Irish
Tara Tartans & Clan
The Hill of Tara is the jewel in the crown of the Boyne Valley landscape in County Meath, Ireland. This hill is an ancient ceremonial and burial site that went on to be the seat of the high kings of Ireland. One of these hills is known as the passage tomb or the Mound of the Hostages in which 250-500 bodies were found that date back to the Neolithic period (3,200 BCE). It is believed that on top of the mound of hostages stood the Stone of destiny in which the high kings of Ireland in early AD were crowned. The hills went onto be the home of the Niall the nine hostages and his generations of kings until the 11th century. In later history the hills were a battle sight in which the English government killed over 400 Irish rebels in the rebellion of 1798.
Tara 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
Tara Clan Origins & History
The Hills of Tara
The Hill of Tara is the jewel in the crown of the Boyne Valley landscape in County Meath, Ireland. This hill is an ancient ceremonial and burial site that went on to be the seat of the high kings of Ireland. One of these hills is known as the passage tomb or the Mound of the Hostages in which 250-500 bodies were found that date back to the Neolithic period (3,200 BCE). It is believed that on top of the mound of hostages stood the Stone of destiny in which the high kings of Ireland in early AD were crowned. The hills went onto be the home of the Niall the nine hostages and his generations of kings until the 11th century. In later history the hills were a battle sight in which the English government killed over 400 Irish rebels in the rebellion of 1798.
What is the plaid?
The plaid is mainly green with red and yellow as minor colours. This plaid is a colour modification of MacLean of Duart and is believed for many years to have been recorded in 'Clans Originaux' as Murphy and later renamed 'Tara'.
High King Niall
High King Niall created the Ui Neill and made the hills of Tara the seat of this fantastic clan. Niall was a semi-mythical king and founder of the most powerful Irish royal dynasty as his descendants ruled Ireland for 6 centuries after his death. Niall did not have an easy start to life which was expected of leaders at the time which makes him even more exceptional. When Niall was born his mother left him on the ground as she was afraid of what Mongfind, the first wife of Eochaid Mugmedon, would do to the baby. A poet called Torna finds Niall and raises him. He returned to Tara and became popular with nobles who wished him to succeed Eochaid as king despite the fact that the king had four other male children. When Eochaid, Niall’s father died, tensions rose within the family until a feast was organised to make peace. At the feast, Mongfind was sneakily attempting to poison her brother, however he would not drink unless she did as well, which led to both of their deaths. This story does sound suspiciously like the Game of Thrones plot, maybe we should be asking George Martin a few questions? Back to the story, with parts of his family dead, Niall took leadership of the clan and consolidated power in the Northern region of Ireland and created the aforementioned Ui Neill dynasty. He continued to grow the clan by conducting a series of raids on Britain, France and the Roman Empire, and is also believed to have been involved in the creation of a Gaelic kingdom in the north of Wales. During these raids in Wales Niall captured a young slave and brought him to Ireland. That slave would later escape and go to become Ireland’s patron saint, St Patrick. The legacy of King Niall of the Nine Hostages is still strong today as a 2006 genetic study conducted by Trinity College Dublin showed that 3 million Irishmen are descended from Niall!
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