Quote Originally Posted by Iain Robb View Post
. . . a saffron kilt . . . makes a statement similar to a tartan, a statement that a green kilt does not. . . .
I agree. I think most Americans associate green with Ireland, but only those who have studied the history of Irish dress have any understanding of the significance of saffron. Going green will cater to the ignorant and spare you many foolish questions about the color, but keep in mind that if you are going to buy a kilt you are probably going to live with it indefinitely, so it's wisest to suit yourself.

A few years ago a friend spent four to six weeks a year in Ireland, then retired and moved there permanently. He told me that absolutely the most important garment to have in Ireland is a warm raincoat. In his memoir Angela's Ashes Frank McCourt wrote of Limerick, "From the Feast of the Circumcision [New Year's Day] until New Year's Eve it rained."* He later reported that residents of Limerick liked to consider themselves the most devout of the Irish but in his opinion devotion was not involved; they spent much time in church because only there could they be dry.


*Accuracy of quotation not guaranteed; it's my best recollection.

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