Irish Kilt vs Scottish Kilt: What's Actually Different?

The short answer: an Irish kilt and a Scottish kilt are cut and sewn the same way, but they look different and they carry different stories. A Scottish kilt is almost always tartan, often a clan tartan tied to a family name. The traditional Irish kilt is a plain, solid colour, usually saffron (a mustard yellow) or green, and it only became a recognised piece of Irish dress around the start of the 1900s. Today you'll also see Irish tartan kilts, but those tartans are recent, mostly designed in the 1990s.

So if you put the two side by side, the difference is mainly the cloth, the jacket and the little details, not the garment itself. We'll go through each one below, with a quick side by side, and then some advice if you're trying to choose between them.

Irish vs Scottish Kilt at a Glance

If you only want the headline differences, here they are side by side.

Tartan · clan and district patterns

Scottish Kilt

Usual clothTartan, often a clan or district tartan

National dress sinceThe late 1700s and 1800s

Link to a family nameVery common (clan tartans)

Formal jacketPrince Charlie or Argyll

Traditional hatBalmoral or Glengarry

Kilt pinClan crest, thistle, sword

Worn most atWeddings, Burns Night, Highland games, everyday wear

How it's madePleated cloth, straps and buckles

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Saffron, green or Irish tartan

Irish Kilt

Usual clothSolid saffron or green, or a modern Irish county tartan

National dress sinceThe early 1900s

Link to a family nameRare. County tartans are more usual

Formal jacketBrian Boru

Traditional hatCaubeen

Kilt pinShamrock, harp, Celtic knot

Worn most atPipe bands, weddings, St Patrick's Day

How it's madeThe same

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Colour and Cloth: Tartan vs Saffron

This is the big one. When most people picture a Scottish kilt, they picture tartan. Red and green checks, dark Black Watch, the bright Royal Stewart. In Scotland the tartan is the point. It can tell people which clan you belong to, which part of the country your family comes from, or which regiment you served in.

The traditional Irish kilt goes the other way. It's a single colour, with no check at all. The best known is the saffron kilt, a deep mustard yellow that's worn by Irish pipers and by the pipe bands of the Irish Defence Forces. Green is the other classic choice. Some saffron kilts have a small shamrock or Celtic design worked into the pleats, but plenty are left completely plain.

Why saffron? The colour was picked to echo the yellow léine, the long linen tunic worn by Gaelic Irishmen in the Middle Ages and shown in old drawings. Historians are pretty clear that the léine wasn't a kilt, and that the modern saffron kilt is a revival rather than a direct survivor. That doesn't make it any less Irish. It just means its story is a different one to the Scottish kilt's.

Where Each Kilt Comes From

The Scottish kilt grew out of the Highland belted plaid, or great kilt, a huge length of cloth wrapped round the body and belted at the waist. By the 1700s the lower half had become a separate garment, the small kilt, which is basically the kilt we wear now. After the Highland regiments made it famous and the royal visit of 1822 made it fashionable, it settled in as Scotland's national dress. We cover that journey in more detail in why Scottish men wear kilts.

Ireland's story is shorter. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Gaelic Revival set out to bring back Irish language, sport and music, and some people in it wanted a national costume to go with them. Pipe bands were the first to take up the kilt in numbers. Several bands formed around then, like the Youghal Pipe Band and the St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band, adopted it before the First World War. In 1916 the Irish Guards set up a pipe band in saffron kilts, and after independence the pipers of the Irish Army kept the saffron kilt as their dress uniform.

So the Irish kilt arrived mostly through pipers and soldiers, and it has stayed closely tied to them. If you want the full history, including whether everyday Irishmen ever wore kilts, it's covered in our guide to whether the Irish wear kilts.

Irish Tartans: How New Are They?

Here's where it gets a bit muddled, because you can absolutely buy an Irish kilt in tartan today. Search for one and you'll see county tartans for Cork, Kerry, Galway, Donegal and the rest, plus an Irish National tartan.

These are modern designs. Most of the Irish county tartans were created by the Scottish weaving firm House of Edgar in the early to mid 1990s, and Lochcarron added tartans for the four provinces. Ireland never had a clan tartan system like Scotland's, so the county is the usual way to pick one, rather than your surname. There are some family tartans for Irish names too, but many of those are newer still.

None of that makes them "fake". Plenty of Scottish tartans are only a couple of hundred years old themselves, and a lot of clan tartans were recorded in the 1800s. It's simply worth knowing that an Irish tartan is a recent tradition, so nobody is going to judge you on getting it "wrong". If you want a starting point, our Irish National tartan is a safe, widely worn choice.

Construction: Is an Irish Kilt Made Differently?

Not really, and this is the bit that surprises people. An Irish kilt is pleated, stitched and finished in the same way as a Scottish one. It has the same flat front apron, the same deep pleats across the back, and leather straps and buckles at the side. Most Irish tartan cloth is woven in Scotland, and many Irish kilts are made by Scottish kiltmakers.

The only practical difference comes from the cloth. A solid-colour kilt has no pattern to line up, so the pleats can't be made "to the sett" the way a tartan kilt often is. Saffron kilts are usually pleated to an even depth instead, which gives a clean, uniform look at the back. If you're curious about the steps, our guide to how a kilt is made walks through the whole process, and it applies to both.

