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The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man. They are speakers of the Goidelic (or Gaelic) languages – Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx. The Gaelic languages are a branch of the Insular Celtic languages of Britain and Ireland. The other branch of Insular Celtic is Brythonic.

Many people who do not speak fluent Gaelic consider themselves to be "Gaels" in a broader sense because of their ancestry and heritage.¹⁰

Terminology

The word in English was adopted in 1810 from Scottish Gaelic Gaidheal (compare Irish Gael/Gaedheal and Old Irish Goídel) to designate a Scottish Highlander (OED). Gael or Goídel was first used as a collective term to describe people from Ireland; it is thought to have come from Old Welsh Guoidel 'raider' (modern Welsh Gwyddel 'Irish person'). According to modern definitions:

• Gaels – the ethno-linguistic group.
• Gaelic – of or relating to the Gaels.
• Goidels – an alternative term sometimes used to describe the Gaels.
• Goidelic – of or relating to the Goidels or Gaels, particularly their language

Mythological origins

Main articles: Early history of Ireland and Milesians (Irish)

The Gaels, during the beginning of the Christian era (at which time Gaelic people were mostly restricted to Ireland), believed themselves to be descendants of the Milesians - the sons of Míl Espáine - of the Iberian peninsula. This belief persists in the Gaelic cultures of Ireland and Scotland up to the present day, with many if not most clan leaders in either country claiming descent from their predecessor, back to famous historical kings going back into pre-history such as Cormac Cas. Much of this is covered in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, which catalogues the path of the Gaels' ancestors in a way that, while mostly mythic, may be an embellished account of actual historical events. Recent genetic studies by Prof. Brian Sykes, Oxford University, may suggest that these myths are based on historical facts since the people of Northwestern Spain, specially those from Galicia and Asturias are genetically closelly related to Irish, Scotish and other so called "Celts". In fact, the latest scientific facts prove that the ancestors of the Gaels actually came from Spain.

Arrival in Ireland

It is not known with any certainty when speakers of a Goidelic (or Q-Celtic) language reached Ireland, or how they came to be the dominant culture, or if Q-Celtic didn't develop entirely in Ireland from a previous dialect. Some believe Goidelic replaced some pre-existing Brythonic (or P-Celtic) language(s), but it is not known whether this represents one population displacing others, an invader becoming a new ruling caste, or simply the spread of a new lingua franca. Before and during the age of the Roman Empire there was a great deal of movement, interaction and competition among the peoples who, though of neither ethnicity, fell within the Celtic and Germanic cultural ferment.

Estimates of the arrival of proto-Gaelic in Ireland vary widely from the introduction of agriculture circa 7000-6000 BC to around the first few centuries BC. Little can be said with certainty, as the language now known as Old Irish, ancestral to modern Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx, only began to be properly recorded with the Christianization of Ireland in the 4th Century AD. Old Irish does appear in a specialized written form, using a unique script known as Ogham. This is known to us now almost only in the form of memorial inscriptions or short epitaphs on pillar-like stone monuments (see Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth. Ogham stones are found both throughout Ireland and where Gaelic invaders settled across post-Roman Britain. It is thought to have been in use as early as 1000 BC. They frequently encode a name or description of the owner and surrounding region. It is also thought that they may have represented territorial claims.

Historical expansion

Red: the historical maximum expansion of Gaelic-speaking areas in the British Isles.

Main article: Scoti

Starting sometime around the 5th century Gaelic language and culture spread from Ireland to the southwest coast of modern Scotland, where it may have already existed since Roman times. Uncertainty over this comes as a result of the fact that there is disputed archaeological evidence to support the generally accepted tale of migration while there is some to suggest that there was none — the evidence also points to the population of the area (modern day Argyll) being constant during the time of the alleged invasion of Scotland^{citation needed}. This area was known as Dál Riata. The Gaels soon spread out to most of the rest of the country. Culturo-linguistic dominance in the area eventually led to the Latin name for Gaelic speaking peoples, "Scoti", being applied to the state founded by the Gaels: "Scotland". Since that time Gaelic language rose and, in the past three centuries, greatly diminished, in most of Ireland and Scotland. The most culturally and linguistically Gaelic regions are in the north west of Scotland, the west of Ireland and Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia where the descendants of the Highland Clearances were transplanted.

The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin, 'Mannin's Isle', from the pre-Christian deity known as Manannán mac Lír) also came under massive Gaelic influence in its history. The last native speaker of Manx died in the 1970s, though use of the Manx language never fully ceased. There is now a resurgent language movement and Manx is once again taught in all schools as a second language and in some as a first language. A large part of the island's cultural heritage is Gaelic.

Current distribution

Gaeltacht areas in Ireland.

Distrubition of Gaelic speakers in Scotland.

