Correct tartan

[icroof]

I am trying to determine which tartan is correct based on my lineage. I am a MacDonald of Sleat so I know this is correct. However I am unsure about the tartans for MacDonald of the Isles, MacDonald Lord of the Isles and also just MacDonald?

Thank you for your help

Ian

[figheadair]

I am trying to determine which tartan is correct based on my lineage. I am a MacDonald of Sleat so I know this is correct. However I am unsure about the tartans for MacDonald of the Isles, MacDonald Lord of the Isles and also just MacDonald?

Thank you for your help

Ian

It's not really a case of which is the correct tartan. That term implies some form of nebulous right and that if you get it wrong then the fashion police will have you and whilst some might argue that one or other tartan is more appropriate that too has more to do with social convention rather than anything else.

If your family is from Skye and particularly Sleat then your choices can be more historically based than many who cannot be so sure where exactly their ancestors hailed from. based on the Skye connection there are five tartans which have stronger associations with your family:

Clan Donald - which the chief recognises as the generic clan tartan.

MacDonald of the Isles - sometimes suffixed Hunting by the trade, it is the Vestiarium sett which has no known historical connection with the clan, or indeed if it even existed, before the manuscript of the Allan brothers' 1842 work.

MacDonald Lord of the Isles (Red) - taken from a c1750 portrait of the MacDonald Boys including the young (later Sir) Alexander MacDonald of Sleat. This is the red and green sett with the black line.

MacDonald of Sleat - as above but without the black line. Quite when this name was attributed to the sett is unclear by in the early to mid-1800s it was called Lord MacDonald and possible arose as a fashion error of the one above.

MacDonald of the Isles Hunting - from a c1770 portrait of Sir Alexander MacDonald. There are two versions of this sett; one with two shades of green and the other with green and dark blue. The difference is due to varying interpretations of the colours in the portrait but the chief prefers the latter to be reserved for his family and it is more difficult to find ex-stock. In my opinion it is the more accurate version/interpretation.

Which one of these should you wear? Whichever takes your fancy but be aware, some are more readily available than others.

[icroof]

This is exactly what I have been looking for and answers my questions perfectly. I greatly appreciate the response.

Thank you
Ian

[OC Richard]

Yes it gets tricky with those and the several other MacDonald tartans!

Here's the portrait in question



Between the two lads there are four different red tartans, going to show that at this time the concept of "clan tartans" probably hadn't evolved.

And here is the tartan derived from that worn by the boy on the left, the same pipe band wearing both the version with the black line and without, one for the kilts, one for the plaids (not the drum major... look at the pipers)



and here's the green one





which by the way has been adopted here by one of our High Schools... the entire Marching Band wears it.

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_19329439

I would greatly prefer it if it were woven in a nice large sett more suitable for a man's kilt.

The Allen Bros "MacDonald of the Isles" is interesting because it has more artistic proportions than is usual for their efforts (which usually have two, three, or four equal stripes). To me this suggests that they lifted the design from somewhere. Note that it doesn't contain the "MacDonald motif" which most MacDonald tartans do.

It's quite lovely and translates very well to various colour schemes

[Morris at Heathfield]

There's a photograph on this page showing the tartan preferences of the various chiefs of Clan Donald. Note that the Earl of Antrim favors the MacDonald of the Isles tartan. Of course, what the chief wears may have little bearing on what the clan members wear. As far as I know, there's no rule that McDonnells of Antrim should wear the MacDonald of the Isles tartan, or that others should not. Also note that the chiefs of Clan Donald sometimes mix tartans: a kilt in one tartan, and a tie or day plaid in another (of the same general clan, of course).