Irish American 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.
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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.
Explore the History
How it All Started
The Irish American Tartan combines three flags to make its design: the Irish flag; the Scottish flag; and the American Flag. Its vibrant and colourful pattern showcases the relationship between the three countries.
Irish American History
Between 1820 and 1930 almost 4.5 million people from Ireland or Irish descent arrived in the United State of America. Many of these immigrants at the time had links to Scotland or England, and are often known as Scotch-Irish immigrants. They tended to settle in places like New York or Pennsylvania. However, after decades of immigration they began to migrate south into states like South Carolina.
They were educated, skilled, and independent, so were quite equipped to support themselves and be successful. The thing which drew them to the United States was the promise of being able to own land and have their own religious freedom. A contrast to the religious conflicts and terrible economic conditions in Ireland at the time.
Famous American like Ronald Reagan or Andrew Jackson have links to the Irish.
Irish American Heritage Month
Irish American Heritage Month is the month of March and is a great opportunity to show off your Irish American Tartan. It was President George H. W. Bush who designated March as the month to celebrate and in 1992 it was passed in Congress under the Public Law 102-253 (106 Stat. 70).
Can you think of any famous Irish Americans who have contributed to the development or history of the USA, Ireland, or globally?
One of the most famous people with an Irish-American heritage was President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Both the Kennedy's and Fitzgerald's had strong Irish roots and worked in Boston to build a better life for themselves. President John F. Kennedy was extremely proud of his heritage and travelled to Ireland in 1963 to connect with his roots.
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