The Celtic Realms

Originally published in Great Britain by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1967. This edition published in 2003 by Castle Books. This masterly survey of the history and culture of the Celtic peoples covers the whole period from their prehistoric origins to the Norman invasion of Britain. The early part of the book is concerned with the narrative history of the period, beginning with the origins of the Celts and discussing the society and culture of ancient Gaul. The British and Irish peoples are then treated separately in their historical development. The remainder of the book is concerned with the demonstration of the peculiar genius of the Celts, and the way in which this was manifested in religion, literature and the visual arts. Much of the Celtic art is relatively unknown, but has a grandeur and mystic quality which are enthralling — the myths and legends being part of a great oral tradition which can only be compared to the epics of the Classical world. The work is fully illustrated with 64 pages of photographs, which form an invaluable complement to the text and provide a striking evocation of the world of the Celts. PREFACE xi 1. DISCOVERING THE CELTS 1 2. THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE BRITISH ISLES TO THE END OF THE ROMAN PERIOD 18 3. THE CELTIC REVIVAL 43 4. THE FORMATION OF THE HISTORICAL CELTIC KINGDOMS 68 5. SECULAR INSTITUTIONS: EARLY IRISH SOCIETY 92 6. THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE MODERN CELTIC KINGDOMS 110 7. CELTIC RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY AND THE LITERATURE OF THE OTHERWORLD 134 8. CELTIC CHRISTIANITY AND ITS LITERATURE I59 9. THE CELTIC LANGUAGES AND THE BEGINNINGS OF LITERATURE 206 10. IRISH LITERATURE 239 11. WELSH LITERATURE 27O 12. CELTIC ART 287 EPILOGUE 322 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 329 MAPS 336 INDEX 345 The history and the culture of the Celtic peoples from pre-history to the Norman invasion