The two comparatively 'major' Gaelic nations in the modern era are Scotland (58,552 "Gaelic speakers" and 92,400 with "some Gaelic language ability"¹¹ in the 2001 census) and Ireland (which in the 2002 census had 185,838 people who spoke Gaeilge "daily" and 1,570,894 who were "able" to speak it).¹² Communities where the language is still spoken natively are restricted largely to the west coast of each country and especially the Hebrides in Scotland. However, large proportions of Gaelic speakers also live in the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, as well as Galway, Cork and Dublin in Ireland. There are somewhere around 2,000 Canadian Gaelic speakers although they are generally of a very advanced age and concentrated in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.¹³ According to the 2000 US CensusPDF (123 KiB), there are over 25,000 Irish-speakers in the United States with the majority found in urban areas with large Irish-American communities such as Boston, New York City and Chicago.

Notable Gaels

• Colm Cille or Columcille (meaning "Dove of the church") was a Gaelic monk credited with introducing Christianity to Scotland. He is known as St. Columba in English.
• Johannes Scotus Eriugena – 8th century philosopher and theologian.
• Cináed mac Ailpín – Often anglicized as Kenneth I of Scotland. Traditionally considered the first, founding king of Scotland.
• Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig (known as Brian Boru in English) - King of Munster and High King of Ireland, killed 1014
• Mac Bethad mac Findláich, known in English as Macbeth, was King of Scots (or of Alba) from 1040 until his death. He was the inspiration for William Shakespeare's play Macbeth though it is by no means a historically accurate account.
• Diarmait Mac Murchada (also known as Diarmait na nGall, "Dermot of the Foreigners", "Daimait MacMorchada"), anglicized as Dermot MacMurrough - Irish King of Leinster As of 1755, the modern name for Mac Murchada and Mac Murrough is Morell.
• Ruaidri mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair – often anglicized as Rory O’Connor; king of Connacht and High King of Ireland
• Fiach Mac Aodh Ó Broin - popularly referred to as Fiach McHugh O'Byrne, a 16th century Gaelic (Irish) Chieftain, Irish Resistance leader who defeated a large English force at the Battle of Glenmalure (County Wicklow) in 1580 A.D. - a mighty Irish victory remembered in the Wicklow ballad 'Follow me up to Carlow'. After massacring the English forces of the crown, the Wicklow rebels fled temporarily to occupied Carlow, fearing immediate retribution, before returning soon after to the Wicklow mountains, which continued to hold out from English occupation for a further 20 years, when in 1606 the area as we know it today was made a county.
• Aodh Mór Ó Néill, (Hugh O'Neill is the anglicised version of his name) 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Irish resistance leader. Also anlgicized as Hugh O’Niell.
• Eoghan Rua Ó Néill - (Owen Roe O'Neill is the anglicised version of his name); the early Irish nationalist and a major player during the Irish Confederate Wars
• Séamas Dall Mac Cuarta was a central figure in the seventeenth and eighteenth century Airgíalla school of Gaelic poets and songwriters.
• Rob Donn MacAoidh 18th century Scottish Gaelic poet often referred to as ‘Rob Donn MacAoidh.’
• Art Mac Cumhaigh (1738–1773) was among the most celebrated of the south Ulster and north Leinster poets in the eighteenth century. He was part of the Airgíalla tradition of poetry and song.
• Eoghan Ruadh Ó Súilleabháin - one of the last great Gaelic poets.
• Antoine Ó Raifteiri - Irish language folk poet of the 19th century
• Sir John A. Macdonald - Speaker of Scots Gaelic and first prime minister of Canada.
• Ned Maddrell – Purportedly the last native speaker of Manx Gaelic
• Padraig Pearse - Irish poet, Gaelic scholar, and Irish Republican revolutionary. He opened St. Enda's School for Irishmen wishing to learn the Irish language and was instrumental in the 1916 rebellion or Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland. For his part in the Easter Rising, Pearse was executed along with 15 other rebel leaders. He also wrote many famous poems during his lifetime.
• Liam O'Flaherty – Irish novelist and shortstory writer born and raised in the Aran Islands of the Galway Gaeltachtaí
• Sorley MacLean - Scottish Gaelic poet
• Máire Mhac an tSaoi – Modern Irish language poet and wife of the Catholic Unionist Conor Cruise O'Brien
• Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh – Irish Gaelic Athletic Association commentator for the Radio Telifís Éireann and a native speaker of Irish
• Éamon Ó Cuív – Irish Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs
• Bobby Sands – PIRA volunteer and Irish language activist who died on hungerstrike.
• Cathal Ó Searcaigh – modern Irish language poet.
• Eithne ní Bhraonáin (Enya) – Irish Singer/Songwriter
• Máire Ní Bhraonáin, better known as Máire Brennan or Moya Brennan – Irish Musician and song writer. Member of the band Clannad
• Dara Ó Briain - Irish comedian

See also

References

External links

• Aberdeen University Celtic Department Information and courses on all aspects of Celts, Gaels and related peoples, languages and cultures
• Iomairt Cholm Cille (The Columban Institute) An institute with the aim of promoting links between Irish and Scottish Gaelic speakers.
• DNA shows Scots and Irish should look to Spain for their ancestry
• Myths of British ancestry

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