Wandering Angus

Kingship

Joe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:02:00 GMT

The matter of who would lead a Celtic group seems to have been decided by a prominent group of nobles rather than divine right or primogeniture (i.e. the throne being passed to the eldest son or daughter as the case may be when no sons were conceived). Although these data are circumstantial (recall that the Celts left no written record), it appears that Kings were chosen on the basis of who was the fittest mentally and physically for the job rather than by kinship to the current King. The King ...

Cead Mile Failte

Joe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:56:00 GMT

Cead Mile Failte (pronounced "kaid meel-aa fall-cha") means one hundred thousand welcomes in Gaelic.
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Failte

Joe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:52:00 GMT

Failte (pronounced "fall-cha") means welcome in Gaelic.
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Onen hag oll (one and all)

Joe — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:10:00 GMT

Onen hag oll (pronounced owan hag ol) is Cornish for "one and all" and appears in a variety of contexts. Its meaning seems self-evident.
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Caste system

Joe — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:31:00 GMT

The caste system among the Celts be they Irish, Scottish, Welch, etc. was similar to the caste system in place in most of the ancient world. At the bottom was the menial class...herdsman, house servants, and so forth. Next, came the warriors and, then, the intellectual class (judges, doctors, priests...druids, that is...and the like). At the top were the Kings and Queens. There were a whole range of Kings and Queens...not just one. The origin of the terms associated with Kings and Queens has to do with reaching ...

Literacy

Joe — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:14:00 GMT

Some have argued that the Celts were illiterate because they did not develop a language of their own until the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. It is true they did not develop a written language of their own until then, but it is not true they were illiterate prior to that time. In effect, they used languages of those they came into contact with to record a variety of things (praises to various Gods, words on coins, records of ceremonies, and so forth). The languages used were typically Latin and Greek. Later after they developed Ogham script (depicted above ...

Origin of the term "Celts"

Joe — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:34:00 GMT

There is some dispute over the whether the term Celts originated with them or was made up to refer to them by more recent scholars (for an overview of this dispute see Ellis, 2004). We will take the view that the Celts referred to themselves as Keltoi (which has to do with being hidden). At least that is the way the Greeks who came into contact with the early Celts reported that they referred to themselves as "Keltoi". From Keltoi to Celts is not a great leap and seems a ...

Kiss me I'm Irish!

Joe — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:20:00 GMT

Tabhair pog dom, Taim Eireannach pronounced "Too-irr pogue dum, Toyme ay-ron-ock" in Gaelic translates to "Kiss me I'm Irish!" in English.
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Introduction

Joe — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:14:00 GMT

The early Celts did not leave a written record. They did not develop a written language until after they came into contact with the Greeks and Romans. Many think this was due to an inability to do so. More likely, it is due to their strong oral tradition and belief that if they put their central tenets into written form that outsiders could access those records and weaken their belief structure. Regardless, the account here will rely on others accounts of the Celts (trading ...

God be with you (hello)

Joe — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:47:00 GMT

"Dia dhuit" is pronounced "dee-ah dwit" and translates as "God be with you" but functions as "Hello" in conversation.
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Peace be with you (Siochan Leat)

Joe — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:38:00 GMT

Siochan Leat means "Peace be with you" and is pronounced "shee/oh/con lat".
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Happy St. Patrick's Day

Joe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:28:00 GMT

Beannachtai na Felle Padrig is pronounced "bann/ockt/tee nih fall/eh pawd/rig" whichmeans "Happy St. Patrick's Day" in Gaelic.

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"Excuse me" in Gaelic

Joe — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:33:00 GMT

Gabh mo leithscaal is pronounced "govh muh leh-skayle" and means "Excuse me" in Gaelic.
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You are beautiful

Joe — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:23:00 GMT

Ta Tu go halainn (pronounced "taw two guh haul-inn") means "you are beautiful" in Gaelic.
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bean mo chroi (woman of my heart)

Joe — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:01:00 GMT

Bean mo chroi pronounced "bann muh dree" means "woman of my heart".
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Two Shorten the Road

Joe — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:44:00 GMT

Giorraionn beirt bothar (pronounced "gurr-on bert bothar") translates as "two shorten the road"...a nice sentiment, indeed.
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Excuse Me

Joe — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:57:00 GMT

Gabh Mo leithscaal (pronounced "govh muh leh-skayle") means "excuse me" in gaelic.
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Gra Go Deo (Love Forever)

Joe — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:13:00 GMT

Gra Go Deo pronounced "graw guh djoe" means "Love forever." and would be a wonderful sentiment to have engraved on jewelry for that special someone.
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My Soulmate

Joe — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:07:00 GMT

Mo anam cara pronounced "muh ann-imm karrah" means "My Soulmate". This expression often is inscribed on rings, which make excellent gifts on the right occasion.
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Fainne oir ort! (Well done!)

Joe — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:49:00 GMT

"Fainne oir ort" is pronounced "fawn-yeh ore urt". In general, it means well done. The literal translation is "a gold ring on you", which I find to carry more imagery and meaning than a simple "well done".
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