The 6 Celtic nations around the world and what differentiates them

CELTIC TRIBES ONCE Controlled Much OF CONTINENTAL EUROPE, spreading east as far as modern-day Turkey. Invaders pushed the Celts west over time, and today there are only six Celtic nations in the world, all of which are situated in western Europe, including parts of the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, Ireland, and Brittany in France. Some claim that Galicia in northwest Spain is the seventh Celtic nation since its Celtic heritage is still visible today, but the six official Celtic nations are defined by the presence of a Celtic language that has lasted into the modern period, which Galicia lacks. Although their similarities are primarily linguistic in nature, each of these countries has distinct artistic and social practices, religious affiliations, and historical links that both unite and separate them. These are the six Celtic nations that remain, each distinct but united by their history and heritage.

1. Ireland

Due to their global reputations for Celtic pride and well-preserved cultural values, Ireland and Scotland are the most well-known Celtic nations. Around 500 BC, the Celts arrived in Ireland, bringing with them new artistic, religious, technological, and social traditions, as well as iron for tool and weapon manufacture. Stone and metal Celtic crosses found in Ireland and Britain are among the most iconic relics. They are said to have been initiated by St. Patrick in his mission to Christianize the pagans in Ireland. The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin and the Celtic and Prehistoric Museum in Dingle, County Kerry, both have these and other ancient objects.

The Celts have brought with them a new language, Irish Gaelic, which is still spoken and taught in Ireland today and is the main language of the Gaeltacht districts on the west coast. Ireland's traditional tongue, including Scottish Gaelic and the Manx language from the Isle of Man, is a Goidelic language, one of the two modern Celtic language groups. Myths like the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Iseult are vital to Ireland's and other Celtic nations' written and oral histories. Popular Irish dance and musical traditions are still observed today. Even Halloween is thought to have its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which has been celebrated in Ireland for centuries between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice to mark the end of the harvest season.

Visit during the spring after Easter to see Celtic singers, dancers, and musicians from all six nations compete, as well as parades, street shows, storytelling sessions, fairs, seminars, and more for the best of Celtic culture in Ireland.

2. Scotland

Scottish Gaelic, like Irish Gaelic, is still spoken on a daily basis in a number of locations across Scotland, especially in the Highlands. The Gaels and Picts were the most well-known Celtic tribes in ancient Scotland, and they are thought to have intermarried in the late Iron Age, around the 10th century. Pictish stones with ogham inscriptions (which look like something out of Lord of the Rings) have been discovered all over Scotland, and they represent some of the country's most significant ancient objects, alongside examples of Celtic crosses, knotwork, and designs used to decorate metal tools, jewelry, and clothes. Art, carvings, and other objects from the Scottish Celts can be found at the National Museum in Scotland, which is a must-see for history buffs.

Other aspects of Scotland's Celtic heritage are inextricably related to the modern country. Bagpipe music has Celtic origins and is still associated with Scotland to this day. Pitlochry, Pitsligo, Pittodrie, and Pitfichie are all Pictish place names that can be traced back to ancient Scotland and Scottish Gaelic. And the BBC's Scottish subsidiary, BBC Alba, honors Scotland's Celtic roots by using the Gaelic name Alba.

3. Wales

In Wales, known as Cymru in the native tongue, Celtic heritage is an important aspect of the national identity. Welsh is a Celtic language that is still commonly spoken throughout the world, much like Gaelic is in Ireland and Scotland, but even more so. It is more common in the west and north of Wales, while English is the main language in the south. Welsh, unlike the Goidelic dialects, is a Brythonic language, which means it has British rather than Irish origin. There were several Irish-speaking tribes in Wales at one time, but there is only a small amount of evidence of their presence in the form of inscribed artifacts.

The traditional hillforts that dot the land between the Clwyd and Moel-y-Gaer rivers are perhaps the most widespread relics of ancient Welsh existence. The buildings are some of the best-preserved Celtic ruins anywhere in the Celtic nations, and it's still uncertain if they were used primarily as defensive fortresses, housing, or both. Wales is renowned for its Iron Age La Tène sculpture, which consists primarily of metalworks adorned with religious motifs, and the country has a long and continuous Celtic literary tradition dating back to sixth-century poetry. Wales strives to honor its Celtic origins to this day.

