The word Celt or Celtic was first coined by George Bucanan, a Scot who wrote a book entitled 'The History of Scotland ' in the 16th Century. His use of these terms stemmed from the Latin words Kelto or Celtae.

It is said that Britains traced their origin to a character named Brutus (pronounced Britis in Welsh) one of the people of Troy who escaped when the city was under siege. He is said to be the grandson of the father of Rome.

It is believed that this story is a fabrication as the British merely wanted the status that was assosiated with Rome.

This story is an example of the fact that we have little or no documented evidence of our roots or origins. Much of what is classed as history could also fit into the category of legend.


The Irish too had their own origin legend. Links were found between the Irish and the Scythians who lived near Troy on the Black Sea. It seems that the reason for the link is that the Irish were known as Scoti during medieval times.

The Irish themselves decided that their ancestress was a woman named Scota, daughter of a Scythian phaorah. Through this they found a way of associating themselves with the bible.

They also endeavoured to link themselves to Noah and his children, Jabath in particular. The British tried this biblical link also. It is fair to say that early on neither the British nor the Irish regarded themselves as Celts.


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