Irish
County Clare Tartans & Clan
County Clare is found on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster and is filled with rolling countryside as well as rocky Atlantic shorelines stretching across the coast. The county formed from a very early period after the ancient province of 'Thomond' was divided up and occupied by various ruling families.
Who Wears County Clare 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.
- Aherne
- Bolger
- Brogan
- Carmody
- Clancy
- Clohessy
- Clune
- Conway
- Curley
- Dalton
- Day
- Dayoran
- Deegan
- Durack
- Enright
- Gallery
- Gorman
- Hanrahan
- Hogan
- Liddy
- McEnright
- McInerney
- McLysaght
- McMahon
- McNamara
- Mullins
- Mulvey
- Neilan
- O'Brien
- O'Cullenan
- O'Daly
- O'Davaran
- O'Flattery
- O'Loughlin
- O'Moloney
- O'Morony
- Quinn
- Sheedy
- Slattery
County Clare 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 Clare Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Clare is found on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster and is filled with rolling countryside as well as rocky Atlantic shorelines stretching across the coast. The county formed from a very early period after the ancient province of 'Thomond' was divided up and occupied by various ruling families. The O'Brien clan had the greatest power in Thomond at time, and successfully defeated the Danes of Dublin in Clontarf in 1014. After the Norman invasions, the area was ceded to Thomas de Clare but was taken back by the O'Brien's once again who were soon after made Earls of Thomond, helping them sustain their prestige for centuries to come. The county colours of Gold and blue were carried by Brian Boru who led the O'Brien's at the Battle of Clontarf and the Clare coat of arms incorporate these colours along with six signifying symbols relevant to the county; a shield, a tau cross, an antique Irish crown, a wave, a stags head and a circle of fire.
What's in the tartan?
The tartan is mainly red and green and has stripes of yellow and blue running throughout.
The Cliffs of Moher
The coastline cliffs are found on the southwestern edge of the Burren region and look out onto the vast Atlantic Ocean, stretching across 8 kilometres along the shore. It is believed the cliffs are over 320 million years old with the unique beauty being widely appreciated and has even featured in box office movies such as Harry Potter and the Princess Bride! The O'Brien Tower marks the highest point of the cliffs and is named after Cornelius O'Brien, who was a descendant of Brian Boru. He built the tower in 1835 in hope to bring visitors to the area and the cliffs continue to attract tourists from across the world! There are so many things to do and experience at this amazing site including viewing platforms, vast walkways and many wildlife and bird watching opportunities. However, if you ever visit this beautiful Irish scene don't forget to wrap up warm, perhaps our Brushed Wool Tartan Scarf may come in handy or some bits from our large Cashmere Collection...
County Clare's name comes from the Irish word “Clár”, which translates to 'board' or 'plank.' Legend tells that a board was laid across the river Fergus just outside Ennis as a bridge, with it then becoming known as Clare.
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