Celtic Culture & heritage

Celtic Hegemony In Europe And Beyond At Its Height

At one time the Celtic peoples were spread over large parts of Europe and beyond. It is known  that by around 275 BC, the Celts' influence and power stretched from the Atlantic seaboard in the west of Europe and included parts of the Iberian peninsula, the islands of Britain and Ireland, much of Western and Central Europe, part of Eastern Europe and into central Anatolia. There can be little doubt that the Celts viewed themselves in that period as an identifiable separate ethnically similar people speaking related Celtic languages. Sculptures carved at the time and found in many parts of Europe project a similar image of themselves over a significant geographical spread.

The question of where the Celts originated prior to this great expansion has been the subject of much research over recent years. In particular the hypothesis of “Celtic from the West”, raised by a number of those studying the subject including Barry Cunliffe archaeologist and academic, who was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2007 and now Emeritus Professor and his colleague John T. Koch, who is an academic, historian and linguist who specializes in Celtic studies. The theory being that the Celtic-speaking peoples emerged from the communities living along Europe’s western coastal regions during the Bronze Age.

The Scottish city of Dundee (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Dè or Dùn Dèagh) stands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Tatha) which feeds into the North Sea on Scotland’s eastern coast. There are many notable people who were born or associated with Dundee, but there are few who have so much myth and legend surrounding them than Captain William Kidd. This notorious Scottish pirate was born in Dundee in around 1655. He emigrated to New York and is thought to have become a seaman's apprentice and then by 1689, was a member of a French–English pirate crew sailing the Caribbean. On one such voyage William Kidd became a captain. In 1691 he met and married Sarah Bradley Cox Oort, a wealthy New York widow.

During the war between England and France in the 1690’s, Captain Kidd became a successful privateer in charge of the vessel Blessed William. He was part of a small fleet defending the small English island colony of Nevis and American and English trade routes with the West Indies. The English did not pay the sailors for their defensive services, telling them instead to gain their income  from the capture of enemy ships that had valuable cargo. These actions also included the attack and plunder of ports on French island colonies.

Pilates is a physical fitness method developed in the early 20th century. According to supporters of this exercise system regular pilates can improve posture, muscle tone, balance and joint mobility and at the same time relieve stress and tension. It was created and promoted by German-born Joseph Pilates (December 9, 1883 - October 9, 1967). Less well known is how Joseph Pilates observation of cats when interned as an “enemy alien” during the First World War influenced his development of the exercise. It happened in the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin), the Celtic island located in the heart of the Irish Sea.

In the Isle of Man, close to the small village of Kirk Patrick (Manx: Skyll Pherick), was once located Knockaloe Internment Camp, which was constructed at the time of the First World War. This catastrophic global conflict originated in Europe and lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. It is estimated that this war resulted in the death of over nine million combatants and seven million civilians. Amongst the victims of this conflict were also those civilians that were viewed at the time as being of enemy nationality. So called “enemy aliens” had their movements restricted during this period which also saw the development of internment camps.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall as well as the Channel Islands and England. Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, its name subsequently changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The Institution is extremely highly regarded for the work it undertakes in often treacherous conditions and the bravery of its crews. Motivated by the selfless aim to save lives, it has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service.

The founder of the RNLI was William Hillary (4 January 1771 – 5 January 1847) who moved to the Isle  of Man (Manx: Mannin) in 1808.  He saw at first hand the many ships being wrecked around the Manx coast and experienced the treacherous nature of the Irish Sea that surrounds the Island. He was inspired to drew up plans for a national lifeboat service manned by trained crews, which was intended not only for the Isle of Man, but for the coasts of all the adjacent islands. He had to campaign hard and be persuasive in garnering support for his proposal, but was successful.