Irish County Tartans

[Thistle Stop]

Cyndi,

CONGRATULATIONS on that commission. You will indeed do it justice!

Thanks! I've done both clan/family and corporate tartan designs, but this is probably the most 'important' one to come my way, in the sense of historical associations. I'm very happy to have been selected to do it! It's also the first Irish tartan I've been asked to do.

[Mr. Kilt]

Is there a name list anywhere? Yes. The House of Edgar has a name list available of most all common Irish surnames and what county or counties that name came from. I have it and use it in our gift shop at work (so I can check a name for you on Monday, if you like). Also, I use The Surnames of Ireland by William MacLysaught as a standard reference on the origins of Irish names. Again, I have that volume at work, so I would be glad to check a name for you on Monday.

Aye,
Matt

Matt, could I have you look up my surname if you have a chance? I have the book "Irish Families" by Edward MacLysaght (a relative of William?) and it doesn't appear in it.

I know that my grandfather's family was from Larne, Co. Antrim and that he immigrated to Canada in 1913, yet I am having trouble finding any mention of our name in any regisry. The fact that all the old family records were lost to a fire in the 1920's certainly doesn't help.

My surname is "Gingles". I would love to have a little more background on where we originally came from if at all possible. Thanks!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Cyndi,

Good job on the commission! I'd be delighted to see a sample.

Al, I'll look the name up Monday for you and let you know what I find. Edward MacLysaught is who I meant -- I don't know where the "William" came from. I was going by memory when I wrote that!

Aye,
Matt

[Thistle Stop]

My surname is "Gingles". I would love to have a little more background on where we originally came from if at all possible. Thanks!

Here's what I know, for what it's worth. The Gingles surname is Northern Irish (Ulster, especially County Antrim), probably from the hybrid name Mac Inglis (Gaelic and English), meaning ‘son of the English speaker’, from the Scottish Inglis or Ingles. There is a surname spelt Gingell, from the county of Wiltshire in the west country of England, that may be related to the Gingles. They are doing a family tree and want Gingles to be included, so check out their web site at http://www.gingell.com/familytree/welcome.asp.

Good hunting!

[highlander_Daz]

here In scotland the garments that lady pipers and female highland dancers wear are called "kilted skirts" and are slightly different that a gents kilt - but not that different !! they are designed to look very similar.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here in the states, the nomenclature I'm familiar with is this:

kilted skirt = a feminine garment, made from light weight wool (usually), containing maybe 3 or 4 yards at most of cloth, lightly pleated in the rear, and machine sewn. Closure is opposite that of a man's kilt, and it can be any length, from ankle length to a mini!

lady's semi-kilt = a kilted skirt made with extra cloth and deeper pleats to simluate more the look of a man's kilt. Of course, this is usually made knee length.

Most women who are in pipe bands simply wear the male kilt as a part of the uniform (along with other male accouterments, such as shirt, tie, jacket, etc.)

Aye,
Matt

[beerbecue]

I found a trace of my ancestry (on my paternal grandmother's lineage) to a Henry Garvin, b. ~1750 in Co. Down, Ireland (He drowned in Antietam creek, MD). Too bad I really don't like that tartan.

Anyway, for Matt and Cyndi... From what I can gather, my family has been in the States since the late 1700s, and as far as anyone can tell, the surname of my paternal only lineage has always been spelled 'Jesse'. My grandfather told me we were Irish or Scots-Irish....

Long story short, I would like to know what tartans, besides Ulster, you think my be attributed to my surname.

What a wonderful resource this forum is......

[Thistle Stop]

I found a trace of my ancestry (on my paternal grandmother's lineage) to a Henry Garvin, b. ~1750 in Co. Down, Ireland (He drowned in Antietam creek, MD). Too bad I really don't like that tartan.

Anyway, for Matt and Cyndi... From what I can gather, my family has been in the States since the late 1700s, and as far as anyone can tell, the surname of my paternal only lineage has always been spelled 'Jesse'. My grandfather told me we were Irish or Scots-Irish....

Long story short, I would like to know what tartans, besides Ulster, you think my be attributed to my surname.

What a wonderful resource this forum is......

Hmmm... other than the County Down District Tartan that Polly Wittering designed for House of Edgar -- which is, I suppose, the one you don't like -- I can't think of a tartan that would have a link to the surnames you mention.

If you do some more genealogical research, you will probably find some names and places in your lineage that would be easier to connect with another clan or district tartan. As you may know, few Irish clans or families have tartans associated with their names in the way the Scottish surnames often do.

You can get tons of genealogical info online (not all of it accurate, by the way!) -- look at Cyndi's List (not me -- a different Cyndi!) at http://www.cyndislist.com/ for a comprehensive listing of all kinds of genealogical research sites.

Oh, one other thought -- my chum Peter MacDonald in Crieff (Scotland) designed a Georgia State Tartan -- as you live in Georgia, you might want to take a look at that at http://www.tartansauthority.com/web/...rtan=By+Tartan (click the small image to see it enlarged).

[macwilkin]

I really recommend the Ulster Red tartan for those of Ulster-Scots (Scots-Irish) heritage, if nothing else for the history behind the tartan, and the fact that is so striking.

The Georgia tartan is nice as well, and I always like to see more state & district tartans.

Slainte!

Todd

[Mr. Kilt]

My surname is "Gingles". I would love to have a little more background on where we originally came from if at all possible. Thanks!

Here's what I know, for what it's worth. The Gingles surname is Northern Irish (Ulster, especially County Antrim), probably from the hybrid name Mac Inglis (Gaelic and English), meaning ‘son of the English speaker’, from the Scottish Inglis or Ingles. There is a surname spelt Gingell, from the county of Wiltshire in the west country of England, that may be related to the Gingles. They are doing a family tree and want Gingles to be included, so check out their web site at http://www.gingell.com/familytree/welcome.asp.

Good hunting!

Thanks for the information, Cyndi! I can start doing a little more digging now. I've been registered on the Gingell website for some time but it's been an uphill battle trying to figure out family ties there. Isn't geneology fun!