Celtic nations

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The Six Nations considered the heartland of the modern Celts
The Six Nations considered the heartland of the modern Celts

Celtic nations are areas of modern Europe inhabited by members of Celtic cultures, specifically speakers of Celtic languages. Since the mid-20th century, people of many nations and regions have used modern 'Celticity' to express their identity. Over time, these nations and regions have come to be widely labelled as Celtic. These areas of Europe are sometimes referred to as the "Celt belt" or "Celtic fringe" because of their location generally on the north-western edges of the continent, and of the nations they inhabit (e.g. Brittany is in the northwest of France, the Gaelic-speaking parts of Ireland and Scotland are in the northwest and west, respectively). However, these terms are sometimes viewed as derogatory, so residents of these areas tend to prefer the term "Celtic nations".

Until the expansions of the Roman Republic and Germanic tribes, the British Isles and much of continental Europe was predominantly Celtic.[1] Only extreme north-western regions retained their Celtic culture and language, because these expansions were halted and had little or no influence. In Britain for example, the expansions of the Roman Empire and then the Anglo-Saxons supplanted the Celtic Britons and the Brythonic languages in most of what is modern-day England.

Contents

[edit] The 'Six Nations'

Listed from north to south:

Nation Celtic name Language People Population No. of native-competent speakers
Flag of Scotland Scotland Alba Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) Scots 5m 92,400
Ireland Éire Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) Irish 6m 355,000
Flag of the Isle of Man Isle of Man Ellan Vannin Manx Gaelic (Yn Ghaelg) Manx 70,000 59-1,700
Flag of Wales Wales Cymru Welsh (Cymraeg) Welsh 3m 750,000+
Saint Piran's Flag Cornwall Kernow Cornish (Kernewek) Cornish 500,000 3,500
Flag of Brittany Brittany Breizh Breton (Brezhoneg) Bretons 4m 500,000

It is these 'Six Nations' that (alone) are considered Celtic by the Celtic League, Celtic Congress, and various other pan-Celtic groups. Each of the six can boast a Celtic language of its own – the key criterion of Celticity for the organizations named.

Four of the 'Six Nations' (Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) contain areas where a Celtic language is still used in a community (see Gaeltacht, Gàidhealtachd, and compare also Breizh-Izel and areas by Welsh language known as Y Fro Cymraeg).[2] Generally these communities are in the west of the countries, in upland or island areas, and sometimes claim to be more Celtic than the anglicised/gallicised areas of the east, and big cities.

For certain purposes, such as the Festival Interceltique, Galicia and Asturias, Cantabria are considered three of the nine Celtic nations. It should also be remembered that Welsh and Scots Gaelic speaking minorities are still extant, respectively, in the Chubut valley region of Patagonia in Argentina, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

[edit] Other claims

The Celts in Europe, past and present:      areas where Celtic languages are widely spoken      the six most commonly recognized 'Celtic nations'      maximum Celtic expansion, by the 3rd century BC      core Hallstatt territory, by the 6th century BC
The Celts in Europe, past and present:
     areas where Celtic languages are widely spoken      the six most commonly recognized 'Celtic nations'      maximum Celtic expansion, by the 3rd century BC      core Hallstatt territory, by the 6th century BC

In general most countries of Western and Central Europe can be considered to have been influenced by the Celts. In a number of them, there are also 'Celtic' movements, wanting recognition as a Celtic Nation. None of them has a living Celtic language, unlike "the Six", and for those who base claims of Celticity around linguistics, this is a matter of controversy.

[edit] Iberian Peninsula

See also: Celtiberians, Gallaecia, and Celtici
Main language areas in Iberia circa 200BC. In blue, celtic languages
Main language areas in Iberia circa 200BC. In blue, celtic languages

In the northwestern Iberian Peninsula is an area influenced by Celtic culture. In particular this includes the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Northern Portugal, Cantabria and León.

In none of these regions has a Celtic language survived (although some place names are of Celtic origin), which means that the most common criterion for Celticity, that of having a Celtic language, does not apply.

The main basis for these regions' present-day claim to Celticity is, rather, Celtic consciousness itself, which derives from a factual long-time tradition of Celtism in these regions, due to the fact that numerous Celtic tribes settled in the Iberian Peninsula (see Celtiberians) and left their mark, culturally and genetically.[3][4] Consequently, similarities in both the cultural (music, dance, folklore) and genetic aspects can be found between the inhabitants of these areas and those of other Celtic nations.[5][6]

[edit] England

Principal sites in Roman Britain, with indication of the Celtic tribes.
Principal sites in Roman Britain, with indication of the Celtic tribes.

Celtic traditions and customs have continued in England, particularly in extremities of the south west and the north (see Devon, Lancashire and Cumbria). England lacks a Celtic language after the extinction of the Old Devonian, Cumbric and Cornish languages; during the 'Celtic' era, Great Britain was populated by a number of regional Celtic tribes, none of whom directly ended up forming the English nation, only the gene pool. In Celtic languages, it is usually referred to as "Saxon-land" (Sasana, Pow Saws, Bro-Saoz etc), and in Welsh as Lloegr (though the Welsh translation of English also refers to the Saxon route: Saesneg, with the English being referred to as "Saeson", or "Saes" in the singular). This is because the Celtic peoples of England succumbed to the invading Saxons and took on their culture and language, although spoken Cumbric survived until the 12th Century. The northern half of England forms the historic land of Hen Ogledd, Welsh for 'the Old North', and its population were known as the 'men of the north' to other Celtic peoples. Hen Ogledd, along with Wales and Cornwall, form the three Brythonic areas of modern Great Britain.

