Irish
County Antrim Tartans & Clan
Within the Glens of Antrim you'll find twisting roads, running through forested hills and boglands that are never far away from some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in Ireland. County Antrim is also home to one of Ireland's most famous landmarks, the Giant's Causeway, said to have been built by the giant Finn McCool!
Who Wears County Antrim Tartan? - Associated Names
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
- Cleary
- Close
- Cronin
- Diamond
- Earle
- McAllister
- McClean
- McDonald
- McDonnell
- McDougall
- McElvenny
- McKee
- McKeon
- McMamee
- McNally
- McQuillan
- O'Donnellan
- O'Flynn
- O'Keevan
- O'Neill
- O'Shiel
- Stewart
County Antrim Tartans
2 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the Start
County Antrim Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Antrim borders the north-east shoreline of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, facing Scotland across the Irish Sea. In ancient times, it was inhabited by a Celtic people called the Datrini and by the early Dark Ages the southern area of Antrim was part of the kingdom of Uilda, which was occupied by pre-Gaelic Celts who were most definitely related to the Picts of Britain. Between the 8th and the 11th century, the county was continuously exposed to numerous inroads of the Vikings and in the late 1100's, it became part of the Earldom of Ulster. A revival of Gaelic power followed the campaign of Edward Brucein 1315, leaving Carrickfergus, one of the county's largest towns, as the only significant English stronghold. Carrickfergus has seen over 800 years of military occupation and has been besieged by the Scots, Irish, English and even the French...!
What's in the plaid?
The County Antrim plaid was designed in 1996 and is predominately green with stripes of navy blue, gold, and orange running throughout the pattern.
Carrickfergus Castle
The striking Norman fortress is found off the shore of Belfast Lough and has seen over 800 years of military occupation and continues to play a crucial military role across the globe, still being maintained today. The core of the castle was built by John de Courcy in 1167 after he conquered the East of Ulster and ruled as a petty king until 1203. Carrickfergus Castle commanded Belfast Lough due to its strategic positioning on a rocky promontory with the land approaching the walled town under the castles shadow. It is ranked as one of the best preserved medieval strongholds in Ireland, with a grand four-storey keep entrance surrounded by the sea giving it an almighty regal impact. It is a widely popular destination for tourists across the world who can take a self guided tour of the walls as well as view numerous historical exhibits, including the impressive standing canons from the 17th and 19th centuries which are on display.
County Antrim is named after the town of Antrim from the Irish 'Aontroim', meaning 'lone ridge'.
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