The Last of the Celts

by Marcus Tanner

• ISBN13: 9780300104646
• ISBN10: 0300104642
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2004-09-10
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

What has become of the Celtic peoples whose culture once spanned Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea? Does the current faddish interest in Celtic nationalism, music, and arts signal the beginning of a revival for Celtic communities, or the last flicker of a dying culture? Award-winning author Marcus Tanner has journeyed throughout the Celtic worldfrom the wilds of Northwest Scotland to the Isle of Man, from Brittany to Patagonia, and from Boston to Cape Bretonseeking to discover the Celtic past and what remains of authentic Celtic culture today. Weaving together extensive historical research with first-hand observations of Celtic people in far-flung communities, Tanner finds that talk of a Celtic revival is largely misplaced. He describes the fading prospects of those who have maintained a Celtic identity in the face of powerful pressures to assimilate. Despite great public interest in all things "Celtic," the threats to the world's remaining Celtic communities, their language, and their culture are relentless. A distinct Celtic identity may not survive, Tanner fears, and such a loss would impoverish us all.

Author Biography

Marcus Tanner is a freelance writer and journalist.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Introduction	1	(28)
PART ONE
The Scottish Highlands: `The Ald Scottis toung'	29	(40)
Connemara: `A vague reverence for the Gaelic'	69	(43)
Belfast: `The liveliest Gaeltacht in Ireland'	112	(17)
The Isle of Man: `An iceberg floating into southern latitudes'	129	(24)
PART TWO
North Wales: `The dear old language of the country'	153	(33)
South Wales: `A rich culture, long departed'	186	(33)
Cornwall: `Almost an island'	219	(31)
Brittany: `Plutot comme une liberation'	250	(35)
PART THREE
Cape Breton: `Truly highland in their ways'	285	(27)
Patagonia: `The survival of our race'	312	(32)
Conclusion	344	(7)
Notes	351	(20)
Bibliography	371	(12)
Index	383