Did the Welsh wear kilts??

[slohairt]

The kilt as we known it today is most certainly Scottish, as was its ancestor, the Feileadh Mhor/Belted Plaid. Before that, we're told Highlanders dressed in "the Irish fashion." So, in a roundabout way, the kilt has made its long descent from Irish clothing to Highland clothing to, now, pan-Celtic clothing.

When selecting a "national costume", Irish nationalists chose to create things like the solid green kilt or the saffron kilt. While partially based on historians' misconceptions of the léine and other Irish wear, it is interesting that people like Pádraig Pearse chose something (perhaps without realising it) that was ultimately based on their own historical clothing. The modern Irish saffron kilt thus represents the léine (through its colour) and the old belted plaid. It is nice to see Irish culture borrowing from Highland culture, since of course, it was usually the other way around.

You can be sure tartan was worn in the other Celtic nations as well. It would not be a stretch to say the ancient Welsh wore tartan mantles/wraps/capes.

So, we have the modern, tailored kilt as a Scottish national garment dating from the late 18th to early 19th Century, as a Irish national mode of dress starting in the mid- to late 19th Century, and as a Welsh/pan-Celtic garment starting in the mid- to late 20th Century.

All Celts should be proud that the Scottish Highlanders managed to sustain the only form of traditional Celtic dress that has survived into modern times.

P.S. That reminds me, experts (and most official organisations) generally agree that there are only six Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, The Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. Claims put forward by regions like Galicia, and Asturias (both in Spain) have little validity, as their claims of "Celtic" culture do not meet any definable criteria.

[davedove]

You can be sure tartan was worn in the other Celtic nations as well. It would not be a stretch to say the ancient Welsh wore tartan mantles/wraps/capes.

Tartan has been produced all over the world. Matt Newsome had a great story on his blog that shows African tribesmen wearing tartan garments.

Once weaving is developed by a culture, it's only a matter of time before they start weaving different colors together in patterns.

[slohairt]

Yes, the Masai tribes of southern Kenya. I think we can all agree, however, that no one has taken tartan to such a fine art as the Scots have.

[Galician]

P.S. That reminds me, experts (and most official organisations) generally agree that there are only six Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, The Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. Claims put forward by regions like Galicia, and Asturias (both in Spain) have little validity, as their claims of "Celtic" culture do not meet any definable criteria.

I would imagine that my screen name here indicates where I stand in this matter. I have seen enough lengthy "discussions" on Celtic identity to want to avoid another Celtic ID wars, but I think that there are weighty arguments from both cultural elements and genetic data to question the certainty shown in this statement.

It was interesting that the very next post was of the Celts in Italy in the first century B.C.

[slohairt]

I would imagine that my screen name here indicates where I stand in this matter. I have seen enough lengthy "discussions" on Celtic identity to want to avoid another Celtic ID wars, but I think that there are weighty arguments from both cultural elements and genetic data to question the certainty shown in this statement.

It was interesting that the very next post was of the Celts in Italy in the first century B.C.

Oh, I agree. I wasn't trying to ruffle feathers, that's why I said most. Genetics today are providing some startling results concerning the true origin of ethnic groups. However, having said that, most entities still regard language as the definable criteria. Such was the case when I took Celtic Studies. Galego belongs to the Romance family while the languages of the "Six Celtic Nations" are Celtic. Loan words and influence abound, but that claim can be made by most of Western Europe.