Country Tyrone is found in the middle of Northern Ireland and is home to Sperrin Mountains which is one of the largest uplands across the country. It was anciently known as the land of Eoghain whose descendants spread across what is now Donegal which initiated the rise of some major families in Ireland. Discover more about County Tyrone below.
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.
Country Tyrone is found in the middle of Northern Ireland and is home to the Sperrin Mountains which is one of the largest uplands across the country. It was anciently known as the land of Eoghain whose descendants spread across what is now Donegal which initiated the rise of some major families in Ireland. The O'Neill dynasty was the most major clan in what became county Tyrone, alongside Donnelly, Quinn, McKenna, McLaughlin and Devlin. Tyrone was the original stronghold for the O'Neill's who were the strongest of the Gaelic families in the province of Ulster and survived into the 17th century. The last chieftain was the great Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone in the 17th century who led the final resistance by Gaelic Ireland. He eventually left Ulster along with ninety of his followers for mainland Europe which represented the end of the old Gaelic order.
The County Tyrone plaid is mainly a deep red with black, green, white and gold accents throughout.
Tullyhogue Fort is found between Stewartstown and Cookstown in County Tyrone, and is a large ancient ceremonial site. Although it is not officially known how and when the fort was constructed, it held high amounts of regal importance during the Middle Ages as it was where the Chiefs of the Clan O'Neill of Tyrone were originally inaugurated. The ceremony was believed to have taken place on a large stone chair which stood on a nearby hill, however this was destroyed during the Elizabethan conquest in the 16th century marking the end of the O'Neill's and the sacred kingship in Ireland. You can visit the large earth mound today and it is a largely popular tourist destination especially in the summer months!
The name Tyrone comes from the Irish 'Tir Eoghain', meaning 'the land of Eoghan'.