Irish
County Cavan Tartans & Clan
County Cavan is a sparsely populated country in central Ireland, immediately south of the border with Northern Ireland, halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Who Wears County Cavan 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.
- Brady
- Brogan
- Cahill
- Caldwell
- Crozier
- Dennehy
- Dolan
- Drum
- Fitzsimmon
- Fleming
- Gaffney
- Gargan
- Kiernan
- McCabe
- McGovern
- McGowan
- McHugh
- McNulty
- McSharry
- McTiernan
- O'Clery
- O'Curry
- O'Daly
- O'Donohoe
- O'Farrelly
- O'Lynch
- O'Reilly
- Tully
County Cavan 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
- Dress
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.
Dress 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 Cavan Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Cavan is part of the Border region in Ireland and is in the province of Ulster. The area was originally known as 'East Breifine' and was controlled by Gaelic lordship under the O'Reilly clan. Throughout the 12th century the area was under large Norman influence with the remains of numerous fortifications still around today such as Cloghoughter Castle found just off the Erne River. During the 1500's, under Queen Elizabeth I's reign, what we now know as County Cavan was created and transferred to Ulster following the formation of Breifine. Under the rule of King James I, the area saw settlements of numerous new towns including Bailieborough and Cottehill, and over time the area became highly important in the trading industry.
What's in the tartan?
The County Cavan tartan was designed in 1996 and is predominately a dark brown colour and has stripes of lighter brown, orange, and red.
Cloughoughter Castle
The ruins of Cloughoughter Castle stand on a small island secluded around a remote corner on the Erne River. When the County Cavan was under O'Reilly control between the 13th and 17th century, the castle played a significant role in their struggle to authority due to the continuous conflicts with the former overloads, the O'Rourke clan. It was the last fortress to fall during the Cromwellian wars and was eventually made useless after being a target of explosive gunpowder. During the 18th and 19th century, the striking ivy covered remains were represented by numerous artists of the time as they captured the inviting but also mysterious castle ruins. If you fancy seeing Cloughoughter close up, you can head out on the waters with the Cavan Adventure Centre who supply numerous activities allowing you to experience some of Irelands most glorious landscapes!
Cavan translates to the Irish 'An Cabhán', meaning "the hollow".
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