Unlike many of the above examples, there is little political motivation behind this search for a more complex identity, but a recognition that local linguistic and cultural peculiarities can be traced back to Celtic origins. Cumbria, for example, retains some Celtic influences from local sports (Cumberland wrestling) to superstitions, and traces of Cumbric are still spoken, famously by shepherds to count their sheep. Lancashire still retains Celtic culture, eg. its own wrestling system (Lancashire wrestling) and other things such as cooking Parkin cake and place names like Pendle and Cuerden. The name Lancashire derives from Lune-Castra (Lancaster), a Celtic name, and the name 'Cumbria' is derived from the same root as Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, meaning 'the land of comrades'. There is a current attempt to revive Cumbric and about 50 words of a reconstructed, hypothetical "Cumbric" exist. However, most competent scholars believe that it would be little different from an archaic dialect of Northern Welsh. The county is also home to the Rheged discovery centre profiling the Celtic history of Cumbria and surrounding areas.

English Celtic revivalism has not always been popular with its neighbours, many of whose own revivals have sought to counteract the majority culture of England within the United Kingdom. It also tends to be apolitical, in strict contrast to that of the "Six", Galicia or even Padania. Early revivalism concentrated on King Arthur, fairy and folklore and also Boudicca, whose statue stands outside the Palace of Westminster. Boudicca, who fought Roman imperialism, was looked up to by one or two Victorian English imperialists, who claimed "her new empire" was bigger than the Roman. Modern revivalism has focused more on music, mythology, rituals such as the Druids and a better understanding of Celtic festivals that have been observed in England since the Celtic period, and dialect or language.

[edit] Formerly Gaulish regions

Repartition of Gaul ca. 54 BC
Repartition of Gaul ca. 54 BC

Many of the French people themselves identify actively with the Gauls.

The French- and Arpitan-speaking Aosta Valley region in Italy also presents a casual claim of Celtic heritage and the Northern League autonomist party often exalts what it claims are the Celtic roots of Padania. Reportedly, Friuli also has an ephemeral claim to Celticity.

Walloons are sometimes characterized as "Celts", mainly opposed to "Teutonic" Flemish and "Latin" French identities; the word "Walloon" derives from a Germanic word meaning "foreign", cognate with "Welsh" and "Vlach".

[edit] Central European regions

Celtic tribes inhabited land in what is now southern Germany and Austria.[7] Many scholars have associated the earliest Celtic peoples with the Hallstatt culture.[8] Boii, Scordisci[9] and the Vindelici[10] are some of the tribes that inhabitted Central Europe, including what is now Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Poland and the Czech Republic as well as Germany and Austria. The Boii gave their name to Bohemia.[11] Celts also founded Singidunum present-day Belgrade ,leaving many words in Serbian language (over 5000). The La Tène culture also covered much of central Europe. The name of the culture is from the location in Switzerland.[12]

[edit] Outside of Europe

In other regions, people with a heritage from one of the 'Celtic Nations' also associate with the Celtic identity. In these areas, Celtic traditions and languages are significant components of local culture. These include the the Permanent North American Gaeltacht in Tamworth, Ontario, Canada which is the only Irish Gaelic gaeltacht outside of Ireland, the Chubut valley of Patagonia with Welsh speaking Argentinians (known as "Y Wladfa"), Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, with Gaelic-speaking Canadians and southeast Newfoundland with Irish-speaking Canadians. Also at one point in 1900's there were well over 12,000 Gaelic Scots from the Isle of Lewis living in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, with place names that still exist today recalling those inhabitants. Appalachia and parts of the Southern United States were also heavily settled by Celts, with much of the culture reflecting this fact.[13] In his autobiography the South Africa poet Roy Campbell recalled his youth in the Dargle Valley, near the city of Pietermaritzburg, where people spoke only Gaelic and Zulu.

In addition to these, a number of people from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the former British Empire may consider themselves to have 'Celtic nationality'.

[edit] See also

The central bank of Ireland issues an Irish commemorative coin celebrating Ireland’s influence on European Celtic culture.
The central bank of Ireland issues an Irish commemorative coin celebrating Ireland’s influence on European Celtic culture.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ian Johnston. "We're nearly all Celts under the skin", The Scotsman, 2006-9-21. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  2. ^ Visio-Map of Europe Celtic Europe.vsd
  3. ^ http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/09/09/story165780.html][http://killarney-ireland.info/genealogy/dark-irish-celt-genealogy.html
  4. ^ Special report: 'Myths of British ancestry' by Stephen Oppenheimer | Prospect Magazine October 2006 issue 127
  5. ^ Welcome to the Celtic Galicia
  6. ^ http://www.asturies.com/belenos/memoriacelta/
  7. ^ Celts - Hallstatt and La Tene cultures
  8. ^ Celtic Impressions - The Celts
  9. ^ http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/234056 - 27k
  10. ^ Vindelici
  11. ^ Boii - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  12. ^ The Early Celts
  13. ^ Appalachia

[edit] Further reading

  • National Geographic, "The Celtic Realm". March, 2006.

[edit] External links

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