Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
The late 19th century Irish Revivalists, seeking to return to their Goidelic roots, had to face the fact that traditional Irish costume had been extinct for several hundred years, so they looked to the old paintings. Seeing the skirtlike bottom of the saffron shirt they thought it a kilt by false analogy and incomplete understanding, and the Irish Saffron Kilt was born
I don't believe this to be entirely true... It is my understanding that Douglas Hyde and the other founders of the Gaelic League were well aware that they were borrowing the kilt directly from the Highlanders, with whom the GL felt they had great cultural affinity. In the absence of a "Native Irish Dress" that would be recognizable in modern times, I believe they chose to try to adopt the most iconic piece of clothing associated with a modern Gaelic people.

I've heard lots of people of Irish heritage claim that the kilt was an old Irish garment, but I don't think the scholars that tried to popularize the modern Irish version of the kilt were laboring under that misconception.