The Irish are Not Celts

[cmacq]

ok it seems I should rephrase and define some of what I have said.

First, The Celts of whom I speak are the Celtae, Κελτοί (Κeltoi), Gallus(Latin) peoples who resided in Gaul and spread into Iberia, Italy, and into the east(Thrace, Galatia and others.) There were many tribes such as the Arverni, Aedui, and the Helvetii(Belgae are actually thought to be quite possibly a germanic tribe, though it's still disputed). These people are the "celts" of antiquity, they are whom Diodorus, Hecataeus, Strabo and pretty much all other classical accounts speak of.

The Gaels or Scoti/Scotti(Latin), are the ancient peoples of Ireland, Ἰουερνία Iouernia(Greek), Hibernia/Scotia(Latin), who then spread out into Scotland and the Isle of man. They too have multiple Kingdoms/Tribes such as Dál nAraidi, Ulaid, Dál Fiatach and Dál Riata among others. These people are not referred to as "celts" in antiquity nor are they thought to be a true celtic people by the majority of scholars, scientists and archaeologists today.

I think this was what I may have posted, higher up. What, no mention of the Epidii/Επίδιοι???

With this said, I personally have never viewed the multi-faceted Irish, Scot, Welsh, Briton, nor Breton populations as being Kelt in the strictest use of the term. I view the use of Celt as a modern invention with very little evidence to support it. Its sort of like the tail wagging the dog. For example the term was used by the Greeks and Latins to specifically identify a continental ethnicity associated with the Gallic Culture within a well defined time frame. Of this Gallic Culture we know it was initially centered in southeastern France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria, yet have very little actual evidence of their language. In the modern use Ireland and GB only became Celt after it was discovered that the once dominant language were somewhat related to that used by the former Gallic Culture that was called Kelt.

Seemingly in conflict, I also view very few Irish or Scots as being Gaels, with most being Cruithne and nearly none being Celts. On the other hand, I've come around to equating the Belgae peoples with the P-Celt Brythonic, yet see very few Welsh or Britons, as Belgae, nor all but few being Celt. As far as the Belgae being German, indeed with no doubt this is the case, however much as with the modern misuse of the word Celt, this word German is from the Latin germane, which has a number of related meanings. These include; full, own, seed, original, genuine, and of the same parents. The Latins used the term to indicate the extremely close connection between the culture and language of the Celts and the people they called Germans (not the Culture that modern English speakers call German), whom were not at all Deutsch. So, I’ll admit that the Belgae, Istaevones, and Ingaevones where not Celts per se, yet I would view them as both German and Brythonic. I hope no one is confused?






CmacQ