Irish
County Leitrim Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Leitrim 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.
- Clancy
- Finn
- Forde
- Gllon
- Ganly
- Gilmartin
- Kenny
- McDorcy
- McFergus
- McGoldrick
- McGourty
- McGowan
- McKeon
- McRannall
- McShanley
- McTeigue
- Mulvey
- O'Carrol
- O'Cuirneen
- O'Rourke
- Reynolds
- Roddy
- Rogan
County Leitrim 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 Leitrim Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Leitrim is tucked away in the north of Ireland and is part of the border region in the province of Connacht. The county is filled with scenic coastlines wrapped in natural wild splendour including the dramatic mountain range of Sliabh an Iarinn which evolved from the Ice Ages and is steeped in Irish folklore. In ancient times the county formed half of the Kingdom of Breifne and was long influenced by the O'Rourke clan with close ties with the O'Reilly's too. The kingdom was eventually split during the 13th century into east and west Breifne, now known as County Cavan and County Leitrim. During the Norman invasion, the Vikings attempted to invade the county but they failed and were defeated by the Irish inhabitants at the Battle of Ath an Chip in 1270. Ireland also used to be covered in woodland and it is believed that five of its most memorable forest were found in Leitrim, however the trees were cleared and used as firewood through the increased iron industry between the 15th and the 18th century.
What's in the plaid?
The county Leitrim plaid is mainly a light blue colour and has stripes of red, black and yellow running throughout.
Parke's Castle
Parke's Castle is found in County Leitrim and lies on the north shores of Lough Gill. It is believed that the tower house was once owned by Sir Brian O'Rourke. Rourke was the first king and then lord of West Breifne and reigned from 1566 during the late stages of the Tudor conquest of Ireland. However, after resisting crown rule in Ireland, he was forced to flee his kingdom in 1590 after being affirmed as a rebel. He ended up falling to the feet of Queen Elizabeth's forces and was sentenced to execution in London in 1591. The castle then later came into the hands of the English Sir Roger Parke who had finished his fortified manor house in the centre of the old Gaelic castle by 1628. Today, the castle is open to the public and if you visit you can walk through the courtyard which has fountains and features of early defensive structures, and if you view it at sunset, it casts a remarkable silhouette over the water!
The name Leitrim comes from the Irish Liath Druim, which means grey ridge.
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