Tartan Types and Purposes:

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Pardon me for being the historian in this post, but it is what I do for a living :

ARE YOU KIDDING! We LOVE it when you post this stuff! There's been a TON of background on items that I've really enjoyed.

The Black Watch (The Royal Highland Regiment) were not in Ireland during the time of the Easter Rebellion in 1916, nor did they take place in operations against the rebels in the GPO in Dublin.

For the record on this one, the information comes from Michael Collins' journal, and the records from Tomas O'Cleirigh. Also had a great grandfather that was in that "scuffle". It's always nice to read about it from all sides so that everyone can be completely boggled!

The Ulster Volunteer (Unionist) Forces, the UVF, weren't even in Ireland in 1916...

Yup. My brief writing didn't intend to make it sound like that. It's hard to keep it brief sometimes as words run together. Wasn't much of a need for them yet, now was there?!

The Black & Tans were not connected to the Black Watch in any way... but attached to the RIC, so they were essentially para-military police.

Yup. I sure I hope that I didn't say that accidentally! Great stories during the early "troubles" days about the skirmishes with the locals and the Black & Tans.

I honestly have never heard any of this about the Irish being "anti-Black Watch tartan" before.

Lucky guy! Still... consider not wearing it in an Irish Pub in Boston, or the Republic. This I've seen first hand. Not nice!

Now, as to Saffron Kilts: this is not just a "Northern"/"Ulster" thing.

Yup. Barely. Again, the perspective that I often post comes from the attitude of the south. They have LONG memories there! I'm the FIRST to admit that the information is a bit jaded by the perspective of heritage and connections. My family is from Armagh. Nuff said to those who know.

Most of the Southern Irish folks I have met have never been "anti-Scottish" or even "anti-English".

And vice versa. Atleast within the last 13 years anyway. Only when the "troubles" flare-up during the marches, the raids or the election suspensions does it show its ugly roots.

I'm just lucky to visit the island often, and live in the city with the largest Irish population outside of Ireland. I'm also privy to dissidents and exiles. I take MANY of their renditions of history with a grain of salt, but then I do the same with that which is recorded elsewhere. It's a fine duty to search-out and determine the most possible truth in the recounts, ain't it? But then, I'm writing back to a VERY smart and educated historian whose opinions and information I deeply respect! Lord know you have to do this all the time!

Sorry if there was any confusion in the post that we're talking about. It was a "Reader's Digest" version of a LONG story! For Republican history , we would need to create a whole new website just to hold all the debates. They're AWFULLY DEEP.