Thank you for your welcome to my joining Americymru. I have recently retired from working for Wales Tartan Centres in Swansea, albeit still acting as a consultant, to the company.After reading various blogs on this site and elsewhere I am very happy to have the opportunity to put forward my feelings about whether the Welsh should have family named tartan and wear kilts. The controversy over this has been going on since the Welsh decided that, as they were Celts, they too would like to have their own family named tartan and yes.wear kilts!Tartan has been produced for over four thousand years in China, in Europe, across the Atlantic..just about everywhere. It would be hard to believe it was the idea of our Celtic cousins in the North.In many parts of the world where Celts dominate, the wearing of tartan and kilts is acceptable and has been for hundreds of years. In Spain there is evidence that the King of Galicia (Galaecia) and his soldiers wore tartan garments that can only be described as kilts (knee length) in the 3rd century BC. Kilts are worn in Brittany (Breton), Cornwall and once again in Galicia. Evidence supports that kilts made of tartan have been worn all over Europe far longer than some are prepared to admit. In reality the fashion came back to Scotland..what goes around, comes around.I am happy for others input and all publicity is good, furthering the great news that the Welsh have there own family tartan and wear kilts. Incidentally all authentic Welsh tartan should be woven in Wales and this is the case of Wales Tartan Centres. Other tartan is produced elsewhere purporting to be Welsh, but it is hard to understand or merit. Sadly, for commercial reasons, not all Scottish tartan is woven in Scotland, but imported.Finally the argument that Welsh Tartan was motivated by commercial decisions is simply not the case. The demand came from across the world for family named tartan and no more so than from the United States of America. With forty nine names accounting for over ninety five percent of Welsh named people, due to the patronymic naming in Welsh recent history, who could deny those who wanted this?Please visit the the Welsh Tartan Gallery and see a few of those the company has made happy and proud to be Welsh wearing their tartan regalia!Websites:Welsh Tartan Centres Welsh Tartan Gallery