Irish
County Fermanagh Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Fermanagh 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.
- Acheson
- Bannon
- Boyle
- Branigan
- Brick
- Cole
- Connolly
- Corcoran
- Corrigan
- Corry
- Cosgrave
- Cullen
- Keenan
- McAuley
- McCaffrey
- McGarrahan
- McGillinen
- McGrath
- McGuigan
- McGuire
- McManus
- McTeirnan
- O'Casey
- O'Flanigan
- O'Luinin
- O'Scanlon
- Tully
County Fermanagh 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 Fermanagh Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Fermanagh is found in the border region of Northern Ireland in the province of Ulster. What makes Fermanagh stand out from any of the other Irish counties is that almost a third of it is covered by lakes and waterways; from mighty Lough Erne to Shannon-Erne Canal to River Erne itself! Fermanagh was originally the seat for the Macguire dynasty until it was divided amongst the Scottish and the English after the confiscation of lands related to Hugh Macguire. Fermanagh was officially established as a county by Elizabeth I of England and it was brought under civil government after the Plantation of Ulster. Today, the large array of waterways are a paradise for boating, kayaking, canoeing and the extensive wildlife in the area. The largest town, Enniskillen, sits in the heart of Fermanagh and is dominated by the battements and the walls of Enniskillen Castle beside the River Erne - it really is the best spot to begin your exploring of County Fermanagh and everything it has to offer!
What's in the tartan?
The County Fermanagh tartan is mainly blue with grey, brown and yellow accents.
Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen Castle was built around 600 years ago by the Macguire dynasty and is found beside the River Erne in the town of Enniskillen in Fermanagh. The castle is strategically located being one of the few passes into Ulster, which made it very important at various points throughout its history with it featuring heavily during the Irish rebellions in the 16th century. The castles provided the main defense for the west end of County Fermanagh and also guarded Sligo Road. Today, the historic site is home to the Fermanagh County Museum which relates the areas pre-history, natural history and the history of castle and provides displays, tours, exhibitions & events for visitors to enjoy and explore everything Fermanagh!
The name Fermanagh comes from the Irish 'Fir Manach', meaning 'Men of Manch'.
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