Belted plaid
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | féileadh-mór | |
| Pronunciation: | [feːləɣˈmoːɾ] | |
| Scots Gaelic: | breacan an fhéilidh | |
| Pronunciation: | [pɾʲɛxkan ə ɲeːlɪ] | |
The belted plaid (or a plaid worn belted) is a large blanket-like piece of fabric which is wrapped around the body with the material pleated or, more accurately, loosely gathered and secured at the waist by means of a belt. Typically, a portion of the belted plaid hangs down to about the knees (for men) or ankles (for women) with the rest of the material being wrapped up around the upper body in a variety of ways and pinned or otherwise secured to keep it in place.
The belted plaid was a standard item of men's Highland dress from the late 16th century until the middle of the 18th century. It was also the precursor of the modern tailored kilt.
The belted plaid has been and is often referred to by a variety of different terms, including féileadh-mór, breacan an fhéilidh, and, very commonly, the Great Kilt.
The term "Great Kilt" can be misleading since this garment was untailored, and modern era kilts are tailored. The garment was most definitely not known by this name during the years of its usage.
Both the terms féileadh-mór and breacan an fhéilidh are Gaelic terms, the former meaning roughly "large wrap" and the latter roughly meaning "tartan wrap".
The word plaide in Gaelic roughly means blanket, and that was the original term for the garment in question.
The belted plaid consisted of a piece of tartan fabric approximately 4 or 5 yards in length and about 50 to 60 inches wide. Since the weaving looms in those years wove fabric in 25–30 inch widths, the actual item was generally constructed from 8 to 10 yards of such single-width fabric by stitching two 25–30 inch pieces together to get the 50–60 inch width.
It was typically worn as a kind of mantle or cloak cast about the shoulders. In the latter part of the 16th Century, some in the Highlands of Scotland began putting a belt around their waist on the outside of the plaid, after first pleating or gathering the fabric.
The first clear reference to the belted plaid occurs in the year 1594. In that year, a group of Highlanders from the Western Isles went to Ireland to fight under Red Hugh O'Donnell. Writing about them, Lughaidh noted how they could be distinguished from the Irish soldiers:
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