Six or Seven Celtic nations?

[slohairt]

After a year of living in Ireland, I became lonely for Canada and North America in general. It shames me to admit it, but I sometimes found solace in a McDonalds!

I hung with Canadians as often as I could. I fraternised with many Americans as well. You guys were like surrogate Canadians for me. No offence!

Most of the time Irish people thought I was American anyway. I lost my Canadian flag lapel pin on my second day there, and be darned if could find another! They were all taken! I got tired of it after awhile and decided to ask a visiting Scotsman where in England he was from!

[slohairt]

I agree. Enjoy and celebrate your differences. Use them as an opportunity to educate others. But always remember what makes you similar. Every culture has common elements with others.

[Bugbear]

LOL! This a bit weird to try to talk like this, but we're all becoming more and more connected. So like Sybor-Celt, you know.

[Clockwork John]

To deny that the modern Scots, Irish, welsh, etc. and their descendents (myself included) are celtic is like trying to say that a native-born Mexican who is Catholic and speaks spanish is not hispanic because he doesn't speak Castillian spanish or participate in the running of the bulls. It's absurd.

As Slohairt said, the celtic label is a cultural one, not an ethnic one. If one participates in celtic culture (food, language, music, traditions, etc.), one is celtic.

Slohairt, I always enjoy your posts. You are truly a scholar and a gentleman. You clearly distinguish between facts and your opinion, and you cite sources when appropriate. You don't attempt to persuade or brow-beat, but simply to inform. My hat is off to you.

[Bugbear]

I second that, Crusty, on the Slohairt thing you said there, te he.
As I posted before, a celtic spirit is born. I was raised in a bunch of conflicting cultures that were all squished together. I don't know what my culture is. Hmmm, maybe I don't exist... at least not in some peoples' worlds. LOL! Go watch the movie "Little Big Man."

[slohairt]

Go raibh maith agat, mo charaí!

Thank-you, my friends!

In my defence, I must say that I have been known to brow-beat or persuade once in awhile!

It just seems that every few months we X-Markers are engaged (dragged) into a debate over these select topics:

1) The Legendary Irish Kilt (or Legendary Welsh Cilt, it doesn't matter) Who wears them? Can I get one? Should I get one? Did the Irish wear kilts in 2200 B.C.? You get the picture. The answer is simple: Get a kilt. Wear it. Enjoy.

2) The Sell-Tick Question: This can be broadened into a few categories. One involves a proud native son telling everyone that he is Sell-tick and everyone else is not. Nor are they even Scawddish! Another informs us (from an uninformed point-of-view) what is and what is not Sell-Tick. Strangely these people never ask me about my vast knowledge of maple syrup, ice hockey, and igloos! Nor do they ask you, my American friends, about hot dogs, baseball, or cowboys!

3) The Question: Don't ask, and don't tell. That's all I say about that.

Anyway, it's all good fun. If these topics didn't come up what would we debate about?

[Bugbear]

Thanks slohairt and everybody. Hey man, it's all good... Carpe Diem.

* Just want to point out, sense this thread won't seem to go away, that in my posts above, I corrected a miscomunication or misspoken comment on history and some other things. I'm probably wrong about a lot of things I said, sorry.

[Arlen]

I read in a previous post that some band honoured america with being the 7th nation because of celtic , I mean what is this about. this implies the celts are a racial group which they are not

Strictly speaking 'Celtic' refers not to race but to language.
When referring to Celtic nations it is meant the nations who characteristically spoke a language from the Q-Celtic or P-Celtic branch.

When talking about the culture it doesn't really encompass the similarities or differences of the cultures included in those nations which spoke Celtic languages.

[ANXO LUVAS]

Dear Slohairt,

First of all, thank you for your comments. It has been a pleasure to read them, but I would like to add some information.

You are right, we lost our celtic language 10 centuries ago and it was replaced by a roman language, nowadays we speak Galician.

Although Galician is a "romance" (language with roman origin), it has hundreds of words from celtic origin (for example: atrancar, banco, baraza, beizo, berce / berzo, bico, billa, borrón (montón), boto, bragas, braña, centola, vidoeiro and virar are of celtic origin). Besides, our music, food, traditional games and sports, legends, etc. are celtic.

As a mather of fact, the celtic legend compilation Lebor Gabála Érenn (IX century) states that the Goidelic Celts departed from the Galician port ot of Brigantium comanded by Brat, the youngest son of Breogan, celtic king of Galicia.

Finally, I have to say that I have been to Galicia a few days ago (not in Galicia, Iberian peninsula but in the other Galicia, Poland (not Turkey).

Best Regards to all of you,

Slan go foill!