The Last of the Celts

by Marcus Tanner

• ISBN13: 9780300115352
• ISBN10: 0300115350
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2006-03-30
• 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
CHAPTER ONE The Scottish Highlands: The Ald Scottis toung'	29	(40)
CHAPTER TWO Connemara: 'A vague reverence for the Gaelic'	69	(43)
CHAPTER THREE Belfast: The liveliest Gaeltacht in Ireland'	112	(17)
CHAPTER FOUR The Isle of Man: 'An iceberg floating into southern latitudes'	129	(24)
PART TWO
CHAPTER FIVE North Wales: 'The dear old language of the country'	153	(33)
CHAPTER SIX South Wales: 'A rich culture, long departed'	186	(33)
CHAPTER SEVEN Cornwall: 'Almost an island'	219	(31)
CHAPTER EIGHT Brittany: 'Plutôt comme une libération'	250	(35)
PART THREE
CHAPTER NINE Cape Breton: 'Truly highland in their ways'	285	(27)
CHAPTER TEN Patagonia: 'The survival of our race'	312	(32)
CONCLUSION	344
NOTES	331	(40)
BIBLIOGRAPHY	371	(12)
INDEX	383