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.
Each tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
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.
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.
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.
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
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.
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
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.
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.
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.
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.
County Longford is found in the midlands of Ireland in the province of Leinster, getting its name from the town of Longford. It was originally known as 'Annaly' and was a principality of the O'Farrell dynasty as well as County Meath. As a result of the Viking invasions in the 12th century the land was handed over to Hugh de Lacy, who established an English settlement. It was declared as a county in 1586 under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I of England, with many English settlers finding themselves in Longford during the early modern period of Europe. It was added to the province of Leinster by King James I in 1608 and it was planted by both English and Scottish landowners who took over much of the O'Farrell lands. The area eventually fell into full English control after the Nine Years' War in the late 17th century.
The County Longford plaid is mainly blue and has stripes of green, red and yellow running throughout.
Rathcline Castle is an ancient stronghold ruin found overlooking Lough Ree, just outside the town of Lanesborough in County Longford. It is believed to have been built in the 9th century by the O'Quinn dynasty, who were earlier known as the Lords of Rathcline. It is likely the town house was built perhaps into the 14th century of which only parts of the walls still stand as well as some decorated stonework and an ancient privy! The castle was then later presumably taken over by the O'Farrell's when they held high amounts of power across the region.
The name Longford comes from the anglicisation of the Irish 'Longfort', meaning 'fortification'.