Irish
Ulster Tartans & Clan
The province of Ulster is one of four Irish provinces and makes up the majority of Northern Ireland, which is often referred to as Ulster altogether. Ancient Ulster extended from the north eastern coasts of Ireland and along the other Irish provinces it began to take permanent shape during the Common Era with the capital at Emain Macha, near Armagh. Discover more about the area of Ulster below.
Ulster Tartans
2 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
Ulster Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
The province of Ulster is one of four Irish provinces and makes up the majority of Northern Ireland, which is often referred to as Ulster altogether. Ancient Ulster extended from the north eastern coasts of Ireland and along the other Irish provinces it began to take permanent shape during the Common Era with the capital at Emain Macha, near Armagh. Following the Norman invasions in the 12th century, Hugh de Lacy was pronounced as the Earl of Ulster and from 1263 to 1333 the earldom was held by the de Burgh family who then passed it to the duke Clarence, a son of King Edward III, which the subsequently fell into the hands of the crown itself. Throughout the 16th century, the kingdom was divided into individual counties which still exist in Ireland today, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh; with Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal included in the Republic of Ireland since 1949.
What's in the tartan?
The Ulster tartan is mainly an earthy yellow and is to be an interpretation of the fabric dug out in 1956 from an earth bank on the farm of a Mr William Dixon in County Londonderry. The material was preserved by the peaty soil which was analysed as being from the late 16th century.
The City of Belfast
The capital city of Northern Ireland is found in Ulster in County Antrim, on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. The area of Belfast was occupied during both the Stone and Bronze Ages with Iron fort remains found in the city centre. The city began to grow in importance and population through the 17th century and by 1730 Belfast was beginning the hold great economic prestige through its vast trade links, and with it being near the port there war obvious ship building interests! Since the Industrial Revolution, the chief shipbuilding firm had been Harland and Wolff, infamously known for the ill-fated Titanic. Today, you can visit Titanic Belfast which is a visitor attraction covering Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the once Harland and Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter, allowing you to delve into the history of Belfast's trade!
The name Ulster comes from the Irish 'Cúige Uladh', which means 'fifth of the Ulaidh' after the ancient inhabitants of the region.
