It started with the Celts – This group of people originated in the Alps region of central Europe and spread throughout Eastern Europe and as far west as Ireland where they arrived around 500 B.C. It’s important to note that Celtic influences were a culture and not an empire.  The word ‘Celt” comes from the Greeks, who referred to tribes north of their country as “Keltoi.”

The Celts, who were a loose grouping of tribes, discovered iron around 800 B.C. Iron was a much stronger and more durable metal than bronze and therefore gave them technological advantage to spread as they did to Western Europe.  It is generally believed they assimilated gradually into Ireland over the course of a few hundred years, laying a key foundation stone of Irish culture that is felt to this day. The Celts were considered a colorful people who lived their lives following the natural and mystical rhythms of life and mother nature e.g. seasons, birth, death, rebirth, spiritual realms, etc.

Today Celtic nationhood or identity is more obvious on the western fringes of Europe: Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Spanish provinces of Galicia and Asturias. The native tongues of these areas are related as they originated from a common language. Traditional music and artwork found in these regions still continue to flourish, each with a deep, rich, cultural seam originating from many previous generations.

One world-famous book that is both a religious record and example of Irish cultural art is the ninth century A.D. medieval manuscript known as the “Book of Kells.”’ It details the four gospels of Jesus Christ and is a magnificent example of Celtic art meets Christianity. It was written in Latin by monks who toiled full time for years on its creation. Each page is adorned with complex, decorative symbols and pictures that a modern artist would struggle to recreate by hand. The book was kept in various abbeys for centuries and survived the pillaging of marauding Vikings. It can be viewed in the Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin.