Do the Irish Wear Kilts? A Short, Honest History

Yes, some Irish people wear kilts, but far fewer than in Scotland, and for a much shorter time. The kilt isn't an ancient Irish garment. It was taken up in the early 1900s, during the Gaelic Revival, mostly by pipe bands, and it's still worn today by Irish pipers, at weddings, on St Patrick's Day and by plenty of people of Irish descent abroad. Ask the average person in Dublin or Cork if they own one, though, and the answer will almost always be no.

So the honest answer is "yes, but". Below is how the kilt got to Ireland, what the Irish actually wore before it, who wears one now, and whether you should feel odd about wearing one yourself. (You shouldn't.)

The Short Answer

• Historically: no, not as everyday dress. The kilt is Scottish in origin.
• From about 1900: yes, some. Irish nationalists, pipers and a few schools adopted it as a symbol of Gaelic identity.
• Today: mainly pipers, wedding parties, Irish dancers in the past, and the Irish diaspora, especially in the US, Canada and Australia.

If you want the side-by-side on colours, tartans, jackets and hats, that's all in Irish kilt vs Scottish kilt. This post sticks to the history and who wears one.

What Did the Irish Wear Before the Kilt?

Medieval Gaelic Irishmen wore a léine, a long linen shirt or tunic, often dyed yellow, with a woollen cloak called a brat on top. Some wore close-fitting trews instead. Pictures from the 1500s show men in very full, pleated léinte that hang to the knee, which is why people sometimes describe them as kilts.

They weren't, though. A léine was a shirt, not a wrapped and belted length of wool. Scottish Highlanders wore the léine too, until the belted plaid took over from the late 1500s. In fact, one of the earliest descriptions of the Scottish great kilt, from 1594, was written by an Irish writer who pointed out that the Scots dressed differently from the Irish by then. Scotland went down the kilt route. Ireland didn't.

By the 1600s and 1700s, most Irish people dressed much like people in England did, in coats, waistcoats and breeches. So by the time anyone went looking for a "national costume", there wasn't a living one to bring back.

How the Kilt Came to Ireland

The Gaelic Revival

In the late 1800s, groups like the Gaelic League set out to revive Irish language, music, sport and culture. Some members felt Ireland should have its own national dress too, something to wear at a feis or a hurling match that wasn't simply English clothing.

The léine was considered and dropped, as it was really just a shirt. The kilt was the obvious alternative. It was Celtic, it was clearly not English, and the Scots had already turned it into a national symbol. A plain kilt, usually in saffron or green rather than tartan, became the favoured "Irish" version.

Not everyone loved the idea. Some people in the movement thought borrowing Scotland's national dress was a strange way to prove Ireland was different, and that argument has never quite gone away.

Patrick Pearse and St Enda's

One of the best-known supporters was Patrick Pearse, later a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Pearse opened St Enda's, an Irish-language school for boys in Dublin, in 1908. He liked the idea of a Gaelic revival costume for his pupils, and a number of the boys at St Enda's wore kilts, although Pearse himself reportedly never did.

Pipe Bands and the Army

The people who really kept the kilt alive in Ireland were pipers. Irish pipe bands started forming in numbers in the early 1900s, and many of them, like the Youghal Pipe Band and the St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band, adopted the kilt before the First World War.

The British Army did the same for its Irish regiments. In 1916 the Irish Guards formed a pipe band wearing saffron kilts, and other Irish regiments followed. After independence, the pipers of the Irish Defence Forces kept the saffron kilt as part of their dress uniform, and they still wear it today.

So the Irish kilt ended up with two quite different backers: Irish nationalists and the British Army. It's one of the odder twists in its story.

Do People in Ireland Wear Kilts Today?

Day to day, hardly ever. In Scotland it's normal to see kilts at weddings, graduations, the rugby and Burns Night, and plenty of Scots own one. In Ireland, a man in a kilt at a wedding still turns heads, and most Irish men would go for a suit.

