Celt Question

**davedove** · 16th October 05, 03:53 PM

I was at a beer festival kilted on Saturday and got most of the standard comments and questions (nice kilt, what's the tartan, what was I wearing under it, etc.), but one question really threw me. A young lady asked if I was a full or partial Celt. I took it quite literally and answered partial (about 10% is the best estimate, unless my English ancestors are more Celt than Saxon, or Norman, or Norse, or even Roman). I got to wondering though if maybe there was another meaning to question, like maybe being a full Celt meant I was regimental??? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I also have to state that while I want kilts to be more generally accepted as everyday attire, it is nice being "the guy in the kilt" at an event.

**Iolaus** · 16th October 05, 04:13 PM

I've not heard that particular one, but I would suspect it was a euphemism for "the question." I'm sure we've all had girls ask if we were "true Scots," and they're usually asking about what was being worn. This sounds like a another version of that.

You never know though; she may have wondered if you were from Scotland or something.

It was kind of an unusual question. I guess it depends on how the question was asked; you're the best judge of that.

**Wompet** · 16th October 05, 04:21 PM

It could be a variation on the "Question", or maybe it falls in the same category as Riverkilt's "Professional Scotsman" remark. 'Course, we were still trying to categorize that one ...

**Graham** · 16th October 05, 06:30 PM

I think she was trying to be clever, but talking nonsense.

There are no "full celts", genetically, we are all a mixture, considering that the celts came over from Europe to what is now the UK.

I'd answer: "in my mind and heart, YES, I'm a full celt".
Or you could say, "buy me a pint and I'll be a fuller celt"!

**Bil** · 16th October 05, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Graham

Or you could say, "buy me a pint and I'll be a fuller celt"!

Nice one! I'll have to remember that the next time some one asks me if I'm a full scot.

**James** · 16th October 05, 08:53 PM

In all probability she was talking about the Celtic revival-which looks to Scotland-Wales-Cornwall and Brittany-I think there are some others.

James

**Graham** · 16th October 05, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by James

In all probability she was talking about the Celtic revival-which looks to Scotland-Wales-Cornwall and Brittany-I think there are some others.

James

and Ireland;)

**KiltedManxman** · 16th October 05, 10:14 PM

Don't forget the Isle of Man as one of the Celtic nations.

I think Graham is right - she was just trying to be cute and sound like she knows your groove, or something. Your kilt had her all twitterpated, I'm thinkin'.

Cheers,
Kevin

**jjoseph** · 16th October 05, 11:12 PM

I've had the same question here at a Ren Faire. I had to explain that the celts weren't a particular ethnicity but rather a collection of peoples who shared related languages.

That just made me think of a conversation I had w/ a lady while working in Australia a few years back. (She had married a man from Belfast who was working for an American company, so they had spent a fare bit of time in both the Isles and the States.) She commented that the difference between Australia and NewZealand was that Aussies were "south-seas celts" whereas Kiwis were "south-sea pommies". LOL I don't know how much stock to put in that, but it did make me wonder if a good bit of American character development was interplay between celtic and English influences rather than a dominance of one over the other. Probably something someone could trace using a study of dialect. Be interesting to read if someone has ever done it.

**Rob** · 17th October 05, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by davedove

I took it quite literally and answered partial (about 10% is the best estimate, unless my English ancestors are more Celt than Saxon, or Norman, or Norse, or even Roman).

The English (on average) are about 60% descended from the Indigenous Britons (who are these days referred to as Celts) and 40% Germanic (Anglo-Saxon/Danish Viking). This ratio does vary throughout England. In the South and West the percentage of 'Celts' is up to about 75% (about the same as in mainland Scotland), and in York it is as low as 30%. Some counties in South and West England even have their own district tartans (e.g. Cornwall, Devon and Somerset). Strangely enough, the region of Scotland where the Gaelic language is still in most use (the Outer Hebrides) has the lowest percentage of 'Celtic' descent in Scotland, at only 55%. Wales and Ireland come top of the 'Celtic' descent list at about 90%.

Rob (the master of useless facts and figures)