Wearing the Tartan of a Rival Clan? How to kilt up if your ancestors hated each other

Here's the story....
"My main clan connection is to Maclaren. But I also found out I am related to the MacGregors and I have a desire to wear their tartans. On one side, the MacGregors are part of me and I have no bad feeling towards the MacGregors. On the other side, Clan MacLaren and Clan MacGregor were traditional enemies / rivals for things that were done hundreds of years ago. Should I feel uncomfortable wanting to own & wear kilts from a RIVAL clan?"
The lads discuss the etiquette of tartan wearing and when to nod to history and when to let it go.
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[@Tony_milne]

I'm a Scot with MacDonald (mother) and Gordon (father) clan links and I've been asked not to wear MacDonald tartan to my sisters wedding as she's marrying a Campbell just in case any "debates" happen 😂

[@fortheloveofpipes8432]

I am both a MacDonald and a Campbell. I fight with myself a lot.

[@crosisofborg5524]

My best friend growing up had a parent, his mother, who was a Hatfield. When she was in college they thought it would be funny to room her in the dormitory with a McCoy. It was a point of humor on the campus but not a real issue.

[@kiltedpatriotatheart]

I have a friend related to both the Hatfields and the McCoys

[@roymartin8507]

I have a long standing friend who is a Gordon. As I am a Cameron & technically we are clan enemies, we are constantly (good naturedly) sniping at each other - this has been going on for about 40 years 😉

[@bucktaylor6522]

Yea I got yelled at for wearing cameron tartan and not taylor. Taylor tartan was not around till 1900s and they were part of cameron way back then

[@relicpathfinder2800]

Per the History channel, several years ago. There is only ONE clan rivalry still going on till this day. It's not about fighting, it's about the financial one up-manship. Campbell's and McDonald's. Campbell Soup and McDonald's Restaurant.

[@CommissarMoody1]

Nah, that stuff happened well over 200 years ago. No one alive today was involved and nether were their grandparents. Just Enjoy the history and be respectful.

[@straycat1674]

Most people are not going to know better or care.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I have 4 clans in my ancestry being from Virginian Highlands. I wear them often.

[@johnbrandon5493]

We had a feud in my town back in the 1800s between the Horrell and Higgins families and it's part of the town's history. There was one Horrell survivor and his descendants

[@alexanderfrostmourne2140]

That sing song at the end was beautiful. Here in Australia some of us scots still fight each other over this stuff. Last week had a punching with a Campbell unfortunately. He started it I swear. Bought him a drink to cool his nerves after :)

[@-ChampionOfDeath-]

love what you guys do, i enjoy the Scottish history as well

[@kiltedpatriotatheart]

That's me. Obsessed about the history. I know I comment about that a lot. But as for me, being a MacLachlan, I make it a point never to get Lamont tartan or Campbell tartan, those being my clan rivals. Lamont was only a rival, but the Campbells had a big part in helping the English in the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion (and in the '15, if I remember correctly), so wearing Campbell tartan (or the modern version, Black Watch), generally, I would avoid at all costs. I would also not want to be mistaken for a fellow clansman at a Highland Games or in public in general. This is why I only wear my clan tartan. As Rocky put it, I would not want to be mistaken for something I'm not. (Yes, I know I'm only repeating a lot of information from the video.) (Sorry for the ramble, world.........)

[@patgarrett3746]

Wear the MacGregor tartan and be proud of your heritage!

[@davidcunningham00]

I hope yall comment on this post, I was born a Henderson, father was a Henderson, mother was a Campbell, both of them gave me up for adoption at the age of 3, mother passed on before I knew I was adopted, adopted dad is a Cunningham. I'm kinda torn to what to wear. Yes. I'm a Texan. So we are different down here

[@toddwebb7521]

Henderson may be your father but he ain't your daddy

[@clintconley7785]

I'm a Henderson The pipers and bodyguards to the McDonald's of Glencoe and I'm also a Campbell

[@clintconley7785]

I also have both kilts

[@alistairbain6149]

Not entirely. MacDonalds have long memories and still remember Glencoe and the Campbells. Likewise, the husband of my grandmother's home help, who is a Campbell, assured me in 1984, that "there were Campbells on the Prince's side, you know ... " MacDonalds and Campbells might not engage in fist fights in the street (or pub) but a level of distrust remains. What the Campbells did at Glencoe WAS an important transgression that offended against something almost sacrosanct.

