Ó Farrell Tartan Anyone?!

[Kevin Murphy]

I have been interested in seeing a kilt in that tartan.
Can anyone post a picture if they have one or can find one?

[The Wizard of BC]

Here is the description from The Scottish Tartans Authority.

"Said to be from the Clans Originaux published in Paris in 1880 by J. Claude Fres Et Cie. which purported to contain the earliest known record of a number of Irish tartans and many variations of Scottish Clan tartans. The only copy known to exist was discovered in America and is now in the possession of Pendleton Mills in Portland, Oregon. Research in 2003 showed beyond doubt that no Irish tartans were included in the publication of that name. The origin of the 'Irish tartans' therefore remains a mystery. The Sindex card for this tartan says 'per W.H.Johnston of Skippack, Penn. USA. August 1978.' Whether that was the information or the date of the alleged extraction from Clans Originaux is not known."


I have never seen this Tartan offered by any Tartan weaving mill that I know of.

Most today recognize that the concept of Irish Tartans is fairly new. Most of those of Irish descent also understand that the Irish did not have the Clan system as it existed in Scotland.

If you can trace your family lines back to Ireland you may choose to pick from the Irish Generic Tartans or one of the Irish County Tartans. The House of Edgar and Marton Mills both, and separately, came up with Tartans for the Irish Counties.

[OC Richard]

I'll design it for you, what colours do you want?

[figheadair]

The STA acquired its own copy of Clans Originaux last year. It is not a book per se but a collection of bound tartan samples and it was not 'published' as had originally been claimed elsewhere. The firm J. Claude Fres. & Cie ran a clothing design service and were a major European supplier of all sorts of material and they obviously retailed tartan, a popular fashion cloth in the late 19th century. There is no indication of where they bought their cloth but with no tradition of tartan manufacturing in Europe one can conclude that they sourced their material from somewhere in Britain.

Comparing the STA list of CO Tartans with the one owned by Pendletons reveals differences, one of which is omission of the O'Farrell in the STA copy. Nor is it included in what appears to be another copy in private hands that I've examined. The STA has a photo record of all the Pendleton pieces and similarly, there is no O'Farrell amongst them. Curious.

[O'Callaghan]

The clan system in Scotland is derived from that in Ireland, as it came into existence as a result of Irish Gaels settling in the Scottish Highlands, although there are some differences. OTOH, at that time the Gaels wore a tartan cloak called a brat, and the tartan had no significance as to the clan. Kilts originated in Scotland, as did clan tartans.

Irish kilts, usually plain green or plain saffron, came about in the 19th century, long after the kilt had appeared in Scotland, but still well over a century ago, so whether you call that recent is open to interpretation. Irish clan chiefs, unlike Scottish ones, have no role in recognising tartans.

However, anyone can register a tartan if they supply a sample, and many Irish family names are registered. However, Irish family tartans are expensive if you can obtain them atall. Moreover, not every Irish name is a clan, even if there is a corresponding tartan (that is also true for Scottish names, BTW, although the Scots have 'sept lists' that provide slightly shaky links between other names and the clans). Nor does every Irish clan even have a tartan.

There are also Irish county tartans, but there are two different mills that make them, and their respective setts (patterns) for any given county are entirely different. Some kilt vendors would have you believe that these are somehow more authentic than Irish family tartans, but I wouldn't agree, as they are recent in the true sense of the word (20th century, not 19th). There are also something like eight different tartans that claim to represent Ireland itself, and like the county tartans, they are very recent.

The auspices of early Irish tartans are a bit dubious, as in fact are many of the Scottish ones. I would particularly take anything attributed to Clans Originaux with a grain of salt, as it is only a pattern book, and many of the tartans that are said to be in there by various sources don't seem to be. Perhaps they are in a different edition that is long lost?

If you must get a kilt in an Irish tartan, know that it is less authentic than a plain green or saffron one, and that the point in the tartan is to identify an affiliation, even if the tartan is not necessarily old, and even if sources stating its origin are unreliable. A meaning is acquired by use. So, by all means get a kilt in the O'Farrell tartan if you can do so without spending an arm and a leg.

[Kevin Murphy]

I have read up on much of the things you have all replied with, but I simply love with the colors of the Ó Farrell Tartan. While I understand the many reasons for special weave costing so much, it feels disheartening to see the price a kilt in said tartan will cost. I am not (as far as I am aware) an Ó Farrell and I was aware it is a color alteration of Stuart Tartan., but I just want to even see the tartan I've seen on a kilt.

Thanks for your time and replies! ith: