After three weeks in Scotland - kilt reflections

[Alan H]

First of all, pay attention here. If there's one thing that I've learned about "kilts" in Scotland it's this:

Everything that Jock Scot has told us is true. - yes, I'm tongue in cheek, but the truth of the matter is exactly what I just wrote. So pay attention to Jock.

OK, aside from that, here are my observations:

In twenty days in Scotland I saw literally thousands of men. I'm going to list every single one of them I saw in a kilt.

1. At the Highland Games: scorekeepers, judges, pipers, local VIPS, athletes, dancers and so on, at Highland Games wore kilts and usually very nice ones. However, the "attendees" did not. I think I saw about eight or ten, maybe twelve TOTAL kilted men at the four Highland Games that I went to. Each of those drew about 3,000 people. Inverary had 3500, Airth had about 2,200. Average it out, and I saw about 12,000 Scots at those Games. Of those, 6,000 are men. Of those, 4500 are of kilt-wearing age. And of THOSE about ten-twelve actually wore a kilt. Of those ten, maybe a dozen, one was quite "un-traditional" in that he wore a muscle shirt and boots and scrunched down hose. All the other were quite traditional in a 1950's-sense and "daywear" tweed-semi-formal. Note that two of the three men I saw in the crowd wearing a kilt at the Airth Games were from Utah. Seriously.

2. NOT at the Games: three pipers busking for money on the streets of Old Town, Edinburgh (3). Two Blacklader kilts on tourists in Inverness when I was out for dinner with Jock Scot (2). Jock Scot (1). Cessna152towser(1). Me (1). One lad in a traditional kilt but with hose scrunched down walking up the street in Inverary (1). The fellow serving as an usher in Saint Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh (1). That's it. Seriously. Even the tour guides at Holyrood were in trews, though the lasses had lovely tartan dresses on. Add it up, the answer is ten people. In twenty days.

Upshot- If you want to look like a Scot, don't wear a kilt. If it's hot, wear shorts. If it's raining wear a rain parka. Alway have your umbrella handy. If you want to look like a Scot, obsessing over the exact color of this or that and matching your hose with your decongestant is an utter waste of time.

3.) Scots can't tell the difference between a wool kilt and a polyester-viscose kilt. Even Jock Scot didn't say anything until I had him feel the fringe on my throwing kilt. I pointed out that Sinclair Patience, the Scottish Highland Games Champion, was wearing a SPORTKILT. He hadn't noticed, or cared. Whenever I put on a kilt to go out to dinner, the proprietor at the B&B made complimentary noises.. "Now there's a man that can wear a kilt" and so on. The lovely Agnes in Invness flirted with me mercilessly, to both our amusement. The ONLY person to notice or comment on my dreaded untraditional polyester-viscose kilt was Blair MacNaughton, president of the MacNaughton Group, and head of the firm "House of Edgar" and he wasn't mean about it, nor did he CARE, he just noticed.

Upshot on all this.....if you want to wear a kilt in Scotland ---

A. You will stand out. People will notice. You will get a fair number of "looks" ..sideways, subtle ones, going down the street much like you would get most places in the USA. Nobody will say anything, and if they do, it will be nice. ...though I did get wolf-whistled at once, in a back alley in Hawick on the way to dinner, and one drunk guy at the bar did glare at me aggressively. I stared back. He went back to his drink.

B. Nobody much knows, or cares, if you're wearing your "correct" tartan, or if your flashes match, or if you're wearing a borrowed jacket. The chieftan of the Airth Games wore a Holyrood kilt. He's the Chieftan because he's the richest man in town. That's the truth. One of the judges at Airth wore a really nice monotone "granite" kilt. I asked him about it. He wore it because it was Perthshire colors (??) and he got it on sale.

There you go.

So just chill out. Wear your kilt if you want to and go about your business, knowing that everybody thinks you're a bit odd, unless you're Jock Scot, who just plain BELONGS in a kilt.

[cessna152towser]

Well said Alan.
Just chill out and wear your kilt as you wish.

