Celtic History??

[macwilkin]

I feel cheated by American schools (bear in mind I have gone to public, private, and charter) because I have never been taught anything much about celtic history. I posted a thing about this on facebook a few months ago, and had one viable response. I noticed even in community colleges/universities its very limited. I live in Arizona and aside from the Irish cultural center and some societies, its seems very limited out here. Why are schools so afraid of a rich and involved history? I am getting a degree in Biblical Studies and learning about the ancient middle eastern nations is pretty interesting, I forget not everyone was living in these areas during that period. Where is it!!!? TELL ME!! WHERE!!? lol

Your thoughts?

-Z

Because even American history doesn't get the attention it deserves -- as a per-course history instructor at a local community college, we barely can cover basic American history. A four-year university is more likely to have a course on Irish or Scottish history, but even then, there's no guarantee. My alma mater didn't offer a basic Canadian history course.

Personally, while the ancient Celts are more "romantic", I think more people relate to the Irish & Scottish immigrants and their contribution to the US, Canada, Australia, etc. I've been preaching for sometime now that Scottish organizations shouldn't wait for a "Braveheart" to make all things Scottish "cool"; instead we should be looking for the local contributions of Scottish immigrants to our communities.

For starters -- did you know that an Irish soldier-of-fortune, Hugh Oconor (originally O'Connor) was the first Commander of the Presidio at Tucson? Or that a half-Scot, half-Indian scout named Archie McIntosh helped General Crook bring in Geronimo? Or that Arizona's most famous son, William O. "Buckey" O'Neill, was the son of an Irish immigrant?

My dad is from Prescott, btw, and I spent a good deal of my childhood in North PHX.

T.