O'Callaghan kilts as a stock tartan!

[O'Callaghan]

I stumbled on something interesting at the Celtic Croft website. Generally speaking, the O'Callaghan tartan (ITI number 7299) is a special weave, so I had reconciled to the idea that getting a kilt made of it was a bit of a pipedream.

However, if you look at Irish woolen casual kilts on the Celtic Croft site there is a drop-down list of tartans entitled something like Irish crest tartans. I thought they would be the Marton Mills Irish county crest range, but no. It is a list of Irish family and clan names, and they list the O'Callaghan clan. The list of names is not all that long, but there are only about twenty recognised Irish clans and perhaps a dozen other Irish family tartans. I'm guessing they may be listing them all. I hope this is real and not some kind of mistake on their part.

Even then, it's $375 for a wool casual kilt, $410 in my size. They don't seem to have 8 yd Irish kilts. I may have to save up my pennies. I've been quoted far more elsewhere for a special weave casual kilt in mere PV, though, something like $700.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Not to hijack your thread (don't people always say this when they are about to hijack a thread?).... but, we can do a casual kilt in any custom weave tartan for $445.
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/kilts_casual.htm

This is in 16 oz worsted wool, woven in Scotland.

If Celtic Croft has the same thing for $375 that is indeed quite a deal! But I just thought I'd mention that, in case Celtic Croft doesn't pan out for you. $445 for a casual kilt in authentic heavy weight Scottish wool might be more appealing than $700 for a casual kilt in poly-viscose!!!

(I would assume the higher price for the PV kilt would be due to the fact that someone would have to invest in a much larger run of the special weave tartan in PV. Whereas in the 100% wool, we could have just enough woven for your single kilt).

[fluter]

That casual kilt page says that it's lightweight tartan (10-11 ounce), and give the honest disclaimer about heavier wool being more suitable. The list is fascinating, but I don't find them pictured anywhere.

Between a light wool, short yardage, knife-pleated casual and a heavy wool box-pleat, I'm pretty sure I'd keep saving my pennies for the 16-ounce option! Your mileage may vary according to climate and metabolism, as usual.

[O'Callaghan]

Well, I suppose you do get what you pay for. As Fluter points out, the Celtic Croft price is for lightweight wool, not 16oz, and of course it's not for any special weave tartan, just Irish clan/family names, of which there are relatively few. I suspect they must have some carefully guarded source of those tartans, but only in thin wool.

The price difference is not huge, so it comes down to how warm/cool you want the garment to be and/or general preferences. It's certainly helpful to know what you can provide, Matt.