Clan Primary Image Kennedy

Scottish Clans

Kennedy Tartans & Clan

Clan Kennedy descend from the Votadini, a tribe sent to hold back Pictish sea attacks in the south of Scotland. The Votadini are mentioned in Y Gododdin - one of the oldest know poems from the British Isles.

Clan Motto Avise La Fin (Consider the end)

Who Wears Kennedy 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.

  • Carrick
  • Cassels
  • Cassillis
  • MacWalrick
  • O'Kennedy
  • Kennedie

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Kennedy Tartans

3 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.

Clan Origin Primary Image Kennedy

From the start

Kennedy Clan Kennedy Clan Origins & History

Kennedy Clan Chief

Explore the history of Clan Kennedy

How it all started

Territories

Ayrshire

Clan Chief

The current chief is David Thomas Kennedy, 9th Marquess of Ailsa


[Image Source: Galloway Gazette]

Where does the name Kennedy come from?

Kennedy is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Ó Ceannéidigh meaning grandson of Ceannéidigh. Ceannéidigh is a given name made up of the Gaelic words ceann, meaning head, and éidigh, meaning ugly.

Clan Origin Location Image Kennedy

Denure Castle

Denure Castle is located in South Ayrshire and was the original stronghold and historic seat of Clan Kennedy. The Castle was originally built in the 13th Century by the Kennedy family, however the buildings that stand today were not built until the 15th and 16th Centuries. During the time that the Kennedy's owned Dunure Castle they were a very powerful family and they were able to expand the castle greatly while it was in their possession, they built a new kitchen, chapel, a great hall, a prison and extra living quarters. The castle now sits in ruins, however, it is unknown how the castle got in this state but there are a few theories, many believe that it was destroyed during the period of the Civil War, while others believe that the Castle was burnt down or blown up judging by the state it currently sits in.

Plant Badge

Clan Kennedy's plant badge is Oak

Clan Motto: Avise La Fin (Consider the end)


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