Kilt ettiquette???
Author
Discussion

madmike

Original Poster:

2,372 posts

297 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
I'm an American of Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent. St. Patty's day is like every other holiday here in the US...an over commercialized travesty, but that's a post for another day.

Question is, I'm wearing my kilt today at work. Most everyone thinks it's "cool" but always qualifies it with "but isn't the kilt Scottish?" Now, I know that the ancient Irish did not wear one, so the history lesson isn't required.

My question to all of you over the pond-ers is, is it genrally acceptable to wear a kilt on St. Patty's day? Either way, I'm my own man, and I like to wear it, so that's that. I ask for peace of mind only...

Mike
1993 Lotus Esprit SE

JMGS4

8,932 posts

301 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
Mike,
as a Scot I feel it a bit OOO for an American to wear one especially if he hasn't got Scots roots, but what the hell, if you like it do it.... If the english can run around in turbans nowadays..............

Kenny chim 4

1,604 posts

289 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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...and if anyone asks you if anything's worn under it, tell them it's all in good working order

ErnestM

11,621 posts

298 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
Mike, what clan are you wearing? Just curious. From my mother's side of the family we are Macdonald of the isles. "Per Mare. Per Terras".

I think that the irish did wear garments similar to kilts. IIRC, the tartan structure and clan identification was not quite as enforced as the Scottish.

Happy St. Patricks!

ErnestM

PS: It may be over commercialzed, but it's still a good reason to throw back a Guinness or two (or eight or twelve)


>> Edited by ErnestM on Monday 17th March 13:22

Podie

46,649 posts

306 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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Watch Willy in the Simpsons...

donatien

1,113 posts

289 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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I thought if you looked up someones kilt and saw 2 quarter pounders they were a McDonald

madmike

Original Poster:

2,372 posts

297 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
I'm wearing the tartan of Clan Gow (Mike McGowan).

The Irish wore something similar, but it was longer. BTW, the mosern kilt isn't a Scottish innovation...it was developed by an English logger. He noticed it took his Scottish lumberjacks at least an hour in the mornings to don their great kilts...an hour that could be spent logging. So he designed the modern kilt for them to dress quickly in the morning.

Oh yeah, and I'm sporting a really nice racoon head sporran to boot.

Thanks for the words of encouragement...Guiness awaits the closing bell today!

Mike McGowan
"Touch not the cat bot a glove."

Nevin

2,999 posts

292 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
I was always under the impression that tartan kilts were Scottish. Whilst the Irish had a fairly generic orangey/brown suede kind of affair in much the same style, but one single colour At least that's the only one I have ever seen the Irish wearing.

madmike

Original Poster:

2,372 posts

297 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
One more thing...the guy who made my kilt said he only had one respinse when the ladies asked what he wore under his kilt.

"If I showed you that, I'd be revealing 2 Scottish mysteries. What a Scotsman wears beneath his kilt, and where the Loch Ness Monster lives."

Mike
"A man in a kilt is a man and a half"

madmike

Original Poster:

2,372 posts

297 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
Nevin, you are correct. Sorry, it's not just the length difference, but the color as well. Quite right.

And Podie, just for you...

"No such thing as Scotchtoberfest?! You used me Skinner. Ya uuuused meeee!!!!!"

>> Edited by madmike on Monday 17th March 13:31

Nevin

2,999 posts

292 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
But you're wearing a Scottish kilt Mike? On St Patrick's Day?

Hmmm, okay.

swilly

9,699 posts

305 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
I think the kilt, or skirt type clothing in a tartan type pattern is of celtish origin, or at least was worn by the celts.

The Welsh wore kilts as well.

Saying that most ancient peoples wore kilts of sorts. Look at the ancient Roman and Greek soldier's dress.

incorrigible

13,668 posts

292 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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There's definately a cornish kilt, I can't remember if it's tartan or not but the colour is safron IIRC

Mrs Fish

30,018 posts

289 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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www.alia.ie/tirnanog/sochis/xviiib.html

This is quite interesting: brief excerpt below, but if you are really interested open read the above.

The Kilt

The Gaelic form of this name is celt [kelt], of which "kilt" is a phonetic rendering. The word occurs so seldom, and is used so vaguely, that we might find it difficult to identify the particular article it designates, if the Scotch had not retained both the article itself and its name: for the Highland kilt is the ancient Irish celt. The kilt - commonly falling to the knees - is very frequently met with on the figures of manuscrpts, shrines, and crosses, so that it must have been very much worn both by ecclesiastics and laymen. It appears in a very decided form in the eleventh-century illustration given here (fig. 120).

>> Edited by Mrs Fish on Monday 17th March 13:43

ErnestM

11,621 posts

298 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all

madmike said: Nevin, you are correct. Sorry, it's not just the length difference, but the color as well. Quite right.


...patiently awaiting a nob joke...

ErnestM

Mrs Fish

30,018 posts

289 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all

ErnestM said:

madmike said: Nevin, you are correct. Sorry, it's not just the length difference, but the color as well. Quite right.


...patiently awaiting a nob joke...

ErnestM



Where's Podie?? he can normally sense these

madmike

Original Poster:

2,372 posts

297 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all

Mrs Fish said:

ErnestM said:

madmike said: Nevin, you are correct. Sorry, it's not just the length difference, but the color as well. Quite right.


...patiently awaiting a nob joke...

ErnestM



As usual, all discussions of kilts must eventually turn to what lies beneath them...




>> Edited by madmike on Monday 17th March 13:53

>> Edited by madmike on Monday 17th March 13:54

nubbin

6,809 posts

309 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all
Kilts were, and are, a generic Celtic garment. The tartan system was a romanticised version of the different weaving patterns found on some highland garments - all invented by the Victorian English! Clans tended to wear identifying badges at skirmishes etc., such as a sprig of heather, or a particular feather, to identify themselves. In day to day life, they never bothered, 'cos they mostly knew each other. I thought about having a Wilson tartan kilt, but it's a hideous melange of orange, green and red - so best left alone really....

angusfaldo

2,831 posts

305 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all

I'm an American of Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent.


That's a hybrid that even our liberal government won't give asylum to...

JMGS4

8,932 posts

301 months

Monday 17th March 2003
quotequote all

nubbin said: Kilts were, and are, a generic Celtic garment. The tartan system was a romanticised version of the different weaving patterns found on some highland garments - all invented by the Victorian English! Clans tended to wear identifying badges at skirmishes etc., such as a sprig of heather, or a particular feather, to identify themselves. In day to day life, they never bothered, 'cos they mostly knew each other. I thought about having a Wilson tartan kilt, but it's a hideous melange of orange, green and red - so best left alone really....

Although Nubbin, the first checks do go back to before the english arrived on OUR shores!!!! certainly Victoria Sachsen Coburg Gotha romanticised it for the good of the Scottish Tourist board!!!!