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When people assume Celtic = Irish I get a strong urge to stab myself in the eye.

No no no no no no. 

Sit down we must have a conversation.

There were 6 Celtic nations.

Éire, Cymru, Alba, Kernow, Breizh, and Ellan Vannin.

Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Mann respectively.

They’re all related, but not the same. They all have different languages descended from a similar group, Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish (Gàidhlig), Manx (Gaelg), Welsh (Cymraeg), Cornish (Kernowek), and Breton (Brezhoneg). Some are more widely spoken than others, for example Welsh is still commonly spoken in Wales, whereas hearing Cornish in Cornwall instead of English is rare.  All Celtic nations have varied mythology and culture. Irish Mythology is different from Breton Mythology, and even Welsh and Cornish mythology (arguably the most related Celtic Nations) have subtle differences to each other. I wish I could add more about the cultures at this time but my knowledge of Celtic nations is primarily made up of the history and languages of those regions, particularly Cornwall. 

You might have notice that England and English are missing from this, because the English descended from Anglo-Saxons, who were German invaders that came to the isles right around the Fall of the Roman empire in the 5th Century, erasing the Celtic influence in what is now England. 

So what this all really means is that Celtic is an umbrella term, and just because it’s Celtic doesn’t mean it has anything to do with Ireland at all. So don’t assume that just because someone’s talking about something Celtic that they’re talking about something Irish.

I actually didn’t know this. Thank you, tumblr person

I love you for this. I love learning and this day started in a good note.

Fantastic! And is it pronounced sel-tic?? Or kel-tic? Or neither???

Also let’s not forget that the group who were called the Celts existed throughout England and far from being ‘erased’ their DNA survives in 70% of the population of England. There is also a Celtic language native to England, called Cumbric, which is considered dead but is undergoing an attempt of reconstruction. And more importantly the ‘Celts’ existed all over Europe. The Gauls, the Iberians, the Galatians are all examples. Some of the most famous Celtic figures come from outside the places on this map - for example Boudicca, Vercingetorix, Caractacus, Cartimandua.

The ‘Celtic’ culture comes from La Tene culture, named for the archaeological evidence discovered in the La Tene region of Switzerland, which in turn developed from Hallstatt culture (Austria). I think that’s the right way round anyway.

So yeah, Celtic doesn’t mean Irish. Celtic culture started pretty far from Ireland.