Kilt Accessories

The Sgian Dubh (pronounced [ski?n dy?], or lightly diphthongised [ski?n dy?] "skee(a)n doo") is a ceremonial dagger (Gaelic sgian) worn as part of the modern Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. It is worn tucked into the hose with only the pommel visible.

The name comes from the Gaelic meaning "black knife", where "black" may refer to the usual colour of the handle of the knife. It is also suggested that "black" means secret, or hidden, as in the word blackmail. This is based on the stories and theories surrounding the knife's origin and the meaning of "Dubh" in Gaelic.

Dirk is a Scots word for a long dagger; sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt, rather than a knife blade. The word dirk could have possibly derived from the Gaelic word sgian dearg (red knife). It may also have been a corruption of the Low German terms Dulk or Dolk. The shift from dearg [????r?g] to dirk [d?rk] is very minimal.

In Bronze Age and Iron Age Scotland and Ireland, the dirk was actually considered to be a sword. Its blade length and style varied, but it was generally 7-14 inches. However, the blades of Irish versions often were as much as 21 inches in length.

The kilt pin is a piece of jewellery that is usually worn on the lower corner of the outer apron of a kilt. Its function is to prevent the apron falling or blowing open, by securing the outer apron to the inner apron, but sometimes it is non-functional and purely decorative.

Most kilt pins could have family clan symbols of animals and plants, while the Irish have the Irish Harp and the shamrock. The Welsh have a kilt pin also, except theirs is the red dragon of Wales.