Today the term "Celt" generally applies to the many peoples with traditions as diverse as those to be
found in Cornwall, Isle of Man, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. Their origins belong to the
prehistoric past; they may have descended from the Cimmerians, a little-known people from the north of
the Caucasus who swept across Europe. By 500 B.C., Celts were a recognizable people in Central Europe.
They flourished during the European Iron Age only to be eclipsed by Roman civilization. After the fall
of the Roman Empire, they enjoyed a cultural renaissance that has left a rich legacy to the modern
world. From their lavish and intricate art; music; and lyrical, mystical literature; to their cruel pagan
religious customs, the Celts were and always have been a paradox.
The term "Celt" is an umbrella term, under which the Gaelic people also reside. As a lad growing up in
England, we were taught that the "true Celts" were the Welsh, Cornish, Manx (Isle of Man dwellers) and
Bretons. These were the ancient Britons who (apart from the Bretons) fled westward from the invading
Romans and settled in Cornwall and Wales, and were never subdued by Rome. They kept their Celtic
language, art and culture alive, at least until the English influence eventually overpowered it. The Gaels
were Irish Celts who were never greatly influenced by the classical civilization of Rome, and kept a
dynamic Celtic culture. It's said the truest form of the Celtic language is Irish Gaelic or Erse. Ireland
and the Irish culture are enjoying a renaissance of their own with Erse still being spoken in Western
Ireland, and Irish music and dancing becoming popular world wide with wonderful entertainment such as
"Riverdance," old guard bands such as "The Chieftains," and Ueillin pipers like Finbar Furey. The Irish
are also the brewers of Guinness which is reputed to be Gaelic for Genius (looks similar, doesn't it!!).
The last group of Gaelic Celts are the Scots (of whom I'm one), and are descendants of a band of 150
Irish Celts led by a chappie called Fergus, who settled in what is now Argyleshire. They called their
kingdom Dalriada, and in order to establish themselves went to war with the local inhabitants, the Picts
(one of history's mystery peoples). It was no mistake that they were called Scots; the word means
"bandit," and after a long but fruitful war they were eventually victorious against the Picts. By the
ninth century, under the leadership of King Kenneth MacAlpin, Scot and Pict had united through
intermarriage and had developed their own version of Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, which was eventually spoken
all across Scotland, except in the Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles. The Scots also improved and
refined a form of Irish bagpipe to what is known today as the Great Highland Pipe, and developed the
true pipe music, Piobrochaid. (It's said they developed the pipes and the game of golf to confound the
English, and then invented whiskey to placate them!) However, following the 1745 Rebellion, which was
crushed by the English under the Duke of Cumberland, any and all things Scottish were proscribed. This
included speaking Gaelic, wearing the traditional highland garb, and playing the great highland pipe as an
instrument of war. (Some still think it should be outlawed, but they're just Sassenachs.) Thanks to Good
Queen Victoria who loved Scotland and all things Scottish, there has been a renaissance of the Scottish
culture, especially of its music and literature.
So as you can see, the founders of the Shasta Celtic Society, Marcia Greene and Donne Strong, got the
name right, because the term "Celt" covers a diverse, dynamic and always interesting culture. Hopefully
the society can promote a greater interest in things Celtic here in Northern California.
