By permission from Philip D. Smith, Jr. We are presenting several of his writing that were taken from his book Tartan For Me!-7th Edition and were handouts given to us during his classes. Attending his classes was a true education for us. If you should have an opportunity to attend any of his classes, you will get a true picture of Scottish Heritage.

Scots, Irish or Scotch-Irish?

"Scotch-Irish" is a term used by many in North America with the mistaken belief
that they are descendants of blends of some Scots and some Irish. In most cases this
is not so. Although the term "Scotch-Irish" can be traced to 1744, it was not widely used until the middle of the nineteenth century...
Read on...

Tartan Colour

First time buyers are often misled by the term "ancient" as applied to tartan, assuming
that it somehow designates an older, more authentic, version of the tartan. To the
contrary, "Ancient" is actually more "modern" than "Modern". Ancient" does not refer to the age of a tartan but rather to the shades of colour used in the weaving...
Read on...

The Term "SEPT"

"Sept" is a term borrowed from Irish culture in the nineteenth century to explain the
use of a variety of surnames by members of a single clan. In Ireland, "sept" is roughly synonymous with the Scottish "clan" ...
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Mac or Mc?
Mac, Gaelic for "son", is the most common element of Scottish and Irish surnames. In
both countries, Mc is always an abbreviation of Mac. There is absolutely no truth to the American myth that Mac is Scottish and Mc is Irish...
Read on...