news from austria

[mcnice]

u are right GG, when u say we should not judge them by scottish rules, but to me personally that look is awful.

then its also true that those poeple are just having fun and as mentioned that more than ok.
the only thing i can say as somebody knowing the light and dark side of austria is that the carintians are seriously cleaming a celtic heritage. and that just because they found a piece of tartan that is obviously older than the oldest piece found elsewhere. we had for sure much celts in austria but then the germanic influence is much more important. and to claim the kilt to austria is nothing but ridiculous, but then u undrestand about how that country sometimes works...
my interpretation of that austrish phenomenon is that those guys love practicing patriotism and have found a new uniform that make them look new and fresh.
nonetheless i appreciate their wearing of the kilt, i do not agree with their motivation.

[bubba]

I think older "tartan" has been found in western China.

[Kilted Kit]

What do you mean no Celtic connections?

A bit of history is in order here. The Celts owned what is now Germany, France and Spain prior to about 400 AD and Julius Ceaser. Germany and France were still one country untill about 1000 AD. EVERYONE in Western Europe has some Celtic blood, most of Western Europe is 100% Celtic!

These guys in Austria are NOT Scots in any way, shape or form but they may have a better claim to "Celt" than we do as a Scotsman is a mix of Pict, Celt and Norse.

Hate to be a wet blanket here. It's true the Hallstatt and later the La Tene Celtic cultures occupied most of western Europe (including Austria) they were squeezed out,from the north by invading Germanic tribes (Marcomanni & Alemanni) and the Romans from the south during the first century BC.
Some fled east marauding through the Balkans and Greece before finally settling in central Anatolia (the Galatians of the Bible).
Most went west into Gaul to join their fellow celts. Incidently these celts of Europe spoke P-Celtic which was different to Q-Celtic,the language the Irish and Scots. Welsh and Breton are derived from P-Celtic while Irish and Scots Gaelic is derived from ancient Q-Celtic.
It is of course possible that genetic tests of communities in the more isolated valleys of the Swiss and Austrian Tyrol could show a Celtic ingredient similar to Breton.
Good luck to all.