County Kilkenny

Irish

Fitzpatrick Tartans & Clan

The surname Fitzpatrick was first found in Ossory which was an ancient kingdom, the area is now county Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the South East of Ireland. Discover more about the name below.

County Motto Ceart Láidir Abú (Might is right)

Who Wears Fitzpatrick 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.

  • Kilpatrick
  • Patrick

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Fitzpatrick Tartans

1 variations

Each 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.

Kilkenny

From the Start

Fitzpatrick Clan Origins & History

Fitzpatrick

Explore the history

How it all started

The surname Fitzpatrick was first found in Ossory which was an ancient kingdom, the area is now county Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the South East of Ireland. Giolla Phádraig, know as the devoted Patrick, was King of Ossory. It is to be believed that this kingdom was founded by Aengus Osrith who flourished sometime in the late 2nd century of the Christian era. His reign commenced some eight centuries later until he was slain in 996 AD. During the time of the Norman invasion, some Irish names were given anglicised equivalents; Fitzpatrick was the equivalent for Mac Giolla Phádraig.

What's in the tartan?

The Fitzpatrick tartan was registered with the Tartan Educational & Cultural Association in January 1992. It has a close resemblance to Royal Stewart, and by the amount of white used it might be thought that it is intended to be the 'dress' version. The Fitzpatrick tartan is mainly green, symbolising the Clan's proud Irish heritage, with yellow and white throughout.

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny is occupied in the southeast of Ireland and is home to its grand Kilkenny Castle which was built in 1195. The castle is set in extensive parkland and was remodelled in Victorian times. It was officially taken over by the Irish State in 1969 and since has undergone aspiring refurbishment works and now welcomes thousands of visitors every year. The central block of the castle includes a jaw-dropping library, majestic drawing rooms, and silver-spooned bedrooms which are all ornamented in 1830s splendour. The majestic Picture Gallery is situated in the east wing of Kilkenny Castle, with the stunning space dating back from the 19th century and was built primarily to house a fine collection of paintings and artwork.

The original Gaelic form of Fitzpatrick is 'Mac Giolla Phadraig', whihc denotes to a devotee of St. Patrick. This is the only Irish native surname with the prefix "Fitz", as all others descend from the Normans.


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