Gaels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Total population |
|---|
| approx. 500,000 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Republic of Ireland:[1] 260,000 Northern Ireland:[1] 95,000 Scotland:[2] 58,652 United States:[3][4] 26,475 Canada:[5][6][7] 6,470 Isle of Man:[8] 200-300 |
| Languages |
The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man. They are speakers of the Goidelic (or Gaelic) languages – Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx.[9] The Gaelic languages are a branch of the Insular Celtic languages of Britain and Ireland. The other branch of Insular Celtic is Brythonic.
There are many people with Gaelic ancestry amongst the populations of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and England and many US, Canadian, Australian, and UK leaders have been from families of Gaelic origin, as are many members of the parliaments of those respective countries today. Notable examples include Irish Taoiseach Éamon de Valera, British Prime ministers Ramsay MacDonald and Harold MacMillan and Canadian Prime ministers John A. Macdonald and Alexander Mackenzie.
Contents |
[edit] Terminology
The term Gael derives either from the Old Welsh Guoidel (meaning raider/pirate) or Old Irish Goídel. It is widely accepted that raiders from Ireland were attacking Britain's west coast during and following the Roman occupation. Consequently, the term Guoidel may have referred specifically to the Irish. Over time, the Old Irish Goídel became Gaidheal in Scottish Gaelic. This was Anglicised as Gael circa 1596 to designate a Scottish Highlander.[10]
According to modern definitions:
- Gaels – the ethno-linguistic group.
- Gaelic – of or relating to the Gaels.
- Goidels – an alternative term sometimes used to describe the Gaels.
- Goidelic – of or relating to the Goidels or Gaels, particularly their language
[edit] Mythological origins
The Gaels, during the beginning of the Christian era (at which time Gaelic people were mostly restricted to Ireland), believed themselves to be descendants of the Milesians - the sons of Míl Espáine - of the Iberian peninsula. This belief persists in the Gaelic cultures of Ireland and Scotland up to the present day, with many if not most clan leaders in either country claiming descent from their predecessor, back to famous historical kings going back into pre-history such as Cormac Cas. Much of this is covered in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, which catalogues the path of the Gaels' ancestors in a way that, while mostly mythic, may be an embellished account of actual historical events. Recent genetic studies by Brian Sykes, Oxford University, suggest that these myths are based on historical facts since the people of northwestern Spain, especially those from Galicia and Asturias are genetically closely related to Irish, Scotish and other so called "Celts". The latest scientific research proves that the ancestors of the Gaels actually came from Spain.[citation needed]
[edit] Early development
It is not known with any certainty when the Goidelic (or Q-Celtic) language developed in prehistoric Ireland, or how the Gaels came to be the dominant culture. Some believe Goidelic replaced some pre-existing Brythonic (or P-Celtic) language(s), but it is not known whether this represents one population displacing others, an invader becoming a new ruling caste, or simply the spread of a new lingua franca. Before and during the age of the Roman Empire there was a great deal of movement, interaction and competition among the peoples who, though of neither ethnicity, fell within the Celtic and Germanic cultural ferment.
Estimates of the arrival of proto-Gaelic in Ireland vary widely from the introduction of agriculture circa 7000-6000 BC to around the first few centuries BC. Little can be said with certainty, as the language now known as Old Irish, ancestral to modern Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx, first began to be properly recorded with the Christianisation of Ireland in the 4th Century AD, with the introduction of the Roman script. Old Irish does appear in a specialized written form, using a unique script known as Ogham. The oldest examples of Ogham have survived in the form of memorial inscriptions or short epitaphs on pillar-like stone monuments (see Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth.) Ogham stones are found throughout Ireland as well as in other areas where Gaelic invaders settled across post-Roman Britain. This form of written Old Irish is thought to have been in use as early as 1000 BC. The script frequently encodes a name or description of the owner and surrounding region, and it is possible that the inscribed stones may have represented territorial claims.
[edit] Gaelic society
[edit] Mythology and religion
The religion of the Gaels, as with other Celts, can be described as polytheistic or pagan. They worshipped a variety of gods and godesses, which generally have parallels in the pantheons of other Celts. The Gaels were also animists, believing that all aspects of the natural world contained spirits, and that these spirits could be communicated with.[11] Gaelic burial practices –which included burying food, weapons, and ornaments with the dead– suggest a belief in life after death.[12] Some have equated this afterlife with the realms known as Mag Mell and Tír na nÓg in Irish mythology.[13] The Gaels practised four religious festivals a year – Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain. These festivals were equidistant from each other, and divided the year into four quarters. Rather than building temples, the Gaels often performed rituals in sacred groves known as nemetons.
