The Six Nations considered the heartland of the modern Celts

Celtic nations are areas of modern Europe inhabited by members of Celtic cultures, specifically speakers of Celtic languages. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. Since the mid-20th century, people of many nations and regions have used modern 'Celticity' to express their identity. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Modern Celts are those peoples who are speakers of Celtic languages, or who consider themselves or have been considered by others to participate in a Celtic culture Over time, these nations and regions have come to be widely labelled as Celtic. These areas of Europe are sometimes referred to as the "Celt belt" or "Celtic fringe" because of their location generally on the north-western edges of the continent, and of the nations they inhabit (e. g. Brittany is in the northwest of France, the Gaelic-speaking parts of Ireland and Scotland are in the northwest and west, respectively). Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. However, these terms are sometimes viewed as derogatory, so residents of these areas tend to prefer the term "Celtic nations".

Until the expansions of the Roman Republic and Germanic tribes, the British Isles and much of continental Europe was predominantly Celtic. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan ^[1] Only extreme north-western regions retained their Celtic culture and language, because these expansions were halted and had little or no influence. In Britain for example, the expansions of the Roman Empire and then the Anglo-Saxons supplanted the Celtic Britons and the Brythonic languages in most of what is modern-day England. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

The 'Six Nations'

Listed from north to south:

Nation	Celtic name	Language	People	Population	No. of native-competent speakers
Scotland	Alba	Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)	Scots	5m	92,400
Ireland	Éire	Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge)	Irish	6m	355,000
Isle of Man	Ellan Vannin	Manx Gaelic (Yn Ghaelg)	Manx	70,000	59-1,700
Wales	Cymru	Welsh (Cymraeg)	Welsh	3m	750,000+
Cornwall	Kernow	Cornish (Kernewek)	Cornish	500,000	3,500
Brittany	Breizh	Breton (Brezhoneg)	Bretons	4m	500,000

It is these 'Six Nations' that (alone) are considered Celtic by the Celtic League, Celtic Congress, and various other pan-Celtic groups. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical Manx ( Gaelg or Gailck, ɡilk or) also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language once spoken on the Isle The Manx are an ethnic group coming from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany The Bretons are a distinct Ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. The Celtic League is a political and cultural organisation in the modern Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany The International Celtic Congress is a cultural organisation that seeks to promote the Celtic languagues of the nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales Pan-Celticism is the name given to a variety of movements that espouse greater contact between the various Celtic nations. Each of the six can boast a Celtic language of its own – the key criterion of Celticity for the organizations named.

Four of the 'Six Nations' (Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) contain areas where a Celtic language is still used in a community (see Gaeltacht, Gàidhealtachd, and compare also Breizh-Izel and areas by Welsh language known as Y Fro Cymraeg). ga '''Gaeltacht''' ( plural ga ''Gaeltachtaí'' is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region The Gàidhealtachd /kɛːəɫtaxk/ ( Eng: Gaeldom) sometimes known as A' Ghàidhealtachd (Eng the Gàidhealtachd) usually refers to the Basse-Bretagne ( Breizh Izel in Breton) denotes the parts of Brittany west of Ploërmel, where the Breton language was traditionally This is a List of Welsh principal areas by the percentage of those professing some skills in the Welsh language in Wales in the 2001 UK census ^[2] Generally these communities are in the west of the countries, in upland or island areas, and sometimes claim to be more Celtic than the anglicised/gallicised areas of the east, and big cities.

For certain purposes, such as the Festival Interceltique, Galicia and Asturias, Cantabria are considered three of the nine Celtic nations. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city It should also be remembered that Welsh and Scots Gaelic speaking minorities are still extant, respectively, in the Chubut valley region of Patagonia in Argentina, and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Llao LLaojpg|thumb|250px| Lake Nahuel Huapi, near Bariloche, Argentina For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

Other claims

The Celts in Europe, past and present:
     areas where Celtic languages are widely spoken      the six most commonly recognized 'Celtic nations'      maximum Celtic expansion, by the 3rd century BC      core Hallstatt territory, by the 6th century BC

In general most countries of Western and Central Europe can be considered to have been influenced by the Celts. The Hallstatt culture was the predominant In a number of them, there are also 'Celtic' movements, wanting recognition as a Celtic Nation. None of them has a living Celtic language, unlike "the Six", and for those who base claims of Celticity around linguistics, this is a matter of controversy. The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family.

Iberian Peninsula

See also: Celtiberians, Gallaecia, and Celtici

Main language areas in Iberia circa 200BC. The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians were a Celtic people of Hallstatt culture Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province that comprised The Celtici were a Celtic tribe of the Iberian peninsula, akin either to the Lusitanians and Gallaecians or the Celtiberians, living In blue, celtic languages

In the northwestern Iberian Peninsula is an area influenced by Celtic culture. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra In particular this includes the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Northern Portugal, Cantabria and León. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

In none of these regions has a Celtic language survived (although some place names are of Celtic origin), which means that the most common criterion for Celticity, that of having a Celtic language, does not apply.

