Before the Kilt

[OC Richard]

If you're interesting in researching the subject I highly recommend the book

Old Irish & Highland Dress

by H. F. McClintock

Dundalgan Press, Dundalk 1950

(There was an earlier edition, 1943.)

Surprisingly in spite of its age, and the near-certainty that not many were printed this book is still fairly available and not terribly expensive.

The main thrust of the book is that Highland Dress and the now-extinct old Irish dress must be viewed together as part of a larger Gaelic cultural region.

The author begins the section on Highland Dress by saying

Very little seems to be ascertainable about Highland costume before the 16th century. No descriptions of any value by contemporary writers appear to remain. The most likely source of information would seem to be from carvings on the early Christian crosses and monuments to be found in many parts of Scotland.

In addition to the Scriptural and ecclesiastical figures which appear on many of these stones there are others which are purely secular, such as hunting and battle scenes, archers and horsemen with sword, spear and shield etc.

...a detailed knowledge of early Scottish history and racial distribution would be needed in order to decide which features of dress are definitely Highland, i.e. Gaelic, and which might be due to Saxon, Scandinavian, or some other outside culture.

For the rest one must turn to Ireland for information about the older forms of Gaelic dress.

There he's referring to the ancient Irish Brat and Leine costume.

'Leine' in Gaelic, resembling a shirt or smock, is often described as being hooded...its colour is almost always described by the Irish word 'gel' meaning bright or light-coloured and was probably white, but occasionally a coloured border or red embroidery is mentioned.

'Brat' in Gaelic was an outer garment thrown around the body and fastened at the breast with a brooch. A variety of colours (though not white) are mentioned but there is no clear evidence as to its shape or size, nor, though" varigated" and "many-coloured" mantles are often spoken of, is there sufficient evidence to claim that the patterns were tartan.

A girdle ('Crios') is often mentioned being worn...

Trews or tight breeches of various lengths seem to have been worn in Ireland since at least the 10th century...

Both Brat and Leine continued in use in Ireland till the end of the 16th century with the addition of jackets both short and long and trews.

The Brat or mantle was usually semi-circular and made of stout woolen cloth of various colours, often with a long shaggy pile on its surface for extra warmth, and with fringes often of a different colour than the mantle.

The Leine was considerably altered, the colour nearly always saffron yellow. It was generally known by the English as the "Saffron shirt".