Irish
Fitzgerald Tartans & Clan
Clan Fitzgerald was once one of the most powerful clans in Ireland, arriving with the conquest of Anglo Norman in the 12th century. The two main divisions involved with clan Fitzgerald were in Munster, with Earls of Desmond, as well as in Leinster, with Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. Discover more below.
Fitzgerald 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
Fitzgerald Clan Origins & History
How it all started
Clan Fitzgerald was once one of the most powerful clans in Ireland, arriving with the conquest of Anglo Norman in the 12th century. The two main divisions involved with clan Fitzgerald were in Munster, with Earls of Desmond, as well as in Leinster, with Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. The current chief of Clan Fitzgerald is Maurice Fitzgerald, 9th Duke of Leinster, who is also an Irish nobleman and landscape designer. He is the son of Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th Duke of Leinster and succeeded to the title in 2004. The Duke is the highest-ranking member of the peerage in Ireland, a title of nobility created by the English monarchs. The family also has known to be involved with politics with Garrett Fitzgerald being Taoiseach which Prime Minister of Ireland three times.
What's in the tartan?
The Fitzgerald tartan is predominately blue, with black, red and white throughout. It is believed that the original pattern was designed by Robt P. Fitzgerald of Philadelphia, USA in the 1960's and that he had based his ideas from the Robertson tartan.
The surname Fitzgerald comes from the Norman tradition of adding Fitz, meaning "son of" before the father's name.
Explore More...
