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moving content from Celts
The growth of the [[British Empire]] provided a vehicle for the spread of Celtic people to far flung regions of the world. The diaspora of Goidelic Celts was particularly large, due in large amount to the high proportion of Scots and Irish in the armies of the British Empire and also the catastrophic effects of the potato famines and the highland clearances on Goidelic regions of Britain. The majority of [[Australia|Australians]] and [[New Zealand|New Zealanders]] have Celtic roots. <ref>http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument</ref> Canada is another place that received a particularly large amount of Celtic immigration, mostly from Scotland, and at one time Scottish Gaelic was the third most prevalent language after English and French. Today Gaelic in [[Canada]] is much less important with only a few thousand speakers remaining, most of whom live on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Irish immigration to the [[USA]] also had an important impact on its history, and though migration of non Celtic peoples to the USA has always been much higher than in the antipodes, leading to a large dilution of Celtic blood, the cultural impact of the Irish on contemporary American culture and religion has been disproportionately large.
The growth of the [[British Empire]] provided a vehicle for the spread of Celtic people to far flung regions of the world. The diaspora of Goidelic Celts was particularly large, due in large amount to the high proportion of Scots and Irish in the armies of the British Empire and also the catastrophic effects of the potato famines and the highland clearances on Goidelic regions of Britain. The majority of [[Australia|Australians]] and [[New Zealand|New Zealanders]] have Celtic roots. <ref>http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/636F496B2B943F12CA2573D200109DA9?opendocument</ref> Canada is another place that received a particularly large amount of Celtic immigration, mostly from Scotland, and at one time Scottish Gaelic was the third most prevalent language after English and French. Today Gaelic in [[Canada]] is much less important with only a few thousand speakers remaining, most of whom live on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Irish immigration to the [[USA]] also had an important impact on its history, and though migration of non Celtic peoples to the USA has always been much higher than in the antipodes, leading to a large dilution of Celtic blood, the cultural impact of the Irish on contemporary American culture and religion has been disproportionately large.
Important issues affecting Celts today include the preservation and expansion of their languages which are threatened by the global spread of English and also by greater autonomy in the Celtic nations. Whilst the [[United Kingdom]] and the Republic of Ireland are now becoming more and more aware of these issues, the situation is rather different in [[France]] where regional autonomy and indigenous languages are a politically sensitive subject.
Important issues affecting Celts today include the preservation and expansion of their languages which are threatened by the global spread of English and also by greater autonomy in the Celtic nations. Whilst the [[United Kingdom]] and the Republic of Ireland are now becoming more and more aware of these issues, the situation is rather different in [[France]] where regional autonomy and indigenous languages are a politically sensitive subject.
==History==
The Celts were the first ethnic group to become widespread in Europe. Using tribes rather than stable civilizations, the Celts began in central Europe and migrated west beginning in about 500 B.C. to the British Isles and also northwest France and portions of Spain. Their religion consisted of worshipping the land, the waters and the changing of the seasons. Many aspects of life were associated with a particular God or Goddess, and their priests were called “druids”. They had no written language but often told myths and folktales. The Celts were renowned by the Romans for their fighting prowess, due to the Roman Empire's consistently failed attempts to conquer Ireland.
An off-shoot of the Celts moved into central Anatolia (modern Turkey) during the 3rd century BC and became known as the Galatians (of Paul's Epistles fame.)
==Pronunciation==
The name "Celt" and the adjective "Celtic" can be pronounced with either a hard or a soft ''c.'' According to dictionaries the hard-c version ("kelt") is more common, and perhaps more correct since it is derived from the Greek word ''keltoi.''
The Boston Celtics basketball team is named after the Celts, a loose reference to Boston's Irish association; the team name is always pronounced with a soft ''c,'' as if it were spelled "seltics"; the same applies the the [[Glasgow]] football team Celtic F.C.
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Celtic languages]]
*[[Celtic languages]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:culture]]
[[Category:Medieval History]]
[[Category: Ancient History]]