Wear of Clan Tartan by non-Clan Members

[Meggers]

Sorry for the communication error. I was meaning to complement her, even if it didn't come out that way, since she beat me to the punch of explaining that I did understand DT's statement but merely disagreed. If anything I owe Meghen a big THANK YOU! For what she had stated. I do believe Meghan has shown some of the best qualities in an xmarker as to how to tactfully disagree with people without it coming across as insulting. My hat is off to you Meg.

Haha I actually did take it as a compliment No problems here, Cole! I understood you completely

and thanks to xman too for having my back

[Kilted Cole]

Haha I actually did take it as a compliment No problems here, Cole! I understood you completely

and thanks to xman too for having my back

Okay, Good, I just wanted to make sure that there was no confusion on that part. Slante!

[Skiballa]

Hahaha I might actually have you beat. I am Catholic Northern Irish, Scottish, English (though we don't mention that one at family reunions. I kid! I kid!), and Hessen German. A branch of my Irish side also lived in Cork and the Hessens were pretty notorious for causing some havok with the Cork Irish. lol. Im surprised I dont have a major identity crisis going on

That is a mix, admittedly, and for the sake of simplifying a little, I didn't list everything.
Obviously our ancestors at some point overlooked the fact that they were marrying their traditional enemies, or maybe they just wanted to spice things up a bit.

[Meggers]

That is a mix, admittedly, and for the sake of simplifying a little, I didn't list everything.
Obviously our ancestors at some point overlooked the fact that they were marrying their traditional enemies, or maybe they just wanted to spice things up a bit.

How very Romeo and Juliet of us ;) With a little less poison and fake suicides gone wrong

[Friday]

However, the vast majority of tartan vendors and scholars consider Royal Stewart and Black watch to be THE universal Scots tartans.

I believe that Royal Stuart became a Universal tartan when it became available in just about very fabric store. I can go in to Joann Fabrics, in the U.S., and by Black, Red, Gray, or Tan Royal Stuart just about any day of the week. I currently have about five kilts worth of material already in my to-do pile. The same can be said for Black Watch.

About 15 years ago Pendleton Wool put out my family (Cunningham) tartan in wool for general fabric stores. Just recently Joann had the same tartan available in Poly/rayon. Does this make it a universal tartan? In addition, the Cunningham tartan is popular as a fabric for Scottish Dancer kilts. How many Scottish dancer have a connection to the Cunningham family?

Personally I prefer tartan connection, but, I will not put someone down or question their right to wear a specific tartan.

Hold it let me rethink the above statement, if the dancer is pretty and 18 I may demand she remove that offensive kilt unless she can prove a family connection.

[John McQuillen]

I tend to see someone wearing one of my clan's tartans as having a connection to the clan or being a kinsman. I would likely say hello, specially as I sit on my clan's association council for my region and I want to get to know people with a connection to the clan.

Having said that I wouldn't get offended and upset if they had no connection provided they treated the tartan with respect. If they were behaving badly or treating the tartan with complete disrespect then that might upset me.....

Personally I only wear tartans to which I have a close family connection.....it's about family for me..... But hey, I respect other's freedom, just return the respect by being respectful of what you are wearing and the fact that, at least to some people, that tartan has significant meaning.

[creagdhubh]

I tend to see someone wearing one of my clan's tartans as having a connection to the clan or being a kinsman. I would likely say hello, specially as I sit on my clan's association council for my region and I want to get to know people with a connection to the clan.

Having said that I wouldn't get offended and upset if they had no connection provided they treated the tartan with respect. If they were behaving badly or treating the tartan with complete disrespect then that might upset me.....

Personally I only wear tartans to which I have a close family connection.....it's about family for me..... But hey, I respect other's freedom, just return the respect by being respectful of what you are wearing and the fact that, at least to some people, that tartan has significant meaning.

Well said, John!

Cheers,

[xman]

Sorry for the communication error. I was meaning to complement her, even if it didn't come out that way, since she beat me to the punch of explaining that I did understand DT's statement but merely disagreed. If anything I owe Meghen a big THANK YOU! For what she had stated. I do believe Meghan has shown some of the best qualities in an xmarker as to how to tactfully disagree with people without it coming across as insulting. My hat is off to you Meg.

My bad then. I apologise for the confusion and appreciate the correction.
[/off topic]

[Dixiecat]

I have had both emotional responses actually. Once at a ren fair I saw a young man sporting Clan Donald and when i approached him it turned out he wasn't a MacDonald and didn't even know what tartan he was wearing. Another time here it was asked if it would be okay to wear Clanranald even though he wasn't Clanranald and I felt honoured. Which way is the wind blowing?

I definitely understand where you are coming from and I am very very similar myself. Heritage is identity and it is what sets you apart and gives you a wonderful sense of uniqueness in this world.

I have a friend who sports the Claddagh ring and now I certainly don't mind, but in the beginning, when I saw them wearing it, I had asked her if she was Irish and she said no. Then, it almost seemed as though it became a competition over who had their Claddagh's the longest: me or her. The whole exchange was childish in the long run, but I took it to heart because I AM Irish-American and so very fiercely proud of it. That symbol was something of me, something of my identity and it was being worn by someone who doesnt share that identity. I wouldnt be being honest if I said it didnt get under my skin. It did. And that's just the Claddagh. If it was something like a clan symbol or tartan of mine, it would have been 100 times worse.

I recognize this protective characteristic in myself and I own up to it. I am protective of my heritage as well because I am a minority in my community so when it is being displayed by people who arent part of my heritage, it gets under my skin.

As someone without a clan though (though my last name was commonly used by MacGregors so theres definitely a possibility that that is where my clan affiliation lies, though I would never sport MacGregor stuff unless I knew it 100%), I really dont need to worry about this. In order to prevent it on my end, though, I would wear tartan that I DO have claim to: Co. Derry, Cork, Armagh, Tyrone, Irish-American, Irish National, Scottish Heritage, Scottish Islamic, etc. Tartans without a clan affiliation but still meaningful to my identity and to who I am.

Anyone with tartan sensitivities shouldn't ever attend a highland dance performance or competition. The nerve of those dancers wearing tartans that don't belong to them!

[David Thorpe]

Anyone with tartan sensitivities shouldn't ever attend a highland dance performance or competition. The nerve of those dancers wearing tartans that don't belong to them!

Highland dancers are in a category apart, as are pipe bands. Some clans don't have a dress tartan for their dancers, and pipers are in uniform.