Irish
County Armagh Tartans & Clan
County Armagh is part of the historic province of Ulster and is home to rugged hilltops, lush forests, and an inland lough but it is best known as the "Orchard County" due to its many apple orchards.
Who Wears County Armagh 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.
- Breen
- Callan
- Fallon
- Heron
- Keiran
- Larkin
- McAlinden
- McCann
- McDougall
- McEvoy
- McGivern
- McPurtlan
- McSherry
- McVeagh
- O'Hunratty
- O'Neill
County Armagh Tartans
1 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 Armagh Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Armagh is found the province of Ulster, and joins the south shore of Lough Neagh. In ancient times, the land was controlled by the Red Branch of Ulaid, which was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north east Ireland. However, they were eventually cleared of the territory when the Colla dynasty invaded during the 4th century and controlled Armagh until the 12th. The region was also the seat of the long famed patron St. Patrick - from which Ireland's national holiday St. Patricks Day originates, the day commemorates St Patrick's death and celebrates the arrival of Christianity. The Irish holiday is celebrated across the globe with parades, music, dancing, food, and a whole lot of green!
What's in the tartan?
The County Armagh tartan was designed in 1996 and is mainly green with both red and yellow and darker green accents.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patricks Cathedral stands in the city of Armagh, and was anciently connected to the Emain Macha which was a naval fort which was a major ritual site during the early Bronze Age. St. Patrick acquired this land when he arrived in the 5th century and was where he built his first 'Great Stone Church' and established Armagh as the home of Christianity in Ireland, which is still the case today. Parts of the original building date back to the early 13th century and even holds remains of some interesting stone carvings which date from the pre-Christian period. The Cathedral is found in the heart of Armagh surrounded by beautiful countryside with apple orchards found just outside!
The name Armagh comes from the Irish Ard, which means 'height' or high place.
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