[Kiltboy]

Well said Alan.
Just chill out and wear your kilt as you wish.

Words to live by.

[OC Richard]

Your experiences mirror mine! My wife and I went to Scotland for the first time in 1986 (well, it wasn't HER first time) and in our two weeks I can only recall seeing two kilts:

1) on Skye, at Dunvegan Castle, the employee at the door as you enter was an elderly distinguished-looking gent in a MacLeod (not Allen Bros) kilt, weathered colours, and a grey tweed kilt jacket- very nicely turned out!

2) a strange character 'performing' for the tourists at Urquhart Castle; as each coach pulled up he would tune and tune on his pipes but as soon as the tourists approached he stopped and chatted with the tourists. He never played a note on the chanter, and his drones were never any more in tune after his little spells of 'tuning' than before. We saw him go through several repetitions of this odd act, and wondered whatever could be the purpose. He was dressed in rather theatrical kit. (I'm happy to report that nowadays they have a REAL piper, and a very fine one too, our own XMarker Neil Clark, performing regularly there.)

(At Dunvegan I eavesdropped on a pair of elderly women touring the castle speaking to each other in Gaelic, and it was a bit of a thrill to be able to understand some of it. That was WAY more cool than the guy in a kilt!)

Mind you I had been a fairly regular kiltwearer for ten years at that time, and never considered for a moment taking Highland Dress with me on holiday. The last thing I wanted was to stand out as you describe.

Nearly 20 years on my wife and I went to Scotland, in 2004, and the only kilts I recall seeing were worn by band people at the World Pipe Band Championship and performing at the Edinburgh Tattoo.

[Blupiper]

I've told this story before, but it pertains. In 2007, my son and I went on a trip to Scotland. We were to attend the Perth Highland Games, but it was rained out (flooded carpark, I think.) We were kilted, so we went on up to St. Andrews, instead. My son's outfit: MacLeod of Harris kilt, proper accouterments and a red University of Alabama hoodie, with 'BAMA' on the front. In the graveyard/churchyard of the Cathedral there, we were set upon by a group of four older women. They were from Birmingham, Alabama. "Oh, my, look! A lovely Scottish boy in a kilt! With an Alabama sweatshirt on!! Where are you from in Scotland? Can we have a picture?" They had found their perfect story for the folks back home and the facts weren't going to get in their way. The only people you are likely to meet kilted in Scotland are Americans and most Americans over there will think Scots don the kilt frequently. Go about as you wish and don't sweat what others may do/say. Enjoy your time and the lovely country.

JMB

[tulloch]

Chilling madly. Thanks.

[S Mitchell]

Chillin' too.

You know, I've never been to any Highland games where I'm sure I'd see a number of kilted attendees, but, otherwise, in my 46 years on this Earth, having traveled from coast to coast, and having lived in several states and on three continents, out of the many thousands and thousands of people I've seen and encountered, I can only remember ever having seen one kilted person in the wild. And he was wearing a utility kilt.

There must've been at least one more, but I can't think of any. Oh, wait! I remember - I also once saw a police pipe band in a parade. I knew there must've been more.

But that's about it.

I guess I am a bit odd.

[jhockin]

As has been already said, wear your kilt if you want to, even in Scotland .... Maybe if enough of us do it, it might become 'catching'. Me? I'll wear a kilt whenever & wherever I want to...I'm not doing it to b e noticed, nor do I much care what others think. I'm wear kilts because want to, and because I find them comfortable.
( though it is a bit of a struggle with only one useful hand, lately

[Joseph]

So just chill out. Wear your kilt if you want to and go about your business, knowing that everybody thinks you're a bit odd, unless you're Jock Scot, who just plain BELONGS in a kilt.

<more letters>

[ctbuchanan]

One of the best posts I have read on this forum.. I admire your honest and straightforward narration. Well done.

On a side note I've attended more highland games all across the USA than I can count. I would estimate that of those who attend less than 1 out of 100 men wear the kilt. I guess I would have hoped for better in Scotland.