[@fortheloveofpipes8432]

Did you know that the regiment in Glencoe was not a Campbell regiment?

[@sethdeardeuff3947]

My family are MacDonalds and MacLeans. I was "adopted" by a Scottish woman who is Black Watch, which includes the Campbells. I love my mhathair, but I don't wear her tartan.

[@harveygalloway3965]

I have several friends who are Mac Gregors, McGregors, and Gregorys...... :) By the way, my great grandmother was a McCoy..... LOL

[@trulencates8399]

I have clan Gunn and Keith ties, have a Gunn, planning on getting a Keith down the road.

[@davebenson1294]

Unless they come back to life, don’t worry about it.

[@capheind]

If we were required to fight everyone listed in the Clan Rivals section of our wikipedia page, then being from a border clan would be a full-time job.

[@drelouksaudiomultiartizt-t5638]

I have a few that are iffy too like Brown watch I'm like idk lol

[@marthdaeglin]

I'm not going to take a poll, but I expect there are descendants of MacLaren and MacGregor in Scotland who are good friends. Feuds and rivalries are tradition and sometimes there's a temptation to revive them in the name of clinging to your roots, but if the clans have moved on shouldn't we as well? Getting riled up isn't going to defend your clan's lands from the rival clan, nor take their lands for your clan, so why bother?

[@christophergilbert4338]

What tartans is eric wearing?

[@karlr750]

How often would this possibly come up? I wouldn't recognize a MacLaren tartan if I saw someone wearing it. Of the variations of MacGregor tartans, the only one I would recognize is the "Rob Roy" MacGregor tartan. Moreover, I hadn't heard of the MacLaren / MacGregor rivalry until this specific question arose. In my experience, people won't know what tartan I'm wearing unless I tell them. If I was in this guy's shoes, I just wouldn't bring it up, so nobody would know.

[@b.t.1632]

I am a MacLaren and wear that tartan a lot. I also have a MacGregor kilt that I love. Literally no one has ever approached me saying, "Hey Brian, you're a MacLaren. Why are you wearing that MacGregor? Because ya know...history and rivalry and reasons..." It's not a thing. I think when American dive into their ancestry, they tend to want to make it a thing. But it's not.

[@-ChampionOfDeath-]

5:10 except fact we moved on from that~ (speaking of tribalism and clan warfare as humans) In NYC California Detroit all these places have gang warfare to be honest I just think the gang warfare stuff to be like clan warfare just in modern day they have different colors symbols and territory's that make them them even a way of dancing such as Crip walking.

[@grioghairmacgrioghair5311]

not a real problem ,the only tartan i would not wear would be that of clan campbell my gtartan is griogarach of glen gyle tho i prefer the ancient hunting slainte mhore

[@AggroPhene]

Clans had politics, but i think it is in Scottish heritage to keep politics in that realm, until one needs to defend against an immanent threat.

[@brucedull6058]

Excuse me Gentlemen, I am with the Kilt Police. Some of the things you brushed off are very serious infractions and could result in either having your birthday taken away or maybe even putting you on a ship and sending you to Australia. I am sure my counter parts in Scotland would be more strict and possibly put you in the Tower. (LOL)

[@b.t.1632]

Ancestry is cool. However, what happened on a different continent 200 years before you were born does not define who you are today. Yes, it may have had an impact on where you were born, but it's notthe basis for your personality, at least it shouldn't be. The Scots are far less concerned about these things than American of Scottish ancestry seem to be. Wear what you like.