Scottish Clans
Learned Kindred of Currie Tartans & Clan
The Currie Clan, better known as the MacMhuirich Bardic Family, were Hereditary Bards to the Lords of the Isles as well as to the MacDonalds of Clanranald.
Who Wears Learned Kindred of Currie 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.
- Currie
- Currier
- Curry
- MacCurrie
- MacCurry
- MacMhuirrich
Learned Kindred Of Currie 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
Learned Kindred of Currie Clan Origins & History
Explore the history of LEARNED KINDRED OF CURRIE
How it all started
Territories
The name Currie was first recorded in this form in 1230 and derives from the Gaelic "curraigh" which means wet plain or marsh. “Currie” is the anglicised form of MacMhuirich (pronounced “MacVurich”), and the MacMhuirich's were very highly regarded in Scotland’s history, named not only as bards, but as "filidh" (bards of the most senior rank involving years of training), and also as historians, genealogists and storytellers. Through their link to the Macdonald Lord of the Isles the MacMhuirich's are linked to Finlaggan on the Island of Islay, and then through the MacDonalds of Clanranald to South Uist after 1493. MacMhuirichs and later Curries settled not just in South Uist but across the western seaboard – Campbelltown and the islands of Arran, Colonsay, Jura and possibly Iona. If you are travelling around Scotland you can find monuments in tribute to the MacMhuirichs on South Uist, Arran and Edinburgh.
Clan Chief
Currie is not yet recognised as a Clan by the Lord Lyon, and therefore they have a Commander rather than a Clan Chief. The Clan Commander of the Name and Arms of Currie is Robert 'Bob' Currie. The first Currie Society was formed in Glasgow in 1959 by William McMurdo Currie and shortly before he died in the late 1980's he passed the baton to Bob to continue his good work as custodian of the kindred.
Learned Kindred of Currie - Clan Currie Society
With over 4,000 members globally, the Learned Kindred of Currie works to preserve and promote the clan's legacy and Scottish history and culture through various activities such as events, scholarships and programs in the US and worldwide.
Pipes of Christmas
A concert hosted by the Learned Kindred of Currie, Pipes of Christmas brings together performers, soloists and musicians from America and the UK to celebrate Christmas and the Celtic spirit. In 2024, it's in its 26th year and concerts will be held in Boston, New York City and Summit, NJ, as well as a webcast with highlights after the concerts have finished.
Pipes of Christmas showcases those musicians and performers who specialise in the Gaelic tradition, with the program featuring traditional music, stories and poems told and sung in English, Gaelic and Old Scots.
Not only do the Learned Kindred of Currie put on these wonderful concerts, Pipes of Christmas are their annual fundraiser to support the society with providing scholarships, hosting Tartan Day on Ellis Island, commissioning new cultural and musical works and so much more!
Pipes of Christmas Interview with Bob Currie
To celebrate and share more about Pipes of Christmas we thought it would be fun to feature Bob Currie of Learned Kindred of Currie to give us more details and background about this amazing event. Read the blog and interview to discover why there's also a concert in Boston this year, how you can get involved and which famous faces have turned up in the past!
Clan Motto: Inspire to Victory