Sizing works the same way too, so you measure your waist, seat and length exactly as described in how to measure for a kilt.

The Outfit Around the Kilt

Most of the visible difference between a full Irish outfit and a full Scottish one sits around the kilt rather than in it.

Jackets

For formal wear, Scotland has the Prince Charlie jacket, cut short at the front with tails at the back, and the Argyll jacket for daytime. Ireland's answer is the Brian Boru jacket, named after the High King of Ireland who died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. It's similar to a Prince Charlie in spirit, but it usually has harp or shamrock buttons and its own collar and trim. You'll often see it worn with a matching waistcoat at Irish weddings.

Hats

The Scottish piper wears a Glengarry or a Balmoral bonnet. The traditional Irish piper's hat is the caubeen, a soft, wide bonnet a bit like an oversized beret. The word comes from the Irish for "old hat", which is about as Irish a name as a hat could have. For something more casual, a tweed flat cap from our Irish hat collection works well with a day kilt.

Kilt Pins and Badges

Scots often wear a clan crest badge on the bonnet and a pin with a thistle, sword or crest on the kilt. On an Irish kilt the pin is more likely to be a shamrock, a harp or a Celtic knot. Many Irish kilts are worn with no clan symbols at all, since there's no clan system behind them. You'll find both styles in our kilt pin collection.

Sporrans, Hose and Shoes

These are much the same. Both outfits use a sporran, kilt hose with flashes, and ghillie brogues. Irish outfits sometimes lean towards green hose and green or saffron flashes, and Irish pipers have traditionally worn a cloak called a brat over one shoulder, held with a large brooch.

Who Wears Which, and When

In Scotland the kilt is everywhere at big moments. Weddings, Burns Night, graduations, the rugby, Highland games. Plenty of Scots also wear one casually. It's a normal, living part of how people dress.

In Ireland it's more specialised. The saffron kilt is mostly seen on pipers, in pipe bands, and on Irish dancers (although dancers' costumes have moved a long way from kilts). Irish tartan kilts are popular at weddings, especially among the Irish diaspora in America, Canada and Australia, and you'll see them out in force on St Patrick's Day. Day to day, most people in Ireland don't wear kilts at all.

Can You Wear an Irish Kilt in Scotland (or the Other Way Round)?

Yes. Nobody checks your passport at the door. A Scot can wear a saffron kilt, and someone with Irish roots can wear a Scottish clan tartan, especially if there's a family connection. Kilts have always travelled, and there are strong historical links between Ulster and the west of Scotland in particular.

The only time it really matters is when you're wearing something that represents a group, like a regimental or pipe band uniform. Then you follow that group's rules. For a wedding, a party or a night out, wear what you like and what means something to you.

Which One Should You Choose?

Here's how we'd think about it.

• You have Scottish family or a clan name: go for your clan tartan in a tartan kilt. It's the most traditional choice and it tells a story.
• You have Irish roots and want something clearly Irish: a saffron or green kilt is the classic Irish look, and it stands out in a good way.
• You're Irish but want tartan: pick your county tartan or the Irish National tartan. It's a modern tradition, but a well-liked one.
• You've got both: plenty of people wear a Scottish tartan kilt with Irish touches, like a shamrock pin or a Brian Boru jacket. Mixing is completely fine.
• It's for a wedding party: agree on one style for the group first. A row of matching saffron kilts or matching tartans looks great in photos.

Whichever way you go, the fit matters far more than the label. Have a look at our Irish kilts or browse the full kilt collection, and when it arrives, our guide on how to wear a kilt will get you dressed properly.

Irish vs Scottish Kilt FAQs

Are Irish kilts and Scottish kilts the same?

They're made the same way, but they usually look different. Scottish kilts are tartan, while the traditional Irish kilt is a solid colour like saffron or green.

What colour is a traditional Irish kilt?

Saffron, a deep mustard yellow, is the best known. Solid green is the other traditional colour.

Is the kilt Irish or Scottish?

The kilt as we know it is Scottish. Ireland adopted its own version in the early 1900s, mainly through pipe bands.

Do Irish tartans exist?

Yes, but they're recent. Most Irish county tartans were designed in the 1990s, and Ireland never had a clan tartan system.

How do I choose an Irish tartan?

Most people choose by county, usually where their family comes from. The Irish National tartan is a good choice if you don't know the county.

What jacket goes with an Irish kilt?

The Brian Boru jacket is the traditional formal choice. For daytime, a tweed jacket or an Argyll-style jacket works well.

What hat do Irish pipers wear?

The traditional Irish piper's hat is the caubeen, a soft, wide bonnet. Some Irish bands wear a Glengarry instead.

Can a non-Irish person wear a saffron kilt?

Yes. There's no rule against it, unless you're joining a band or regiment with its own uniform.

Is an Irish kilt cheaper than a Scottish kilt?

Not usually. The price depends on the cloth, the yardage and how it's sewn, not on whether it's Irish or Scottish.

Can I wear an Irish kilt to a wedding?

Absolutely. Saffron and Irish tartan kilts are both popular at weddings, often with a Brian Boru jacket for the groom and best man.