The main basis for these regions' present-day claim to Celticity is, rather, Celtic consciousness itself, which derives from a factual long-time tradition of Celtism in these regions, due to the fact that numerous Celtic tribes settled in the Iberian Peninsula (see Celtiberians) and left their mark, culturally and genetically. The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians were a Celtic people of Hallstatt culture ^[3][4] Consequently, similarities in both the cultural (music, dance, folklore) and genetic aspects can be found between the inhabitants of these areas and those of other Celtic nations. ^[5][6]

England

Principal sites in Roman Britain, with indication of the Celtic tribes.

Celtic traditions and customs have continued in England, particularly in extremities of the south west and the north (see Devon, Lancashire and Cumbria). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy England lacks a Celtic language after the extinction of the Old Devonian, Cumbric and Cornish languages; during the 'Celtic' era, Great Britain was populated by a number of regional Celtic tribes, none of whom directly ended up forming the English nation, only the gene pool. Cumbric was the Brythonic Celtic language, often considered to be a Dialect of Welsh, spoken in Northern England and southern For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands In Celtic languages, it is usually referred to as "Saxon-land" (Sasana, Pow Saws, Bro-Saoz etc), and in Welsh as Lloegr (though the Welsh translation of English also refers to the Saxon route: Saesneg, with the English being referred to as "Saeson", or "Saes" in the singular). The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic This is because the Celtic peoples of England succumbed to the invading Saxons and took on their culture and language, although spoken Cumbric survived until the 12th Century. Cumbric was the Brythonic Celtic language, often considered to be a Dialect of Welsh, spoken in Northern England and southern The northern half of England forms the historic land of Hen Ogledd, Welsh for 'the Old North', and its population were known as the 'men of the north' to other Celtic peoples. Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term meaning 'The Old North' and referring to the sub-Roman Brythonic kingdoms of what is now Northern England Hen Ogledd, along with Wales and Cornwall, form the three Brythonic areas of modern Great Britain.

Unlike many of the above examples, there is little political motivation behind this search for a more complex identity, but a recognition that local linguistic and cultural peculiarities can be traced back to Celtic origins. Cumbria, for example, retains some Celtic influences from local sports (Cumberland wrestling) to superstitions, and traces of Cumbric are still spoken, famously by shepherds to count their sheep. Cumbric was the Brythonic Celtic language, often considered to be a Dialect of Welsh, spoken in Northern England and southern Lancashire still retains Celtic culture, eg. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea its own wrestling system (Lancashire wrestling) and other things such as cooking Parkin cake and place names like Pendle and Cuerden. Lancashire wrestling is an historic Wrestling style from Lancashire in England Parkin is a ginger cake, which originated in Northern England. Pendle is a local government district and Borough of Lancashire, England, on the North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire borders Cuerden is a village and Civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The name Lancashire derives from Lune-Castra (Lancaster), a Celtic name, and the name 'Cumbria' is derived from the same root as Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, meaning 'the land of comrades'. Lancaster (pronounced ˈlæŋˌkæstə or ˈlænˌkæstə is a City in Lancashire, England. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy There is a current attempt to revive Cumbric and about 50 words of a reconstructed, hypothetical "Cumbric" exist. Cumbric was the Brythonic Celtic language, often considered to be a Dialect of Welsh, spoken in Northern England and southern However, most competent scholars believe that it would be little different from an archaic dialect of Northern Welsh. The county is also home to the Rheged discovery centre profiling the Celtic history of Cumbria and surrounding areas. Rheged IPA r̥ɛgɛd was a Brythonic kingdom of Sub-Roman Britain, whose inhabitants spoke Cumbric, a dialect of Brythonic closely related

English Celtic revivalism has not always been popular with its neighbours, many of whose own revivals have sought to counteract the majority culture of England within the United Kingdom. It also tends to be apolitical, in strict contrast to that of the "Six", Galicia or even Padania. Early revivalism concentrated on King Arthur, fairy and folklore and also Boudicca, whose statue stands outside the Palace of Westminster. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d Boudicca, who fought Roman imperialism, was looked up to by one or two Victorian English imperialists, who claimed "her new empire" was bigger than the Roman. Modern revivalism has focused more on music, mythology, rituals such as the Druids and a better understanding of Celtic festivals that have been observed in England since the Celtic period, and dialect or language.

