Celtic Nations are adopting the kilt as their National dress.. but some choose to adopt it to show a pride in a culture that was once unified, through trade and cultural exchange, and to seperate themselves from the English, who in the past had suppressed these cultures.. of course.. that was part of colonialism was to suppress the languages and culture.. My mother talks about having to whisper in Gaelic when the English were around.. and she is in her late 60's..

I don't dispute what you say here, but not all countries have a National Dress. Ireland has many symbols that are importaint, I find it hard to see pride in adopting the symbols of others rather than showing off your own. And the unified culture you mention... I don't think that ever exsisted, not according to all I have read.

Frank