Irish
County Kilkenny Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Kilkenny 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.
- Archer
- Birch
- Boylan
- Butler
- Callan
- Cantwell
- Cody
- Conboy
- Cleere
- Coyne
- Dunphy
- Fennelly
- Forrestual
- Gaul
- Grace
- Mullins
- O'Carroll
- O'Donaghue
- O'Kealy
- O'Loughnan
- O'Shea
- Purcell
- Ryan
- Shortall
- Sweetman
- Walsh
County Kilkenny 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
County Kilkenny Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Kilkenny is found in south east Ireland in the province of Leinster, and is widely known for its medieval monastic ruins with many Iron Age forts, ancient stones, underground chambers and megalithic tombs scattered across the county. It became a place of importance after becoming one of Leinster's counties in the early 13th century with numerous castles and forts being built by the Anglo-Normans. The county itself got its name from the city of Kilkenny which stems as far back as the 6th century and following the Norman invasion, Kilkenny Castle and a series of walls were built to protect the merchant town. King James I of England granted Kilkenny its Royal Charter in 1609, which was when it was officially established as a city.
What's in the tartan?
The County Kilkenny tartan is predominately blue with yellow and green stripes throughout as well as some slight orange and red accents.
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle was built during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century and for around 600 years it was the principal seat for the Butler clan. Under the family rule, the city grew into a thriving and vibrant metropolitan with a lively atmosphere still in the air today. The castle itself is set in a extensive parkland and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the ancient fortification and it invites hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from across the world! The castle is furnished with an extensive array of family paintings, tapestries and objects d'art as well as grand dining rooms and picture galleries. The 50 acres of rolling parkland which surround the castle are filled with mature trees, rose gardens, woodlands, man made lakes as well as several trails for tourists to explore. If you ever choose to visit the Butler's ancestral home a series of self guided and guided tours are also available!
The name Kilkenny comes from the Irish 'Cill Chainnigh', meaning 'Church of Canice'.
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