Irish
County Kerry Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Kerry 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.
- Brennan
- Brothers
- Cahill
- Clancy
- Clifford
- Cox
- Crotty
- Creed
- Delany
- Doolin
- Downey
- Egan
- Falvey
- Fenton
- Ferriter
- Fitzmaurice
- Foley
- Griffin
- Guiney
- Hallissey
- Healy
- Joy
- Kelleher
- Kissane
- Leahy
- Leane
- Long
- McCarthy
- McElligott
- McGillicuddy
- McKenna
- Magrath
- O'Carroll
- O'Casey
- O'Connell
- O'Conor
- O'Daly
- O'Donoghoe
- O'Moran
- O'Mullane
- O'Quill
- O'Quinlan
- O'Rahilly
- O'Shea
- Stack
- Sugrue
- Trant
County Kerry 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 Kerry Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Kerry is situated in the south west area of Ireland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It is widely known for its striking rugged shores and mountainous peaks, as well as the popular picturesque driving route The Ring of Kerry, which skirts the edge of the Iveragh Peninsula mountain range. The county is filled with megalithic monuments such as stone circles and burial tombs, which is just the start of Kerry's rich heritage. The Dingle peninsula is believed to be where the Celtic Milesians came from, a tribe who successfully established the Irish Gaelic culture. Many battles took place across the mountain range and Caherconree is home to remnants of a ring fort named Bothar na gCloch, which is believed to be the stronghold of a great king with magical powers! At the end of the range also lies the Conor Pass which has remained a sacred mountain ever since the Pagan period. Kerry is primarily known as 'the kingdom' when the O'Connor clan controlled the territory since the 1st century AD and named it Ciar Raigh, later being anglicised to Kerry. The county's heritage continues into the modern day from exploits of the Fitzgerald dynasty, to the Irish Nine Year War, to numerous Irish rebellions, right up to the Wars of Independence in the 20th century.
What's in the tartan?
The county Kerry tartan is mainly reddish brown as well as a forest green, potentially resembling the rolling rustic scenery. It also has stripes of blue and yellow running throughout the pattern.
The Ring of Kerry
The scenic drive skirts around the shoreline contours of the Iveragh Peninsula and stretches across almost 180 kilometres of rolling hills, diverse wildlife and jaw dropping cliffs - it truly is one of Irelands greatest treasures! It is a hugely popular road trip destination and brings huge amounts of visitors to the area who want to explore the stunning scenery. It starts at the town of Killarney and is usually driven clockwise with the views on the left hand side, making it easy for tourists to stop and admire the marvellous landscape. The route ends right where you started off at the lively town of Killarney with the Killarney National Park right at its doorstep! You can even choose to explore the route off the beaten track by foot, where you can find Irelands highest mountain Carrauntoohil as well as MacGillcuddy's Reeks and the Gap of Dunloe. If you ever choose to venture to the Ring of Kerry the best views to look out for are the Skellig Ring Road, The Gap of Dunloe, Mollies Gap, Ladies View and Derrynan Beach!
The name Kerry comes form the Irish 'Ciar Raigh', meaning 'Kingdom of Ciar'.
Explore More...