The mythology of Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature. This large body of work is typically divided into three overlapping cycles: the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, and the Fenian Cycle. The first cycle is a pseudo-history of Ireland that describes four invasions (or migrations) by semi-divine peoples. Two of these groups, the Fomorians and Tuatha Dé Danann, are believed to represent the pre-Gaelic and Gaelic pantheons. The second cycle recounts the lives and deaths of Ulaid heroes such as Cúchulainn. The third cycle recounts the exploits of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warriors the Fianna. There are also a number of stories that do not fit into these cycles – this includes the immrama and echtrai, which are tales of the 'otherworld' and the voyages to get there.
[edit] Agriculture, economy, and settlements
Money was non-existent in Gaelic society at this time; instead, livestock and fishing was the main currency and the main source of sustenance. Horticulture was practiced, and crops such as wheat, barley and oats were the most common. Gaels typically lived in small villages, hamlets and ringforts which rarely contained more than 10 to 12 dwellings. These settlements were built close to water supplies and on easily defendable sites such as hills. They tended to be defended by ditches, moats, stone fortification walls and/or earthen ramparts with timber palisades. Some also lived in fortified lake-dwellings known as crannógs. Houses were typically circular with conical thatched roofs and wattle and daub walls.
[edit] Clans
Ireland at this time was a tribal society, and was divided into common ancestry groups known as clans (from the Gaelic word clann meaning offspring). Each clan was a large group of related people, theoretically an extended family, supposedly descended from one progenitor and all owing allegiance to the patriarchal or matriarchal clan chief. Clans included those who were related by blood but also those who were adopted and fostered into the clan, as well as those who joined the clan for strategic reasons (such as safety or combining of resources). The power of clans fluctuated, and endemic warfare between clans was a constant affair. Ireland was divided into five different tribal provinces, each with its ritual center (a ringfort often used as a capital and meeting place). These were:
- Cúige Mumhan in the south, with its capital at Cashel
- Cúige Laighin in the east, with its capital at Dun Ailinne
- Cúige Uladh in the north, with its capital at Emain Macha
- Cúige Chonnacht in the west, with its capital at Cruachan
- Mide in the east-central area, with its capital at Tara
These gave rise to the modern provinces of Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht, and also the counties of Meath and Westmeath.
[edit] Warfare
As shown by contemporary sources and Irish literature, clan warfare was commonplace in Gaelic lands. Young Gaelic males organised themselves into small, semi-independent warrior bands called Fianna, which engaged in constant training, hunting and raiding during the warmer months. Stories of the Fianna can be found in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.
Warriors were sometimes rallied into battle accompanied by blowing horns and warpipes. The objective in clan wars was often the theft of enemy cattle (commonly referred to as a Táin Bó in Gaelic literature) rather than the destruction of a particular clan or its settlements. Guerrilla warfare was the norm, as the geography of Ireland and Scotland at this time consisted mostly of forests, swamps, glens, bogland and river-crossings. Gaelic warfare was centered around the horse and chariot, with cavalry and kern later being introduced. Weapons used were slings, javelins, spears, bows, darts, short swords and axes. Armour was rare as Gaelic warriors considered it cumbersome; instead, most fought semi-naked and carried only a scabbard and a round or oval shield. However, by the 400s, hard leather and even chainmail was worn. It also became common for warriors to wear tight trews, which may have been decorated with the colours or tartan of their home district.
Gaelic warriors (and Celtic warriors in general) had a reputation as head hunters. Ancient Romans and Greeks recorded the Celtic custom of decapitating their enemies and publicly displaying the severed heads (for example by hanging them from the necks of horses).[14] According to Paul Jacobsthal, "Amongst the Celts the human head was venerated above all else, since the head was to the Celt the soul, centre of the emotions, as well as of life itself".[15]
[edit] Social structure
Gaelic society was a caste society, that is, it was divided into inherited role-based classes. There were four general classes, from lowest to highest they were: slaves, peasants, warriors and finally the upper classes, which included chieftains, bards, seers and Druids. The bards were in charge of entertainment, acting as itinerant minstrels, telling stories, playing the harp and singing songs at the feasts held in the homes of tribal rulers for the pleasure of their guests. Druids were in charge of ceremonies and sacrifices as well as the keeping of secret knowledge about mythology and the cosmos.
[edit] Clothing
The common clothing of Gaels consisted of a léine (a knee-length shirt, sometimes dyed with saffron), a brat (a woolen cloak/mantle that may be decorated with tartan or other designs), a belt or brooch, and sometimes trews (a type of tight trousers). Additionally, various types of coats (such as the padded ionar), robes, boots and shoes were worn. There is also evidence of the belted plaid (the precursor to the modern kilt) being worn by the 1500s. Jewelry was uncommon as many had no means of obtaining them or reason for using them.
