Published: Sep 16, 2007
By: Jeff Meade
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| What is worn under the kilt? A lady never asks and a gentleman never tells. |
I remember the first time I put on the kilt.
I was heading off to play drums in my first parade with the Irish Thunder pipe band. About a week before the parade, my friend and drum sergeant Pat McMichael had showed me how to put the thing on. He had helpfully suggested that I wear a pair of shorts underneath. (Some guys wear —gasp!—nothing.)
So now here I was, leaving my house in broad daylight, wearing a skirt and feeling really vulnerable. I mean, I have great legs and all, but a kilt by any other name is a skirt.
I got in my car and started out for Conshy or Coatesville or wherever the parade was, and about halfway there I realized: I needed gas.
Moment of truth: Get out of the car and use the self-serve pump, or wuss out and pull over to the full-serve?
I wussed.
I stopped caring a long time ago. Usually, people are just interested and curious about the outfit—a complicated, multipart get-up that can easily cost in the neighborhood of $1,500. (And that does not include the pipes or drums.)
Chances are, you've seen the outfit many times. If not, you'll have plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks, especially in North Wildwood at the Cape May County AOH Irish Fall Festival Sept. 20 through 23 and, a week later, at the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem.
In the interest of Promoting Piping Public Awareness, we will present a few informative little posts over the next week, all designed to help you learn to tell the difference between a hackle and a sporran (and many other such wonders of the piper uniform).
Here goes:
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| Irish Thunder wears a solid maroon kilt. |
Kilt. OK, I know I called it a skirt. I can do that. You can't. Call it a skirt, and most pipers will take umbrage. (And then they might show you whether they are one of my bare-assed brethren. It won't be pretty, I promise you.)
A traditional kilt consists of eight or nine yards of heavy (10- or 13-ounce) wool. So-called "casual" kilts use less fabric—six yards, perhaps.
A good kilt runs about $500 bucks. A lot of them, not surprisingly, are hand-made by sweet little grannies in Scotland. You can also buy kilts locally from USA Kilts in Phoenixville http://www.usakilts.com/index.php.
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| Broome County Celtic pipers (and drummers!) wear a tartan. BC is a frequent visitor to Wildwood. |
Most kilts are tartans—plaid patterns, in other words—but some are solid colors. A lot of Irish bands wear solids —Irish Thunder, for example, wears a maroon kilt, and the Philadelphia Emerald Society Pipe Band wears the traditional Irish saffron. But many Irish bands do wear tartans, even bands that usually wear solid colors —including Emerald, which wears the McNeil of Barra tartan in pipe band competitions.
People usually wonder whether the choice of tartan means anything. Sometimes yes, but often no. The Cameron Highlanders Pipe Band of Lafayette Hill wears a Cameron tartan (believe it or not, tartans are registered), and you would expect that, but other bands wear tartans that bear no significance at all.
You can buy a kilt off the rack, so to speak, but most kilts worn by pipers in local bands are made to measure. The top of the kilt should cut across the waist at roughly the level of the belly button. Length is also an issue. The bottom hem should cut across the midpoint of the knee. A lot of pipers kneel for this measurement. The right length, in that position, is usually from the belly button to the floor.
The flat bit goes in the front; the pleated part goes in the back. There usually are three leather buckles on the kilt to help you keep it from falling down around your ankles. (Good thing.)
Kilt Pin. You'll see a lot of pipers with a cute little brooch along the bottom hem of the kilt. It hangs off the outer flap of the kilt. It's mostly decorative, though the little bit of weight might keep the hem of your kilt from flying up and giving your audience an unexpected view of your unders.
Bands often all wear the same pin. In a few bands, though, it's your own choice what kind of pin to wear—shamrock, harp, thistle, Rampant Lion, sword, Celtic knotwork, Clan crest, or whatever. There may or may not be any symbolic significance to the pin. (Usually, not.)
Belt. Pipers typically wear a wide leather belt with a fancy buckle to help them keep their kilts firmly affixed about their waists. The buckle is decorative as well.
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| Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipe Band, with horsehair sporrans. |
Sporran. It's a leather pouch that hangs from a strap or chain (and sometimes a combination of the two) about the waist. Pipers wear theirs in the front; drummers traditionally wear theirs off to the side to keep it from banging up against the drum. You may have noticed: kilts ain't got no pockets. You need someplace to stow your wallet, keys and hip flask. The sporran is that place. I refer to mine as my "man purse."
Some sporrans are plain black leather pouches, perhaps with metal studs or leather knots. Others are big, fussy horsehair affairs. The plain black leather types are what is known as "day" sporrans, for everyday wear.
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| Emerald pipers, wearing plain black leather sporrans. |
There are "dress" sporrans, too, which might have a bit more ornamentation and can be made of fur. These are to be worn on formal occasions.
The horsehair variety is often worn by bands that choose to present more of a military or regimental appearance.
Bands choose one look or another. (Sometimes, they mix them up, which really gets the purists ticked off.) But regardless of the look, a sporran is still just a purse.
