Worth the wait - a story

[Splash_4]

Another great thread coming on!

My story starts a little different. The oral family history has always had my Great-Great Grandmother coming over from Scotland pregnant. This did not mean a lot to me until a couple of years ago when the wife and I traveled to Scotland. During our time there, we had a stop at Gretna and, surprise, there was a wedding going on. The wife turned to me and said "I think you would look great in a kilt!"

During our stay in Edinburgh, we walked up and down the royal mile, stopping in various shops and looking at their wares. Still unconvinced that I wanted to be kilted, the wife bought me a book titled "So You're Going to Wear the Kilt! and that was the end of the purchases for that trip.

Fast forward a couple of years and many hours of reading and researching (including joining this site) and I bought a Stillwater standard Black Stewart to see if wearing the kilt was for me. My first outing was to a Christmas party for our church. As the sky did not cave in on me and I got a number of 'interesting' reactions (not to mention how comfortable it was) I got hooked. That same evening, on the drive home, my wife informed me that I was going to purchase a wool kilt in the surname tartan and she was going to pay for it. She said that she really liked the look and that no man looks bad in a kilt..

[Stratherrick]

Splash

That's a great story!

It's funny how we all came to the kilt. I suppose I was about 18 when I first put one on. A visiting elderly cousin brought one with him one time, and I borrowed it for a night on the town. Once bitten 'n' all that...

Like you, I hope we hear some good tales!

Cheers

Bruce

[caig]

We always had holidays in Scotland and as a young child I remember seeing pipe bands marching up and down the street in the summer, and I would feel the hairs on the back of neck stand up and get a great feeling seeing these kilted pipers and drummers. It was not until I took up Scotttish country dancing about 14 years ago at the age of 45 that I actually purchased a kilt.

I was instantly hooked !

I now have 19 kilts ( Im never gonna catch Hamish !). I wear a kilt every minute I am not in the office. I hike in it, drink in it, travel in it etc etc.

[Galb]

My first purchase was an impulse buy. I was at the Dunedin Highland Games in Florida with my wife. We had gone, not just to see the games as it was my first games/festival of this kind, but also because we had some family that was down there at the time. My father wanted to see his old cousins and such, and so we went. Well, we got there and I noticed everyone as kilted. To be honest, I didn't expect it to be in such abundance. The sounds of many pipe bands filled the air and basically set the mood for the entire day. I was already enjoying it and I hadn't even gotten in the gate. Well, we walked in and decided to search for our clan tent. I was told there was one there every year. We found it, and the three people there welcomed us in like family. It was kind of funny. We stopped and said hello, and looked over the booth. We were greeted very warmly, but when I mentioned that we were Galbraith's, we instantly became family. I was educated a bit on my clan's ancient ancestry and were shown pictures of the Culcreuch Castle and the Scottish countryside. When my parents finally arrived I introduced them to our "new family". Shortly after that my father's cousins arrived and we all got a "clan/family" picture. I keep in touch with these clan members throughout the year now through emails and such.

I'm rambling. Anyways, I was admiring the kilts of my clan members at the booth and I decided to wander off and glance over the wares of the vendors at the games. Well, I came across this one who had an insane abundance of stuff. I noticed that there were kilts everywhere. Knowing that I was in the 1% of men that were in pants that day, I quickly began looking for my clan's tartan. I didn't see it anywhere. I saw a ton others, but I didn't want to wear another clan's colors. I wanted mine. I continued to look when I stumbled across a tartan called Scottish National. I thought, "the colors and design are very similar to my clan's. Even better, it seems to not be associated with a clan, meaning it is for all Scots!" I became excited, but couldn't find my size. I was looking for my pants size of course. Hey, I didn't know any better.

I became discouraged until I saw one last Scottish National that was missing the tag. I picked it up and took it to the guy and asked what size it was. "Thirtee-tu" was the reply in a very heavy Scottish Accent. Bingo. Then I sheepishly asked him, "can I try this on, and if it fits, will you help me with everything I need?" A large smile crept across his face as he said "Absolutely lad." Maybe it was because he knew he was about to make a couple hundred dollar sale, or maybe it was because he was about to help a Yank into his first kilt. Either way, he was pleased to help and got me suited up with the kilt, the kilt belt, the sporran, kilt pin, and hose. At this point I stopped to save some wares for future years at these games. As we were finishing getting me ready my mother and wife stumbled across the same vendor to see me all kilted and paying the man. I had finally gotten my kilt. I would come to learn later from here that the kilt was a Gold Bros. and not the greatest, but definitely a great starter kilt. But I don't care. I had a kilt!

This past year I went to the games again, and that same vendor recognized me as I walked in the gate. His wife told me, "when we saw you walk in with your father I nudged my husband and told him 'hey, that's the young man you helped last year!" I was shocked they remembered me but it was a great feeling. At this point I had only worn the kilt twice, once to each games. But after coming home this year, I decided to wear it more often, which has started an addiction. I now own two kilts with another on the way, three sporrans, one belt, a pair of hose with a couple pairs of flashes, and a sgian dubh. At night after coming inside from my gym, I get kilted. On weekends, I am kilted. Going out somewhere, I am now kilted. It's gotten so bad that the last time my mother saw me she asked "Are we ever gonna see you in pants again?" Haha. I told her, "Maybe. Come by my work. I wear pants there."

[Nick the DSM]

well, i think i was about 12 when i wanted my first kilt. i surfed the web for prices and i found sportkilt's price(i didn't know about SWK) and bought a wallace kilt. however i didn't get a sporran or belt till i think a year and a half later. its my one and only kilt for now.

