Posted on April 3, 2019
The country of Ireland is one that many may recognize from phrases like “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” or perhaps through St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday where everyone wears green—just for the sake of it. Ireland as a country is also known for its stunning views, plethora of adorable sheep, and green cliffs that seem to roll straight into the sea…
While the Irish people have adapted to modern lifestyle, just like most people, there are clear traces of ancient Irish culture that can still be observed today. So, even though globalization has indeed impacted Irish culture, we can analyze the ways in which the Celts have remained a large part of Irish society.
We will start by examining the history of Ireland. It is, after all, an island, so one must question how settlers traveled there in the first place. Historians claim that people first settled in Ireland via land bridge (or by boat) around 7000 BCE, which was called the “Stone Age”. These Stone Age people left behind weaponry and tools such as axe heads, as well as faunal remains from which we can confirm their diets consisted of mostly berries, fruit, and wild animals.
The Stone Age lasted to 2000 BCE, where the Bronze Age begun. The Bronze Age is characterized by the use of copper and tin tools in those ancient civilizations. Continuing forward in time, the Iron Age began in 500 BCE, which was characterized by the use of Iron tools (which was a much stronger material than bronze), and is considered to be the birth of real, ancient Irish culture.
The ancient Celts were a group of people who were dispersed throughout Europe, from Portugal to Turkey. When the Celts arrived in Ireland in 300 BCE, the people who were already settled there assimilated their culture. The Celts did not have a formal, central government, but were still very skilled in the art of weaponry, as well as in making chariots. The people of Rome called them “Galli” and the people of Greece called them “Keltoi”, which both meant “barbarian”. As mentioned earlier, the groups of people who were previously living in Ireland, and what is now called the United Kingdom, were displaced by the Celts, so the Gaels, Gauls, Britons, Irish, and Gallations were all known as “Celtic” people.
The culture of these ancient people is very distinct, and very magical per se. While the culture had no central focused religion (that we know of), spirituality was very important to the lifestyle of these people. For example, there were people called druids and filidhs who foretold prophecies and also judged civil and criminal cases. These druids, which means “Knowing [or Finding] the Oak Tree” in Celtic, were trained for up to twenty years, and were known for frequenting oak forests, presumably to seek knowledge of the next prophecy.
There were also many rituals that the people were involved with, such as the “Bull Sleep” ritual. In this ritual, “a chosen person was fed bull flesh and chanted to sleep by four Druids. When he awoke, he would prophecy who the next king would be.” The Celtic people also practiced animal sacrifice, as well as believed in magic and witchcraft. The Geis Bond is a magical bond which prevents a warrior from being dishonored and from dying. They also believed in a parallel, magical universe in which spiritual entities could actively come out of mounds in the ground, in the form of a fairie, (which means “Realm of the Fays”).
There are many trademark artwork and symbols that represent the Celtic culture quite well. The Triquetra, a type of triangle, represents the three stages in life: Maiden, Mother, and Wise-Woman. After Christians traveled to Ireland, the Triquetra took on the meaning of the Holy Trinity.
The Celtic Knot (which is one of many variations) symbolizes the never-ending, eternal circle of life.
The Celtic Shield Knot is a symbol that protects someone from danger and wards off evil spirits.
Lastly, the shamrock, which is debatably the most well-recognized Irish symbol today, has deeper symbolic meaning than just good luck. Legend says that St. Patrick, the “Apostle of Ireland” who spread the message of Christianity to the country, plucked a shamrock out of the ground to demonstrate the Holy Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Shamrock in Celtic tradition was already said to have mystic powers because of its capability to “stand up in the wind when a storm was approaching”.
Today, most Irish people consider themselves Celtic in heritage. Over half a million people speak a Celtic language fluently, and if you travel there, you can notice that street signs and store signs are written in both English and Celtic!
With this, we can conclude that the Celtic culture is not dying out any time soon, unlike some of the other cultures we have looked at. In spite of globalization, Celtic people are expressing their culture all the more, which is a very, very good thing!
Sources:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Druid.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 June 2011, www.britannica.com/topic/Druid.
“Geis | The Curse in Irish Mythology.” Aliisaacstoryteller, 19 May 2018, aliisaacstoryteller.com/2014/09/15/geis-the-curse-in-irish-mythology/.
“Iron Age People: Celts.” Ask about Ireland, www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/subjects/history/history-the-full-story/irelands-early-inhabitant/iron-age-people-celts/.
The Irish culture is merging modern trend with a rich history and a changing population. The Irish culture is definitely one of the few cultures that are growing, but also in some ways being Americanized here in the United States. Like said, a big holiday like St. Patrick’s day is becoming a day where you go get drunk and wasted and party. Even Americans who are not Irish are dressing and wearing the clover or dressing in Irish clothing to support the culture, or just to celebrate and or mock the culture.
Overall though, the Irish tradition is growing and gaining its popularity within the United States. From art to music to even sports, the Irish are very big in their culture and all over the place with heavy support. People like Conor McGregor are idols that represent the Irish and at times can be backfiring as things he may do that are negative also will result in people to possibly look down on the Irish. There also has been a growth in the Irish music as it was brought to the United States and merged with the many American music styles to create new works.
Going back in time, the Irish coming to the United States brought a lot with them, especially labor unions. These were primary ways for the Irish to stick together in America’s infrastructure. With the harsh discrimination in 1850s, the Irish in a complete different world. Today, the Irish are a “majority” and not viewing the issue of discrimination anymore unlike some other races or cultures. In the end, the Irish have come a long way from being nobodies within the United States to getting national holidays and celebrated all over the United States by many.