That said, it's not unheard of, and it's become a bit more common. Some grooms with strong Gaelic or family links choose an Irish tartan kilt, and you'll see the odd kilt at Irish rugby internationals, usually on visiting fans or Irish people living abroad.

The biggest group of Irish kilt wearers isn't in Ireland at all. It's the diaspora. In the US, Canada and Australia, where tens of millions of people claim Irish roots, kilts in Irish county tartans are a popular way to mark that heritage at weddings, St Patrick's Day parades and Irish festivals.

Where You'll See Irish Kilts

• Pipe bands. Military pipers in saffron, and many civilian bands in saffron, green or tartan.
• St Patrick's Day parades. Especially in New York, Boston and Chicago, where pipe bands march in large numbers.
• Weddings. Mostly among the diaspora, often with a Brian Boru jacket.
• Irish festivals and feiseanna. At music events, Celtic festivals and cultural gatherings.
• Irish dancing, in the past. Boys' dance costumes once often included a kilt, but most male dancers now wear trousers.

Common Myths About Irish Kilts

"The Irish have always worn kilts." They haven't. The kilt as Irish dress dates from around 1900. Before that, the closest thing was the léine, which was a tunic, not a kilt.

"Every Irish family has its own tartan." No. Ireland never had a clan tartan system. Most Irish tartans are county tartans designed in the 1990s, plus an Irish National tartan. Some family tartans exist for Irish surnames, but they're recent.

"The saffron kilt is ancient." The colour was chosen to echo the old yellow léine, but the saffron kilt itself is a 20th-century revival.

"It's offensive for an Irish person to wear a kilt." It isn't. The kilt has been part of Irish piping for over a hundred years. Some people find it a bit "Scottish", but that's a matter of taste, not offence.

Is It OK for an Irish Person to Wear a Kilt?

Completely. Kilts aren't restricted to anyone, and there's over a century of Irish kilt-wearing behind you.

If you want something that reads as Irish rather than Scottish, a few tips:

• Go for a saffron or green kilt, or an Irish National tartan or your county tartan.
• Pair it with a Brian Boru jacket for formal events.
• Swap the thistle for a shamrock or harp kilt pin.
• Don't stress about rules. Irish kilt traditions are young and relaxed compared with Scotland's.

Our Irish kilts are a good place to start, and if you need the whole look, have a browse through our kilt outfits. Once it arrives, how to wear a kilt will help you get it sitting right.

Do the Irish Wear Kilts? FAQs

Is the kilt Irish or Scottish?

It's Scottish in origin. Ireland adopted its own version around 1900, mainly through the Gaelic Revival and pipe bands.

When did the Irish start wearing kilts?

Mostly from the early 1900s. Pipe bands and nationalist groups took them up in the years before the First World War.

Did ancient Irish warriors wear kilts?

No. They wore a long tunic called a léine, sometimes with a cloak. Old pictures of full léinte are often mistaken for kilts.

Why do Irish pipers wear kilts?

Pipe bands adopted the kilt in the early 1900s as a Gaelic symbol. The British Army's Irish regiments and later the Irish Defence Forces kept it as uniform.

What do Irish people wear instead of kilts?

Mostly ordinary suits for formal occasions. There's no widely worn Irish national costume today, apart from what pipers and dancers wear.

Do Irish people wear kilts at weddings?

Some do, especially those living abroad. In Ireland itself it's still unusual, but not unheard of.

Is it disrespectful to wear a kilt in Ireland?

No. You might get a few comments about looking Scottish, but nobody will be offended.

What tartan should an Irish person wear?

Most people pick their county tartan or the Irish National tartan. A plain saffron or green kilt is the traditional alternative.

Did Patrick Pearse wear a kilt?

Reportedly not. He encouraged kilts for the boys at his school, St Enda's, but wasn't known to wear one himself.

Are Irish kilts popular in America?

Yes, very. Irish Americans are among the biggest buyers of Irish tartan kilts, particularly for weddings and St Patrick's Day.