.4. Cornwall

Cornwall is a county on England's southwestern coast, strategically located on the Celtic Sea. It is populated by Cornish people and was previously known as Kernow. Cornish is a Celtic language from the Brythonic tradition, similar to the languages of Wales and Brittany. The Cornish language, unlike Welsh, is not widely spoken and was once considered extinct by UNESCO after having largely died out by the 18th century.

The good news is that, thanks to Celtic revival movements committed to preserving Cornwall's linguistic heritage, it's making a comeback. Cornish is reappearing everywhere from local literature and film to school classrooms and ordinary homes, and it is now classified as critically endangered but not extinct. Even those who are not actively involved in the revival campaigns are subjected to the traditional language since many place names in Cornwall, such as Zennor and Penzance, are rooted in the dialect.

Due to its rugged, coastal, and remote location, Cornwall formed a cultural identity distinct from both Britain and the surrounding Celtic nations, despite being part of England. This is reflected in its mythology, which is heavily based on King Arthur stories, as the country's Dozmary Pool is said to be the home of the Lady of the Lake. The annual Lowender Peran festival, which draws both local and international performers and takes place between October and November, is the most vibrant manifestation of Celtic pride in Cornwall today.

5. Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is a small self-governing island in the English Channel between England and Ireland. Celtic influences can be traced all the way back to the fifth century, when the Goidelic Manx language, a relative of Irish and Scottish Gaelic, emerged amid earlier Brythonic influences. Manx, like Cornish, did not survive long into the modern era, despite efforts to preserve and revive the Manx dialect, art, folk music, and general history. As a tribute to its Celtic heritage, the island has hosted a famous Manx language music and cultural festival called Yn Chruinnaght since the 1970s.

Although the Isle of Man is now a British Crown dependency, the island has traditionally been ruled by Norwegians, Scots, and British, but it has largely maintained its independence and also has the world's oldest continuous parliament, Tynwald. Since the island was never invaded by the Romans, it did not become Christian until the arrival of Irish missionaries in the fifth and sixth centuries, when they spread the world of St. Patrick, which also explains its long-standing linguistic links to Gaelic.

Ogham inscriptions can be seen on many of the stone crosses and artifacts discovered on the island, though Scandinavian scripts can also be found. Rich folk tales, complete with fairies and sea gods; fishing, hunting, gathering, and maritime objects found at the Manx Museum; and the island's official symbol, a triskelion comprised of three armored legs done up in spurs and radiating from a single point, a version of a common pattern seen throughout the Celtic nations; and the island's official symbol, a triskelion comprised of three armored legs done up in spurs and radiating from. 

6. Brittany

Brittany, or Bretagne in French, is a peninsula on France's west coast that juts out into the Atlantic, with the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea to the northwest, and the Atlantic to the west. It's the only remaining official Celtic nation on mainland Europe, which sets it apart from the rest of France and the other Celtic nations. The Celts were the first documented inhabitants of the region, which the Romans invaded in 56 BC under the name Armorica, which loosely translates as "by the sea," but had little influence on the culture. The Adventures of Asterix, a French comic book series that chronicles the resistance of a small village of Celtic Gauls to invading Roman armies, may be familiar with the past.

The British settlers who arrived between the fifth and sixth centuries after Anglo-Saxons conquered the British Isles gave Brittany its name and provided much of its cultural heritage. While most natives speak French as their first language, the common Breton language, a cousin of Cornish and a distant relative of Welsh, is still widely spoken. Breton art and culture have seen a revival in recent years, with the opening of Breton language schools and celebrations featuring veuze music, which is played on Breton bagpipes similar to those associated with Scotland, often by kilt-wearing bagpipers.

The Festival Interceltique, with its parades and concerts, takes place in the Breton city of Lorient every August for an immersion into Brittany's Celtic heritage. Galicia's Celtic origins are the star of the show this year.