Sources:
https://techlifeireland.com/enjoying-ireland/irish-culture/
https://www.theclassroom.com/irish-traditions-brought-to-america-12081086.html
The Irish culture is merging modern trend with a rich history and a changing population. The Irish culture is definitely one of the few cultures that are growing, but also in some ways being Americanized here in the United States. Like said, a big holiday like St. Patrick’s day is becoming a day where you go get drunk and wasted and party. Even Americans who are not Irish are dressing and wearing the clover or dressing in Irish clothing to support the culture, or just to celebrate and or mock the culture.
Overall though, the Irish tradition is growing and gaining its popularity within the United States. From art to music to even sports, the Irish are very big in their culture and all over the place with heavy support. People like Conor McGregor are idols that represent the Irish and at times can be backfiring as things he may do that are negative also will result in people to possibly look down on the Irish. There also has been a growth in the Irish music as it was brought to the United States and merged with the many American music styles to create new works.
Sources:
https://techlifeireland.com/enjoying-ireland/irish-culture/
This comment makes me wonder whether or not Irish people are content with having their culture become Americanized. Or are they pleased that their culture is being spread throughout different nations and are persisting in the face of globalization? I think there may be a fine line of exploitation of the culture and respecting and celebrating it. I have a feeling that St. Patrick’s Day has gone a bit far and is maybe not exactly what it once was represented to be.
I was wondering the same thing. Americans also do it differently since they just see it as a drinking day, while for the Irish its an actual religious holiday. For example, the shamrock symbolizes the Holy Trinity. I personally think this event got commercialized.
Hey Leah,
I really like this post, it’s so interesting! I did not know any of this. I googled more about them and found pretty cool things.
Vikings, instead of conquering Ireland, assimilated to the Irish. The Viking’s legacy can be seen throughout the Celtic culture. “Crosses on the Island carry Celtic designs and the early Celtic script known as Ogham. Later Norse sculptors decorated their crosses and incorporated tales from pagan mythology.”I also found interesting the fact that no one was able to successfully invade Ireland, which is why the Irish were able to survive causing their culture to flourish.
A big part of the Celtic culture was the supernatural, as you mentioned. They even associated things like mountains or rivers to supernatural properties. They also believed in the “otherworld: where the Gods and dead lived. They had sacrifices to “send” messengers to this world places in another realm.
I don’t know if you have ever seen online, or youtubers mentioning it, how you can lighten your hair using lemon? Apparently, the Celts used to do this. They used water mixed with lime to whiten their hair. There was a meaning behind such action; it meant warriors adopting the horse as his totem and them promising to protect Eponia, the horse goddess.
“Celts and Vikings – Scandinavian Influences on the Celtic Nations.” Transceltic. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2019.
https://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/celts-and-vikings-scandinavian-influences-celtic-nations
History.com. “Celts.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2019.
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/celts
“10 Things You Should Know About The Ancient Celts And Their Warriors.” Realm of History. N.p., 03 Aug. 2018. Web. 05 Apr. 2019.
https://www.realmofhistory.com/2016/10/18/10-facts-ancient-celts-warriors/
Hey Leah!
After it seemed like Penn State has celebrated St. Patty’s Day for about the third time last month, I thought that it would be super interesting to see how Celtic culture has evolved and thought it was very relevant to highlight this culture. Clearly, St. Patrick’s Day has been altered and has now taken on an excuse for college students to day drink and wear green crop tops and shamrock fake tattoos. But I decided to research a bit more about how globalization has preserved or changed the original customs and culture of the Celts.
According to the Global Ethics Network, globalization has seemed to have a very positive effect on the island of Ireland. Globalization has circulated a lot of traditional literature, language, dance, music, and spiritual stories. Ireland has also become such a popular destination for vacations and studying abroad for students in college. By relishing these factors that contribute strongly towards Celtic culture, the preservation is nearly guaranteed through the rapidly changing world. In Ireland’s case, pride in its culture has always been such a central theme. However, one of the negative effects that I found regarding globalization and the preservation of Celtic culture was the lack of domination of some Irish dialects in the language sphere. Today, English, Chinese, and Spanish are the three most popular languages and Irish dialects, such as Munster Irish, Connacht Irish, and Ulster Irish, which are distinct dialects of Gaeltacht regions are growing less and less popular due to globalization. Cultural globalization tends to destroy or weaken the national community’s efforts to maintain their distinctness. Despite this, I do agree that this is one of the more prevalent cultures, in fact, so far it was the only one that I had heard of that has been featured on your blog.
Nevertheless, all cultures are extremely important to preserve as they exhibit the ways of our ancestors and practices of the past that are crucial to how people currently live today. For example, I believe that the spiritual aspect of the Celts’ lifestyle is so important in order to understand their beliefs, certain crucial figures in history, as well as their overall relationship with the world and understanding or comprehension of how the universe existed or was formulated. I also thought the inclusion of the various tools that were used in order to gather food throughout the various eras is such an interesting way to map the culture’s progression!
Sources:
“Globalisation Effects on the Irish Language,” Global Ethics Network, August 29, 2018, https://www.globalethicsnetwork.org/profiles/blogs/globalisation-effects-on-the-irish-language-and-identity.