Irish wore kilts?

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Thank you to everyone for posting on this. It's a very interesting read. One certainly has to be careful to cut through this cargo cult history.

[castledangerous]

It is unlikely that the bagpipe traveled to Scotland via Ireland. The Irish War Pipe (an Anglicization of Piob Mhor) is a relatively modern invention and came about when the 2nd tenor of the GHB was removed. (Irish bagpipes seem to have a history that parallels somewhat the Irish kilt, i.e., part of the Celtic revival in the mid to late 1800s).

No, they are not parallel at all. For instance, John Derrick's "The Image of Irelande" (1591) clearly depicts a bagpiper falling in battle. The Irish War Pipe was revived but it clearly had historical antecedents.

[Ozman1944]

I'll go with the Egyptians; In Mesopotamia the inhabitants wore a long skirt; the Egyptians probably had nicer legs, so wore a mini version - hence an early kilt.
Later Greeks & Romans and most others wore a knee length tunic, belted if in action, unbelted for leisure. Germanic/Visigoths/Huns "Barbarians" wore breeches/trousers, and was how the Romans also described the Celtic tribes. Semitic/Arabic folk wore ankle length robes (legs not as nice as the Egyptians?)

Today, I wear Kilts because, they are comfortable, and my niece says I have sexy knees!

Whether the Irish did or didn't - who really cares?

[ali8780]

I suppose I should chime in.....

I was hoping you would! I was just about to call you over Thanks for the information, I do love a good history lesson!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

No, they are not parallel at all. For instance, John Derrick's "The Image of Irelande" (1591) clearly depicts a bagpiper falling in battle. The Irish War Pipe was revived but it clearly had historical antecedents.

Bagpipes actually originated in the Middle East and spread west across Europe. They actually came late to places on the fringe like Scotland and Ireland. Bagpipes were quite common across Europe during the Middle Ages.

Many people find it ironic that there were bagpipes at the Battle of Bannockburn -- but being played by the English! :-)

[sathor]

So then why are so many kilts made in Pakistan? Seems just as relevant.

That one was explained to me 'as matter of fact' one day.

The Brittish used a local source to get more kilts while they occupied India. When they left, there were generations of kiltmakers that just kept on going. Served them quite well at that I bet.

[sathor]

Everyone knows the Egyptians invented the kilt!

I was just watching a few Egyptian documentaries yesterday, and it was mentioned that the Pharaoh's skirts were pleated. They were also transparent.
The slaves were naked, beyond that, one sign of your wealth was the transparency of your garments.

[macwilkin]

That one was explained to me 'as matter of fact' one day.

The Brittish used a local source to get more kilts while they occupied India. When they left, there were generations of kiltmakers that just kept on going. Served them quite well at that I bet.

Someone was pulling your leg with that whopper...

T.

[Scotus]

I'll go with the Egyptians

That's okay if you accept the definition of a kilt as simply being a pleated garment for males. I, and many in this forum, do not accept that overly simplified definition. Besides, this thread isn't about Egyptians.

Whether the Irish did or didn't - who really cares?

Obviously, the people responding to this thread, including myself, do care.

[PGH]

No, they are not parallel at all. For instance, John Derrick's "The Image of Irelande" (1591) clearly depicts a bagpiper falling in battle. The Irish War Pipe was revived but it clearly had historical antecedents.

There's nothing clear about it. Do you have a link to this picture? From what I understand there is no strong evidence of a distinctly Irish bagpipe at all. What gets posited as pictorial evidence is usually wishful thinking and a bit of a stretch.

The modern "Irish War Pipe" is a GHB with a drone removed. Its genesis appears to be Irish regiments in the British Army. There's nothing historical or ancient about it (and today's Irish regiments in the British Army play the GHB).