[Stratherrick]

I'm really enjoying this thread. Thanks, folks.

Cheers

Bruce

[macneighill]

WOW!! I have nothing comparable to the interesting stories, thus so far. Honestly, it wasn't until recent that, wearing a kilt even enter my thoughts. My wife and I uprooted our family and moved to Kentucky 4 years ago. After our move, I spent countless hours "hanging out" with my Grandfather (of which I had only met one time in my life). I love listening to his stories.

Well, I began to develop a REALLY strong interest in researching my family lineage and, see what history lies out there involving our family. WOW, is what I can say. I found out that, in nearly every chapter of American history, my family is somehow involved. I found out that, my family is "Scotch-Irish" and is mostly from the Western Isles and Western Highlands. They were a Sept of Clan MacNeil (the clan we know from history, prior to Culloden). And, after learning my Scottish roots. I began developing a real interest in the Country, the culture, traditions, the history . . in short, everything Scotland!

My wife is the one that has really pushed me to pursue my interests in my heritage. After hitting the road, visiting Highland games, she "told" me that I will be buying a kilt, whatever I choose. Well, I had no idea what to do, what to look for, who to ask, nothing. So began my great search for knowledge. I spent countless nights, days, whole weekends . . searching for information on my family's connections to Clan MacNeil, their tartan and, kilts in general. That's what brought me to X Marks the Scot :mrgreen:.

I have now, on order, an 8 yard MacNeil (Ancient) in the Lochcarron heavyweight from a company in Glasgow, Scotland . I CAN'T wait til it arrives. I will probably wear it the first week I have it .

[Andrewson]

I didn't have the pleasure of a trip to Scotland for my first kilt.

Growing up as a boy in Scotland I had plenty of offers from my mother, in particular, to get a kilt but I was having none of that (a) sissy, (b) chauvinistic, (c) old fashioned, rubbish. I refused! I grew up in a fairly tough mining village in the industrial heartland and had no interest at all in what I saw as the over-romantic image of Scotland projected by the heather, tartan & kilts. I thought Scotland ought to be seen as a modern, inventive, productive economy.

Many years later, as an ex-pat living down in the soft south of England, my (English) wife and I took up Scottish Country Dancing again after a long gap. We'd tried SCD before we married but were active for only about a year. This time we really did get into this dance form seriously, going to class each week and attending balls and dances. So I had a need for a kilt if I was to be properly dressed. And I had long ago reached a more balanced view of my native land and its image in the world. In fact, at my sister's suggestion, I had recently even gone as far as joining my Clan Association - Clan Forsyth.

I wrote to my clansman, Billy Forsyth and ordered enough of the ancient clan tartan to make a kilt and asked his advice about how to get it made up. "I always get my kilts made by Gordons," he said, "and I've always been satisfied. I'll take your tartan into them if you like. Just send them your measurements." Since, as a champion highland dancer himself, I thought his judgement re quality of kilt making could be trusted, I told him to go ahead. I got my wife to carefully measure me and sent off the results to Thomas Gordon of Glasgow, then still in business in the city. There was then an exchange of the most delightfully old-fashioned correspondence that could have been written with a quill pen rather than the almost equally ancient typewriter that was actually used, and my very first kilt arrived. Given that I had not even seen the tartan, and the measurements were not as expertly taken as they might have been, I was really very pleased with the kilt. (It was, and is, just a shade too long but otherwise fitted beautifully.)

And as many others here have found, once the comfort of the kilt is experienced, there is no stopping. I am now awaiting the delivery of my eighth - an Isle of Skye in Lochcarron Braeriach pleated to the stripe.

[bigdad1]

I had never given any thought to kilts one way or another. I had seen them many times and I suppose I thought they were kind of neat but the idea of wearing one never crossed my mind. And then I met my girl friend, actually reconnected after 35 years, and she told me her sister and brother-in-law belonged to a clan and had a dinner dance every year. She wanted me to go but told me I would have to wear a kilt. I figured "what the hell" and agreed. She bought some beautiful tartan on e-bay and then spent the next several weeks working her fingers to the bone making me a kilt. It turned out beautiful and with a borrowed PC and sporran I went kilted for the first time. I loved it and had a wonderful time at the dinner dance. And have since gone to a second one. My lady did some research on the tartan and couldn't come up with a name or a clan so we named it after me. Weathered McWerner. I think there might be some Scot on my mothers side but may never know. Since that first kilt I have now just gone to the Vista games in a Union Kilt and plan to go to Ventura. All in all I have enjoyed being kilted and have met some great people who share the same attitude. I will never be in the 10 kilts or more range but do now have 4 kilts and thoroughly enjoy them. And I will be eternally grateful to my wonderful Sydnie for getting me interested and in a kilt. She is the love of my life,

[sydnie7]

[snip] I will never be in the 10 kilts or more range. . .[snip]

Says he! Let's see, he was admiring a black denim at the Vista Games, so that may be my first X-Kilt project. And I have the tartan on hand for a trad Black Watch, and a heavy fashion tartan for my first attempt at a box-pleat. Then there's the camo that we have both admired. . . are we up to 10 yet? Getting close!

Then there's the 2 casual sporrans I have planned, and materials on hand to make a matching set of antler handle sgian dubh and kilt pin. And if we ever have time (ha) there's thrift-shopping for jackets suitable for conversion. . .

Having a wonderful time together through it all!