Cladich kilt garter flashes and their journey to the 21st Century
Cladich kilt garter flashes and their journey to the 21st Century - There had been a community of McIntyres living at Cladich on Loch Awe and weaving the distinctive garter flashes. The garters were woven on a special hand loom called a gartane leem. This was used for weaving narrow strips of fabric mainly in red and white and much admired by pipers who often won them as prizes.The original Cladich garters were about a metre long and ended in a special knot called the Sniomh Gartain ( pronounced: snaime garshtan ) - The McIntyres wove the garters at Cladich for several hundred years, but the last weaver died in the 19th century.
Cladich kilt garter flashes and their journey to the 21st Century
Today the village of Cladich on Loch Awe has all but disappeared and is now just a series of small farms and crofts on the eastern bank of the loch.In the 1950's John McIntyre revived the tradition to weave Cladich garter flashes. John McIntyre wove his Cladich garters on the Inkle Loom he had specially made to the old original specifications. Behind him you can see his wifes large loom on which she wove superb tweed. John McIntyre did a lot of research to ensure the loom and the wool confirmed as exactly as possible to the originals. He would tell of the old Highland Gaelic saying which went (in English) “No Highland chief is worthy of the name whose garters are not from the McIntyres of Cladich.” During his time weaving on Loch Awe he gifted a set of his Cladich garters to Queen Elizabeth II that should be still in the royal collection. A few of his garters still exist today and we are very thankful to his son Archie McIntyre still wears a set of his father hand woven Cladich garters, as Gentleman Piper to the Chief of Macdonald of Clanranald and to the High Council of Clan Donald Chiefs.In the mid 19th century Queen Victoria's ghillie John Brown and other members of staff wore a pairs of fine top pleated Cladich garters as did her piper William Ross.
The regimental pipers of the Scots Guards started to wear a similar pattern flash that was attached to a garter and The Seaforth Highlanders the green version.This tradition continues today with the Scots Guards pipers wearing a traditional red version and The Highlanders ( 4 Scots ) pipers wearing a green version.
With tanks to Archie McIntyre for the extra photos and information on his father's work weaving garters on Loch Awe.
