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The Gauls of France were Celts, and the name is found in the French for Wales "Pais de Galles", also in Galicia (northern Spain, Galatia (western Turkey). The Celtic kingdoms spread from Turkey in the East to Ireland in the West. Their famous musical instrument was the bagpipes or elbow pipes, found in Ireland, Northumberland, Scotland, Galicia, Asturias. the Auvergne and Greece. The wearing of the tartan plaid was widespread throughout the Celtic regions. Although the French take their name from the Frankish tribes which were Teutonic (German) large numbers of them are descendants of the Celts (Gauls). It was tribes of Gauls, speaking either Goidelic Celtic or Brythonic Celtic who penetrated Britain and Ireland (Hibernia), displacing the Iberians, small dark people, who arrived there before them and who originated in northern Spain.
"Tylwyth Teg"
The Tywlyth Teg is a pseudonym, similar to the Irish "good people" for the fairies. Dr. Rhys' Celtic Folklore says that the depiction of them is either that of small people, usually theives and tricksters, who torment unsuspecting humans, or as a little larger and stronger than humans, but still thieving milk and other food, or worse yet, were engaged in the practice of changelings. In each case, it is believed they lived in the mountains of Wales, not unlike the sídhe of Irish legend.
Footnote:one million Celtic Gauls were slaughtered by the Romans during the Gallic Wars and another million condemned to slavery, totalling 50% of the population, a Roman holocaust.
"The Nineteenth century saw a great Springtime of Nations as the revolutions of 1848 saw new countries created the length and breadth of Europe. In our world today we are now seeing our own Spring Awakening with people and cultures that have long been dormant and subdued asserting their right to exist, their right to dream." Adam Price MP
Thanks for the notice; I posted on 14 Feb. 2007 on my blog both the original Western Post piece you link to and a map from Stephen Oppenheimer via the NY Times 5 Mar. 2007. I also provided a link to my recently published review in the journal Epona, on his book and a study by John Waddell on Irish archaelogy's origins. Both scholars document how we know what we think and thought we know about the Celts. What intrigues me indeed is who preceded the Celts! Oppenheimer, and Bryan Sykes in overlapping if competing DNA studies both at Oxford, try to match language with genogeography. Hwyl fawr!
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