Irish
County Limerick Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Limerick 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.
- Browne
- Colter
- Condon
- Crean
- Culligan
- Dinnnahan
- Donovan
- Doyle
- Fitxgerald
- Fitzgibbon
- Fitzharris
- Gunning
- Harold
- Hely
- Kiely
- Kinealy
- Kirby
- McArthur
- McCurtin
- McEnery
- Mackesey
- Nestor
- O'Casey
- O'Conlan
- O'Connell
- O'Donovan
- O'Scanlan
- O'Sheehan
- Quinn
- Russell
- Sarsfield
- Sheehy
- Troy
- Woulfe
County Limerick 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 Limerick Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Limerick lies in the south west of Ireland and is rich in Irish heritage dating as far back as the prehistoric period, with remains of human settlements believed to be from 3500 BC. Between the 4th and the 11th century, the ancient kingdom of Ui Fidgenti covered what is now county Limerick and was majorly ruled by both the O'Donovan and Collins clans. By the 10th century, Limerick city was established by the Danes who ruled the town alongside prominent Irish families of the O'Donovan's and the O'Brien's. They held onto power until the Anglo-Normans took control in the early 13th century who in time became Gaelicised and involved clans such as the Fitzgerald's and the Burkes. From the 16th century onwards, the English monarchs began to siege and confiscate must of the lands in Limerick and during the Irish Rebellion in 1641, the city itself was captured by the English.
What's in the tartan?
The Limerick tartan is mainly a dark green and has stripes of yellow, red and blue running throughout.
Lough Gur
The Irish lake lies between the towns of Bruff and Herbertstown and follows an almost horseshoe shape at the bottom of Knockadoon Hill. It is one of Ireland's most treasured archaeological sites, it is believed humans lived near Lough Gur from the megalithic period all the way up to the modern-day. It is home to Ireland's oldest and biggest stone circle, the Grange Stone Circle, which consists of 113 impressively standing slabs with the tallest reaching over 13 feet high! Guided Tours are available around the lake which allows visitors to explore the wonderful history, mythical tales and impressive archaeology of the place, as well as various water sports which you can take part in on the lake itself - overall, a great day out!
The name Limerick comes from the Irish 'Luimneach', meaning 'bare spot'.
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