News

Miss Scotland is planning to wear a kilt for the Miss World 2010 competition which takes place in China. Miss World 2010 is the 60th Miss World competition and takes place on October 30, 2010. A mini kilt is a great choice, fashionable and youthful as well as a great way to promote Scottish traditions. Take a look at our selection of mini-kilts, hostess style kilts and full length kilts here

The Broons family who feature in DC Thomson's comic strip will soon have what every Scottish family need - their very own family tartan! DC Thomson are in the process of registering and producing a Broons family tartan to be included in licensing and promotional material.

Scotland's Euro 2012 qualifier against the Czech Republic tonight. Let's hope Scotland can maintain their place at the top of their European Championship qualifying group. Gordon Mackie, who makes his Scotland debut tonight. Good luck!

Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs performing at a Diddy-Dirty concert in Glasgow this week

We are very excited that the Commonwealth Games will be going ahead and wish Scotland's 192 athletes the best of luck! The Scotland Kilt Company is proud to be providing sporrans for the team to show traditional Scottish dress to all the spectators at home and abroad - Go Scotland! Let's hope the accommodation and stadium will be ready on time!

Last Thursday, September 16th, was a historic day for Scotland when the Pope visited Edinburgh and Glasgow - the first papal visit to Scotland in 28 years. 82 year old Pope Benedict XVI was warmly welcomed by over 200,000 Scots. While travelling to Holyrood Palace in the popemobile and during his meeting with Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, Alex Salmond, First Minister and Rowan Williams the Archbishop of Canterbury, the pope wore a tartan scarf - in the official St Ninian's Day papal tartan - gifted to him by the Head of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Also at the meeting was Ian Gray, the Scottish Labour leader, who wore a blue and green tartan tie which had been designed to celebrate the Pontiff's visit. The visit was a great opportunity to show case the best Scottish traditions - with the Pontiff enjoying traditional fare of haggis, neeps and tatties at the Cardinal's house, receiving a Guard of Honour from kilted solders of the Royal Scottish Borderers, the Black Watch and 52 Lowland Regiment, and hearing music from the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band.

From weddings to Eisteddfodau the welsh festival of poets and musicians, Welsh patriots are wearing the Celtic cilt with pride. The Welsh National tartan was designed by D.M. Richards in 1967 to demonstrate Wales' connection with the greater Celtic world. Its colours (green, red, and white) are the colours of the Welsh national flag. The St David's Tartan or brithwe Dewi Sant is one of the most popular tartans in Wales. Welsh fans of celtic dress can also choose from the following individual family tartans: Davies, Edward's, Ellis, Evans, Eynon, Griffiths, Gwyn, Harry, Hopkins, Howell, Hughes, James, Jones, Jenkins, Lewis, Llewellyn, lliyd, Madoc, Meredith, Morgan, Morris, Owen, Phillips, Pope, Protheroe, Rees, Rice, Richard, Roberts, Rosser, Thomas, Vaughan, Watkins and Williams. In command with Scottish and Irish kilts the Welsh cilt is based on the large piece of cloth worn by rural folk in medieval times and later. The material was secured round the waist with a thick belt and secured over the shoulders with a penannular brooch common to all Celtic peoples. Although not considered a traditional component of Welsh national dress, the kilt or cilt as it is know in Welsh has become recently popular in the Celtic nations as a sign of Celtic identity. Other celtic nations that have embraced the kilt are Cornwall, the Isle of Man, the Tras-os-Montes region in the North of Portugal, and Galicia in Spain. The Welsh

Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart Charles Edward, also know as The Young Pretender, and Bonnie Prince Charlie was claimant to the British throne and led the Scottish Highland army in the 1945 uprising. He was the son of James Francis Edward Stuart and grandson of James II of England, born in 1744, after his father had obtained the support of the French government invade England, Bonnie Prince Charlie went to France to assume command of the French expeditionary forces. Unfavorable weather and the mobilization of the British fleet led to cancellation of the plan by the French government. Charles raised a large enough force to enable him to march on the city of Edinburgh, which quickly surrendered. In September 1745 he defeated the only government army in Scotland at the Battle of Prestonpans. Having taken Carlisle, Charles' army progressed to Derby. Here, despite his objections the decision was taken by his council to return to Scotland, due to the lack of the support from English Jacobites. By now he was pursued by the King George II's son, who caught up with him at the Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746. At Culloden his forces were utterly routed . He was hunted as a fugitive for more than five months, but the Highlanders never betrayed him, escaped to France in September 1746. In 1748 he was expelled from France in accordance with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) George II George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 11 June 1727 until his death. He also served as Duke of Brunswick-L

The French island of Ouessant is looking for a Scottish island to twin with, ideally one that has it's own tartan and a distillery! Ouessant had it's own tartan registered a few weeks ago, and this move will help to strengthen ties between the French and Scottish Island communities MSP Rob and Jean-Yves Cozan, Regional Councillor for Ouessant The idea of Island linking has received a warm welcome from Rob Gibson Scottish MSP for the Highlands and Islands "Then I thought, maybe one of our northern isles could be a first by adopting a Norse tartan! Just as Ouessant is the first Breton Isle to create a tartan. Both Orkney and Shetland already have a distilleries, why not a tartan of their own?" the MSP will be contacting Scottish councils on the look out for the perfect Scottish partner.

The island of Quissant situated 20 miles off the coast of Brittany has created it's own tartan, registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans. The tartan design includes black and white stripes, in reference to the Bretton flag, blue and green colours in reference to ancient celtic druids, as well as red and yellow taken from the Island's crest. "A few of us wear kilt on Ouessant to cock a snook at outsiders as a joke. So, after a trip to Scotland, we thought 'Why not design a tartan in our islnd's colours?" Serge Cariou the tartan's designer. The tartan will be know as 'Eusa' taken from the Breton name of Ouessant 'Enez Eusa'. The tartan becomes the 12th Breton tartan registered. The other breton tartans are: Brittany National, Brittany Walkin and nine county tartans Kerne, Leon, Tregor, Gwened, Dol, St. Malo, Rennes, Nantes, St. Brieuc. "this tartan is not a gimmick, it's an act of cultural identity to assert that we have roots" said Jean -Yves Cozan a regional councillor of Ouessant.