Both men and women grew their hair long and very often braided it. Other hairstyles that may have been popular include the mohawk (as worn by the Irish bog body known as Clonycavan man) and the glib (short all over except for a thick lock of hair towards the front of the head). Gaelic males above a certain age were expected to let their facial hair grow into a beard. It was often seen as dishonourable for a Gaelic man to have no facial hair.
[edit] Women
In Gaelic society, as in other Celtic societies described by the Romans, women could possess a great deal of property and power. Some women even attained the status of queen, such as queens Medb and Macha of the Ulster Cycle. Gaelic women, like their Celtic cousins, are thought to have enjoyed a great deal of sexual freedom. Allusions in Irish literature and Roman comments on marital customs among the Brythons (described in Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico) and Celtiberians (Strabo's History and Geography of Spain) mention Celtic polyandry (women having marital relationships simultaneously with several men). It is probable that such practices also held true in Ireland at this time.
[edit] Historical expansion
Starting sometime around the 5th century Gaelic language and culture spread from Ireland to the southwest coast of modern Scotland, where it may have already existed since Roman times. Uncertainty over this comes as a result of the fact that there is disputed archaeological evidence to support the generally accepted tale of migration while there is some to suggest that there was none — the evidence also points to the population of the area (modern day Argyll) being constant during the time of the alleged invasion of Scotland[citation needed]. This area was known as Dál Riata. The Gaels soon spread out to most of the rest of the country. Culturo-linguistic dominance in the area eventually led to the Latin name for Gaelic speaking peoples, "Scoti", being applied to the state founded by the Gaels: "Scotland". Since that time Gaelic language rose and, in the past three centuries, greatly diminished, in most of Ireland and Scotland. The most culturally and linguistically Gaelic regions are in the north west of Scotland, the west of Ireland and Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia where the descendants of the Highland Clearances were transplanted.
The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin, 'Mannin's Isle', from the pre-Christian deity known as Manannán mac Lír) also came under massive Gaelic influence in its history. The last native speaker of Manx died in the 1970s, though use of the Manx language never fully ceased. There is now a resurgent language movement and Manx is once again taught in all schools as a second language and in some as a first language. A large part of the island's cultural heritage is Gaelic.
[edit] Current distribution
The two comparatively 'major' Gaelic nations in the modern era are Scotland (58,552 "Gaelic speakers" and 92,400 with "some Gaelic language ability"[16] in the 2001 census) and Ireland (which in the 2002 census had 185,838 people who spoke Irish "daily" and 1,570,894 who were "able" to speak it).[17] Communities where the language is still spoken natively are restricted largely to the west coast of each country and especially the Hebrides in Scotland. However, large proportions of Gaelic speakers also live in the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, as well as Donegal, Galway, Cork and Dublin in Ireland. There are somewhere around 2,000 Canadian Gaelic speakers although they are generally of a very advanced age and concentrated in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.[18] According to the 2000 US CensusPDF (123 KiB), there are over 25,000 Irish-speakers in the United States with the majority found in urban areas with large Irish-American communities such as Boston, New York City and Chicago.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ethnologue report for language code:gle
- ^ The Gaelic Language Bill Consultation Paper: page 3
- ^ http://www.usenglish.org/foundation/research/lia/languages/irish_gaelic.pdfPDF (123 KiB)
- ^ http://www.usenglish.org/foundation/research/lia/languages_of_the_usa.pdfPDF (89.8 KiB)
- ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/dtc/pubs/GaelicStrategy-English.pdfPDF (196 KiB)
- ^ Statistics Canada 2006 Census: Mother Tongue
- ^ Statistics Canada 2006 Census: Languages Spoken
- ^ Ethnologue 14 report for language code:MJD
- ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Gael
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary: "Gaelic"
- ^ Miranda Green. (1992:196) Animals in Celtic life and myth. London: Routledge. ISBN 0415050308
- ^ Barry Cunliffe, The Ancient Celts. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997, pp.208-210. ISBN 0-19-815010-5.
- ^ The Celts in The Encyclopedia of World Mythology, Dr Ray Dunning, page 91
- ^ Diodorus Siculus, 5.2
- ^ Jacobsthal, Paul. Early Celtic Art.
- ^ General Register Office, Scotland's Census 2001, Gaelic Report
- ^ Central Statistics Office Ireland - Irish ability, persons aged 3 years and over.
- ^ Oifis Iomairtean na Gaidhlig/Office of Gaelic Affairs
[edit] External links
- Aberdeen University Celtic Department Information and courses on all aspects of Celts, Gaels and related peoples, languages and cultures
- Iomairt Cholm Cille (The Columban Institute) An institute with the aim of promoting links between Irish and Scottish Gaelic speakers.
- DNA shows Scots and Irish should look to Spain for their ancestry
- Myths of British ancestry
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