Formerly Gaulish regions

Repartition of Gaul ca. 54 BC

Many of the French people themselves identify actively with the Gauls. Year 54 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Appius Claudius Pulcher and Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western

The French- and Arpitan-speaking Aosta Valley region in Italy also presents a casual claim of Celtic heritage and the Northern League autonomist party often exalts what it claims are the Celtic roots of Padania. Franco-Provençal ( Francoprovençal) or Arpitan ( Vernacular: frp francoprovençâl arpitan patouès; francoprovenzale arpitano dialetto Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Lega Nord (Northern League LN whose complete name is Lega Nord per l'Indipendenza della Padania (Northern League for Independence of Padania) is an Italian Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. Padania is an alternative name for Northern Italy. It was sparingly used until the early 1990s when the Lega Nord political party proposed the term as a possible Reportedly, Friuli also has an ephemeral claim to Celticity. Friuli ( Friulian:

Walloons are sometimes characterized as "Celts", mainly opposed to "Teutonic" Flemish and "Latin" French identities; the word "Walloon" derives from a Germanic word meaning "foreign", cognate with "Welsh" and "Vlach". Walloons (Wallons Walons are a Romance people living in Belgium principally in Wallonia. The terms Fleming and Flemings ( Vlaming and Vlamingen in Dutch) denote respectively a person and people and the Flemings or

Central European regions

Celtic tribes inhabited land in what is now southern Germany and Austria. ^[7] Many scholars have associated the earliest Celtic peoples with the Hallstatt culture. The Hallstatt culture was the predominant ^[8] Boii, Scordisci^[9] and the Vindelici^[10] are some of the tribes that inhabitted Central Europe, including what is now Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Poland and the Czech Republic as well as Germany and Austria. Boii ( Latin plural singular Boius; Greek) is the Roman name of an ancient Celtic tribe, attested at various Scordisci were in ancient geography a war-like tribe inhabiting the southern part of lower Pannonia, comprising parts of the present-day countries Austria, In the pre-Roman Geography of Europe, Vindelicia simply identifies the country inhabited by the Vindelici, a region bounded on the north by the Danube The Boii gave their name to Bohemia. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the ^[11] Celts also founded Singidunum present-day Belgrade ,leaving many words in Serbian language (over 5000). Singidunum was an ancient Roman city first settled by the Celtic Scordisci tribe in the 3rd century BC and later garrisoned and fortified by the Romans Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, The La Tène culture also covered much of central Europe. The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site The name of the culture is from the location in Switzerland. ^[12]

Outside of Europe

In other regions, people with a heritage from one of the 'Celtic Nations' also associate with the Celtic identity. In these areas, Celtic traditions and languages are significant components of local culture. These include the the Permanent North American Gaeltacht in Tamworth, Ontario, Canada which is the only Irish Gaelic gaeltacht outside of Ireland, the Chubut valley of Patagonia with Welsh speaking Argentinians (known as "Y Wladfa"), Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, with Gaelic-speaking Canadians and southeast Newfoundland with Irish-speaking Canadians. Gaeltacht Bhaile na hÉireann or the Permanent North American Gaeltacht (Gaeltacht Bhuan Mheiriceá Thuaidh is a designated Irish -speaking area in The Chubut River ( Spanish, Río Chubut) is a river in Patagonia, Southern Argentina. Llao LLaojpg|thumb|250px| Lake Nahuel Huapi, near Bariloche, Argentina For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Canadian Gaelic (Gaelic gd ''Gàidhlig Chanaideanach'' locally just Gaelic or The Gaelic) is the dialect of Scots Gaelic that has been spoken continuously Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Also at one point in 1900's there were well over 12,000 Gaelic Scots from the Isle of Lewis living in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, with place names that still exist today recalling those inhabitants. Lewis ( Leòdhas ʎɔːɣəs̪ ( Norse: Ljoðhús "home The Eastern Townships ( French: Cantons de l'Est) is a historical region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Appalachia and parts of the Southern United States were also heavily settled by Celts, with much of the culture reflecting this fact. Appalachia is a term used to describe a region in the eastern United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive ^[13] In his autobiography the South Africa poet Roy Campbell recalled his youth in the Dargle Valley, near the city of Pietermaritzburg, where people spoke only Gaelic and Zulu. Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The Zulu ( IsiZulu: amaZulu) are the largest South African ethnic group of an estimated 10-11 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal

In addition to these, a number of people from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the former British Empire may consider themselves to have 'Celtic nationality'. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power.

See also

The central bank of Ireland issues an Irish commemorative coin celebrating Ireland’s influence on European Celtic culture. This article covers euro Gold and Silver commemorative coins issued by the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland.

• Anglo-Celtic
• Celt
• Celtic Art
• Celtic Fusion
• Celtiberian
• Celtic language
• Celtic music
• Celtic Revival
• Germanic Europe
• Latin Europe
• Modern Celts
• Pan-Celticism
• Slavic Europe

References

Further reading

• National Geographic, "The Celtic Realm". March, 2006.

External links

• Celtic League
• Celtic League International
• Celtic League - American Branch
• The Celtic Realm
• Celtic-World.Net, - Various information on Celtic culture and music
• National Geographic Map: The Celtic RealmPDF (306 KiB)
• The Celtic Nations
• Simon James Ancient Celts Page
• an article on Celtic Realms by Jim Gilchrist of The Scotsman
• The Celtic Nations Association