Irish Kilts: solid vs. tartan

[Bugbear]

I don't think it's got to that stage. Not yet anyway. Before I moved to Scotland I had no idea that different Irish tartans existed, and the majority of people in Ireland are probably the same.
So I don't think they're being shoved in our face or anything. To be honest Irsh-Americans aren't really on the radar of most of the people in Ireland. The traditions and customs we do see are usually quite perplexing to us, as they usually have nothing to do with Ireland.

So maybe your ight about the Irish tartans being described as Irish-Ameican/Candian/Australian etc.
But the only time I can see them being shoved down our throats is for example,
an American wearing a Donegal tartan telling a man in Ballybofeythat that he should be wearing the same, as it's 'his tartan'.

It could happen.
We are perplexing over here... One of my parents lived in Ireland for a few years, and very much enjoyed the change in culture.

[DubintheDam]

I'll throw in my bit.
The kilt is a Scottish tradition. Not an Irish one.
The kilt has mostly been worn by pipe bands in Ireland for many years.
The saffron kilt is mainly worn today due to the British army wanting to give strong identities to Irish regiments, in particular since the first world war.
Today most Scottish tartans are 'invented'.
Today most Irish people wear a kilt because they think it looks good at a wedding.
I wear Irish national, as an ex Irish Ranger, I should really prefer a saffron kilt, but a kilt looks better in tartan. But I don't.

And by the way, the picture of the Irish guards piper on the previous pages is Denis, my old flat mate and army buddy. Just thought you like to know.

Wear what you like, the way you like, the Scots have been making it up as they go along for the past 200 years, why shouldn't we.

[SlackerDrummer]

Hmmm. After viewing the video, it's apparent they didn't play particularly well, either...

Do you know any more details? Were they jet-lagged?

I don't know any more details, though I might be able to offer some explanations. First of all, November in Washington DC is not friendly weather for the bagpipes. That could have caused all sorts of problems with tuning and staying in tune. My best guess, too, is that they were unable, due to the crowd, to tune on site. The drums don't sound with the pipes very well either and I'm guessing that some of what we're hearing is the sound bouncing off the hills. I wasn't born yet, so I can only speculate.

[MrShoe]

do you prefer Irish kilts to be solid or tartan? Why?
Pros and cons of either option?


To display my Irish Heritage I prefer my saffron over American Heritage. But I must admit, since I was a young boy, my favorite color is plaid. The pleating options make it very interesting. But to me, Saffron is undeniably Irish. My next will probably me Irish National and then Ulster. After that it will be county tartans. My biggest complaint is that they are not popular enough to find PV fabric avaliable.

[CMcG]

...
And by the way, the picture of the Irish guards piper on the previous pages is Denis, my old flat mate and army buddy. Just thought you like to know.

Small world, eh?

[DubintheDam]

Small world, eh?

It is indeed, Denis Comisky, we still keep intouch via Facebook. It was taken at an open day or recruitment event way back in the 90's. He lives between London and the Philippines these days, I showed him the photo, he was chuffed to pieces.

Happy st pats.

[John_Carrick]

Attended St Patrick's Day Parade in Sligo town in the West of Ireland today.

Pipe Bands: 6 all in tartan (Sligo band wearing Isle of Skye, others hard to identify but not popular tartans)

Kilts in crowd: nil

John

[Jock Scot]

Attended St Patrick's Day Parade in Sligo town in the West of Ireland today.

Pipe Bands: 6 all in tartan (Sligo band wearing Isle of Skye, others hard to identify but not popular tartans)

Kilts in crowd: nil

John

Now why does that not surprise me?

[O'Searcaigh]

Today most Scottish tartans are 'invented'.

Not much differently than the so-called "Irish Tartans" (national, county and otherwise) today!

Wear what you like, the way you like, the Scots have been making it up as they go along for the past 200 years, why shouldn't we.

Point well taken and very well put!!!

[OC Richard]

There are a great many in Scotland who consider Highland Dress, (as we know it) to be a creation of the fashionable upper class Victorians.

I guess the crux would be the meaning of "as we know it".

The claim that Highland Dress was a Victorian invention can very easily be disproved by demonstrating that every item which is considered part of Highland Dress existed prior to Queen Victoria taking the throne. Those that think otherwise just haven't bothered to look.

The exact design of these items of course evolved over the years but this process was a continuous one and didn't suddenly happen when Victoria was crowned. Even so, kilts, tartan hose, doublets, plaids, long hair sporrans, feather bonnets, etc etc all existed prior to the beginning of the Victorian age.

About Highland Dress being the direct descendant of the ancient Irish Dress, I'll let the words of H F McClintock speak for themselves:

An apology is due to Scottish readers for my intrusion into the subject of Highland dress, but this was inevitable for two reasons. First to complete the history of the old Gaelic costume which, as I have shown, was till well on in the 16th century nearly identical in Scotland and Ireland, and secondly, to trace back the history of the Highland kilt in order to see what light it could throw on the supposed existence of an Irish kilt. It is all part of the one story though worked out in different lands, like a river which before its end has divided into two channels; and it should be regarded as such.