Aran Sweaters for the Irish

[Macman]

I remember reading somewhere that the link between Irish clans and Aran sweater patterns is more marketing than anything else. I wonder what their source is for their "history"?

History
From its origins, the sweater has been intimately linked to clans and their identities. The many combinations of stitches seen on the garment are not incidental, far from it. They can impart vast amounts of information to those who know how to interpret them. The sweaters were, and remain, a reflection of the lives of the knitters, and their families. On the islands, patterns were zealously guarded, kept within the same clan throughout generations. They were often used to help identify bodies of fishermen washed up on the beach following an accident at sea. An official register of these historic patterns has been compiled, and can be seen in the Aran Sweater Museum on the Aran Islands.

[pdcorlis]

...I remember reading somewhere that the link between Irish clans and Aran sweater patterns is more marketing than anything else...

Kinda sounds like the history of clan tartans - huh?