Irish
County Louth Tartans & Clan
Who Wears County Louth 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.
- Bellew
- Brannigan
- Carragher
- Clinton
- Coleman
- Devine
- Geehan
- Heaney
- Kenny
- McMahon
- O'Scanlon
- Taoffe
- Verdon
County Louth 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Louth Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Louth, sometimes referred to as the 'Wee County', is found on the east coast of Ireland in the province on Leinster. Anciently, Louth made up part of the Kingdom of Oriel and the main town of Drogheda was founded by the Vikings in the early 10th century. After the Norman invasion, Louth was one of the first counties established by King John of England in the early 1200s, and it was mostly controlled by the English in the centuries to follow. The county was the feature of many battles involving the Irish and the English especially during the 16th and 17th centuries as it was on the main route to Moyry Pass, which was the site of large clashes between the two ruling countries. Towards the end of the same century, the armies of both James II and William of Orange also faced off in the south of the county in the build up the the long famed Battle of Boyne.
What's in the plaid?
The county Louth plaid is mainly a sky blue with stripes of a lighter blue, green, red, white and burgundy running throughout.
Old Mellifont Abbey
Old Mellifont Abbey is found just outside the town of Drogheda in County Louth and it believed to have been the first Cistercian monastery built in Ireland in the early 12th century. However, the monks soon returned to France not long after already completing the abbey. In later years it was used at various historical events, with the Treaty of Mellifont which ended the Nine Years' War being signed there and it also acted as a base for William of Orange during the Battle of Boyne. Today, you can access the abbey through a stone stairway with the visitor centre displaying a series of interesting exhibitions which explore the history of the area. The building has a gravelly surface so it is recommended to wear some sturdy footwear if you ever decide to have a look, and our tartan trainers may be the perfect option!
The name Louth comes from the Irish Lú, which was named after the Irish God Lugh.
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