Our trip to Scotland

by F Madison Barrett
(Augusta, GA USA)

Campbell of Argyle Tartan

Campbell of Argyle Tartan

The Campbell tartan is one of Scotland's more famous tartans, some would say infamous, due to the clan's slaughter of the MacDonalds at the massacre of Glencoe.

Here is the account of one visitor to the website, and the reaction he received while wearing the Campbell tartan.

My wife and I traveled to Ireland and then to Scotland in May 2011.

My daughter went to school in London four years ago, and I asked if she ever went to Scotland to please get me a kilt.

Well she purchased a foreign imported kilt in Edinburgh for $60.00, and neither she nor I had any idea which tartan it was.

I asked Matt Newsome from the tartan museum in N.C. and he said he thought it was Campbell of Argyle.

Anyway back to our trip.

We came upon a town in the Scottish Highlands called Glencoe, and learned about the massacre of the McDonalds at the hands of the Campbells.

I didn't think anything of it, and a couple days later we arrived in Newtonmore, where my wife said, why don't you wear your kilt to Scottish Highland night at the hotel we were staying.

I put on my kilt and sporran and my balmoral hat and walked into the bar and ordered a Jack Daniel and coke.

The bartender looked appalled when he set eyes on me and said that I must have big "balls" for wearing my Campbell kilt here.

I explained to him where and when the kilt was purchased, and let him know that my ancestors were Maxwells from the Dumfries area, and they were a whole lot more "bad asses" than the Campbells ever thought of being.

This seem to appease the bartender and all was OK for the remainder of our time in Newtonmore.

I had the good fortune of purchasing a Maxwell kilt from Hector Russell on Princes St in Edinburgh, and no longer have to apologize for my kilt.

Sincerely F. Madison Barrett II

Thank you very much for your contribution to the website, and I hope that now you have your Maxwell kilt, you will also continue wearing your Campbell tartan also.

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