Help: Celtic influences on the modern British Isles

[FaeFollower]

I am doing a research paper on the influence of Celtic culture in Britain, but I'm having some trouble finding reliable information on this topic. I have found lots regarding religion and lifestyle of the Britons (although much of it is contradictory...), but not much on their long-term impact. I'm wondering if anyone could provide me a jumping-off point on this, or some useful links/book reccommendations? I'm sure there are threads on this, but I am quite inept at searching. 8O

Thank you very much for your help!

[The Pictish Druid]

Have you read the thread about "Who inhabited Britain and Ireland before the Celts"? I presented the following links in that particular thread:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/program...sults_01.shtml
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/
http://www.ethnoancestry.com/haplo.html
http://www.halcyondays.com/dna/haplo...ssignments.htm

I also recommend a read of Simon James "The Atlantic Celts"

These references point to the fact that there is no evidence of a large scale invasion of people from central Europe (the place of origin of the Celts) but rather an importation from the Continent of what is regarded as 'Celtic' culture; a particular group of Indo-European languages and art syles.

If we accept the original definition of 'Celts'; that of the Greeks who called them Keltoi, then we are dealing with all the peoples living to the north of the Alps. With this particular definition in mind, we are dealing with the aboriginal people of Britain from the end of the Ice Age until the Roman conquest.

[ckynes1968]

Also, check out the March issue of National Geographic. There is an article on the Celts of "today". I'm not finished reading it yet...but so far it is interesting.

It starts off with a picture of "modern" people celebrating Beltane.

[ap Dafydd]

I am doing a research paper on the influence of Celtic culture in Britain, but I'm having some trouble finding reliable information on this topic. I have found lots regarding religion and lifestyle of the Britons (although much of it is contradictory...), but not much on their long-term impact. I'm wondering if anyone could provide me a jumping-off point on this, or some useful links/book reccommendations? I'm sure there are threads on this, but I am quite inept at searching.

All depends what you mean by the word "influence" (no, not "Celtic" this time...) And what you mean by "Britain", of course. I assume you mean "England", as most people do, and it would be tautological to research the influence of Celtic culture in Celtic countries.

The answer would probably be "not very much".

You might want to look at areas of England which were more recently Celtic (such as Cumbria or the Marches) and their dialects, place names, and folk customs, or alternatively at the contribution of immigrants to English culture (notably the 19th century Irish).

Can't think of many other leads though.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[The Pictish Druid]

Cornwall, king Arthur and Lindisfarne and Celtic represent some other Celtic influence on England.
http://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/
Irish (Giodelic Celts) missionaries converted Picts and the Angles of northern and eastern England to Celtic Christianity.

The heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon tribal kingdoms were roughly on the same land as Ancient British tribal lands. Kent and Canterbury relate to the Ancient British tribe called the Canti who used to occupy Kent before Romans came.

IMO Wikipedia give an excellent account of the Celts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celt

[FaeFollower]

Wonderful, thanks so much for the links and advice. ap Dafydd, I was originally thinking along the lines of England, but I've expanded it a little to mean all of the British Isles. Mainly I am finding a lot about Ireland, and some on Wales.

I've come across references to the fact that "Celtic" was really more like the continental culture (including that link to the BBC site) than the peoples of the island, which is pretty intrigueing to me...Anyway, thanks so much for your help, ckynes1968, Pictish Druid, and ap Dafydd--I greatly appreciate it!!

[germania-thule]

I think this might aswell be relevent:





Celtic Influence on the English Language


While Anglo-Saxon culture and language spread swiftly across east and central Britain during the 6th and 7th centuries, corners of the isle retained the languages of the previous dominant culture, the Celtic peoples who are believed to have begun arriving around 600 BC. Today, the people who inhabit these areas take a pride in preserving these languages as a way of protecting their heritage. However, the Celtic peoples who invaded Britain are believed to have integrated with the people who previously inhabited the island, absorbing elements of the language spoken by this group, much in the way that the Normans were later to adopt many English words in order to adapt to their new homeland. The Celts had already spread their influence across most of central Europe and interacted with the Germanic tribes. Their languages were not retained in Europe for the most part, but their influence can be seen through subtle changes – in France for example, the use of Latin was modified through the local influences of Celtic languages. Dialects spoken in northern Spain are heavily influenced by Celtic to this day (due to influences both prior to the Celts arriving in Britain, and on their return after fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasions


FURTHER:

http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/6361Lovis.htm (http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/6361Lovis.htm)

[Tiberias]

As somebody who specializes in prehistoric archaeology of the British Islands (although a bit later and further west than your topic), I can say that by far Simon James' The Atlantic Celts is the best place to start. He's a respected scholar, the research is recent and methodologically up-to-date, and the book is very readable if you're not an archaeologist.