Graham wrote:
"What's the deal with saffron and the Republic of Eire? is it a catholic/protestant problem? 'scuse my ignorance."


Jimmy Replied "The Republic equates them with the Ulsters in the North. Basically, your question is your answer. I refuse to do the "Tague/Prod" thing, and refer to the "troubles" as North and South.
It's a shame for those of us that are in the culture since those Saffron Kilts are awesome!"

I come from the "prod" tradition and I wear a Saffron kilt (see my Gallery). I only wear it in public when I am in my Scout Uniform or on St Patricks Day. It is regarded as a nationalist symbol (Irish Soldiers, Dancers etc),and could cause me to have problems if I wore it in the wrong places. I don't care about the symbolism of the colour etc however I live in a place that see symbols in everything. For example my late brother in law bought an orange coloured fleece jacket. He liked and wore it into his work (the local council). After he had been in for a while his boss called him into his office and asked him if he was tryed to incite a riot in the place. He asked what do you mean, the reply was that the jacket could be seen as an show of protestant / loyalist power and cause trouble with the catholic / republican workers in the office. He was asked to remove it and not wear it again. I was planning to buy a Honda 750 Race Replica. However the Red White and Blue colour scheme was not a good idea. So in Northern Ireland colour does matter. I also have to be aware that kilt wearing in also seen as a protestant statement because I am Ulster Scots and the bulk of Scots who "Planted" the north of Ireland where Protestants. So by defination a kilt equals protestant. Having said all of that I would not live anywhere else!