Kilted at a Funeral

[ckelly327]

Unfortunately, this week my Godfather passed away and my mother and I drove down to CT for the wake and funeral. My Godparents and mother were friends since High School and still have many of their old classmates as friends who would be there. When we were making plans for the trip I told my mother that I intended to where my tank in the Kelly tartan in honor of Charlie's pride in his Irish Heritage and membership in Irish Societies in CT. She was a little taken back as she's still not used to me wearing kilts when I want to.

We went to the wake on Wednesday and I had on a suit with pants for the drive down. When we got to the funeral home the first 3 people we met all asked if I was wearing my kilt to the funeral the next day. I assured them I would be and they all thought it was great and that Charlie would have loved it.

Thursday I got dressed for the funeral in my tank, cream hose, matching flashes, Celtic belt, Celtic leather sporran, blue sport coat (still need to find a tailor to cut it down to a kilt jacket) and a nice tie with Celtic Knots on it. Everyone who said anything to me just loved it. The whole family all told me that Charlie would be proud and very happy that I would wear that for the day. Some people approached me to tell me that I looked good and were glad to see the kilt. I wouldn't expect any critisism from family and friends at a funeral but it was nice that so many people took a moment to say the nice things they did.

The only slightly annoying part of the day was that there were supposed to be a couple of pipers outside the church but there was some confusion and they didn't show up. After that I heard lots of comments that I needed to learn to pipe since I already have the outfit for it. I have no musical talent and if I ever took piping lessons my wife would move out on me.

All in all the kilt was well accepted and people showed a lot of respect for me and interest in the kilts. As with most funerals for a man in his 70's the crowd was older but they were also the most pleased.

For some of the newbies around - if you are confident in the way you wear your kilt, never be afraid to wear it for special occasions with friends and family.

[cessna152towser]

Kilts are certainly becoming more common at funerals in Scotland. I always wear a black kilt to funerals but tartan kilts with a black jacket are equally acceptable. Indeed two years ago at my wife's cousin's funeral in Fort William there were quite a lot of guys there in kilts, including the husband of the deceased.

[gilmore]

The only slightly annoying part of the day was that there were supposed to be a couple of pipers outside the church but there was some confusion and they didn't show up.

This is a true story.

I have a Scots friend who has been living in the US for 30+ years, long enough to loose most of his Scots accent. When his stepfather in Scotland died, he arranged the funeral there with the undertaker over the phone from America, and asked for a piper, since his stepfather had served in the Black Watch. He repeated his request several times, and each time was assured that it would be no problem to have a piper at the funeral.

When he arrived at the church on the day of the funeral, he was handed a newspaper. He asked what it was for, and was told, "It's the piper you wanted."

[David Dalglish]

I wore my kilt to my Mothers funeral at Glasgow in April. My Mother was born in England & moved up to Scotland when she married my father, she was 82 when she died & spent 65 years in Scotland. I know she would have been proud of me wearing the kilt, as she loved Scotland, & everything about it
She is sadly missed

[Blu (Ontario)]

I've worn a kilt to quite a few funerals and it's always been well received. But this has always been a tartan kilt worn with argyll jacket, dress shirt, tie, kilt hose with flashes, polished wing tips, dress sporran, etc. I would not particularly be inclined to wear a utility kilt to a funeral just as I would not wear blue jeans, or other casual attire. My conservative upbringing showing thru perhaps.

.

[gilmore]

Ack!

I had too much time on my hands tonight and looked around the internet for about an hour researching mourning tartans, wrote a somewhat exhaustive post on what I found, then when I tried to post it, not only couldn't I, but I couldn't retrieve or save the post either. It is lost in the ether.

At any rate, I discovered that mourning tartans came about in Victorian UK, were/are said to be usually black and white versions of clan tartans.

I found several black and white tartans here http://houseoftartan.com/house/reverse.asp
including 4 Stewart, 2 MacFee, Menzies, 2 Scott, Ogilvie, Erskine or Ramsay, MacFarlane, Clark and MacLeod.

It seems that the Menzies black and white tartan is sometimes worn as a general mourning tartan, or so it says at a Menzies website. I found nothing about a mauve mourning tartan, although interestingly there is a white and mauve Menzies tartan.

It is said that the Stewart mourning tartans can also be and are sometimes worn as general mourning tartans by anyone. Two are available as special weaves in 15 ounce 8 yard kilts at House of Tartan. http://houseoftartan.co.uk/scottish/itempg.asp There is a much less expensive Menzies black and white tartan in USA Kilts' casual kilts.

From http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tart...s/mourning.cfm

"Mourning Tartans

As the name implies these are used in connection with death, and are usually a design using a combination of black and white. As usually found, a few existing tartans are already suited to funerals but where specially created the rules appear to be to replace over checks with white whilst maintaining a black ground.

An example is Stewart Mourning, a late design based upon Royal Stewart but having a black ground and white over check. This design is found only in a very rare collection, Clan Originaux.

[However, I found two Stewart mourning tartans on that site, and four at a Stewart site.]

This is perhaps the most unnecessary type of tartan ever conceived. "

I don't know that I agree with that last bit. Although we no longer wear mourning for months or years, or even at all sometimes after the death of a loved one, for those who attend funerals ocassionally or more often, a black and white tartan might be handy. They are appropriate, conservative and tasteful.

BTW Cessna, one site mentioned that one of Queen Victoria's sons wore black Highland dress with kilt in memory of his father, Prince Albert.

[gilmore]

What is said to be a gray and white or a gray and cream Menzies mourning tartan is up for auction on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7004&rd=1&rd=1

[Big Dave]

Unfortunately, this week my Godfather passed away

First off, sorry for your loss.

I wore a kilt for my wifes Grandmothers funeral a couple months back. My wifes side of the family is Filipino, some of them were taken back when they saw me. I had on my Nightstaker, White Kilt Hose, Black Dress Shoes, a Black Dress Shirt and a Leather jacket. I sat in the front row with my wife and kids, and the priest who was conducting the service wouldn't stop looking at me. No bad comments or anything, just alot of "she would of loved your kilt".

[Hamish]

So sorry to hear of your recent loss. There may be some who consider it 'frivilous' to wear a kilt to a funeral - I have been so accused in the past, but I have to admit I was wearing my grey pinstripe kilt suit (with a black tie) at the time. Perhaps that was a little too unconventional for some people to handle.

However, I have also worn a plain black barathea kilt with a grey tweed Argyll jacket and black accessories to several funerals/cremations.

By coincidence, I am attending a neighbour's cremation tomorrow and will wear what I wore to the last one at which I was present: it is my Grey Thistle Dubh, pleated to the stripe, kilt from Geoffrey (Tailor) in Edinburgh :



This, I feel, is most appropriate for such an occasion.

[dwg]

I to will be going to a funeral next week and I will have on my new black Isle kilt and a black shirt, hose and shoes

Derek