Why Black and White?
Written by Nicki Sack-Elliott, TCRG

Some of you may have seen both team and solo Irish dance dresses with bright and even neon colors of interweaving Celtic knot work. Most dresses are donned with sparkly and/or sequenced sleeves. If you have ever attended a feis (Irish dance competition) it would seem that each dancer is trying to out shine the other with a flashier dress! Although this is the current trend in Irish dress design, Sean Culkin decided to go against the norm and create a simple more traditional dress. There are no sparkles or neon colors on this dress-only black and white! Check out why….

Each county within Ireland has its own crest (or emblem), which symbolizes the history and tradition of that county. Each county uses different colors in their crest-keep in mind that each county chooses their own color scheme, I mean what fun would it be if all of the counties had the same colors? The cool thing is that the county sports teams (Hurling and Gaelic football) use these same colors for their uniforms! This makes it easier to identify the county teams.

Sean Culkin’s family comes from County Sligo or Sligeach, which is the Gaelic or Irish spelling. Sligo is on the northwest coast of Ireland and its crest is predominately black and white (check out the picture to the right), which is why the Culkin school dresses are black and white.

How did County Sligo pick black and white for its colors? In the mid-13th century, the Dominican Order established an abbey in the town of Sligo. The Dominican Order is an order of catholic priests whose vestment colors are black and white. This abbey is in the center of Sligo Town and is known locally as just “the Abbey”. This site contains a wealth of carvings and the only surviving 15th century sculptured altar of any monastic church (a church inhabited by monks) in Ireland.