hee hee, y'all.

(By the way, I was born in Pennsylvania.)

NO!!!!!

Um ... no.

In fact Ireland is perhaps one of the ONLY countries where mass, national conversion was accomplished WITHOUT the shedding of blood. The historical records (what few there are) show that from the time of Patrick, the people of Ireland, and this included the Druids, were quick to peacefully convert to the 'new religion'.

The only real violence associated with the Celtic Christians occurred thanks to the Viking Invasions, when whole towns were massacred, villages and monasteries burned, and so much history lost when the books were destroyed.

Any reliable history of Ireland will tell this is true.

Try:
Alcock, Leslie
--Arthur’s Britain
(Pelican/Penguin Books, NY, NY. 1985)
An historical depiction of Britain from the 4th to the 7th Centuries, which includes sketches of Celtic life, mainly around Wales. Prof. Alcock focuses on the Arthurian legends and presents findings from the field of archeology, including the early effects of Christianity in the Isles. Illustrated with pictures of Celtic and British archeological relics.

Ashe, Geoffrey
Discovery of King Arthur
(Anchor Press, Doubleday, NY, NY. 1985)
More focused on the Arthurian Legend than Alcock, but has a wonderful chapter on “Saints, Bards and Heroes” that chronicles the early life and mythology of Wales. Unfortunately, most of this is presented as theory.

Cahil, Thomas
--How the Irish Saved Civilization
Cahil explores an aspect of Celtic culture that had until that time been almost completely ignored – that the literacy of a tiny island during the Dark Ages preserved and later re-introduced cultural works of literature at a time that these had largely disappeared on the continent.

Duncan, Anthony
--Elements of Celtic Christianity
(Element Books, Rockport MA. 1992)
Bare Bones history of Christianity in Celtic lands from pre-Patrick to the Norman Invasion. What distinguishes this from a dry history is the inclusion of the chapter called “Celtic Christianity – so what?” that calls for a Celtic Christian revival in modern spirituality:
“[Celtic Christianity] calls us back to what we are. It is a recall to reality…the spirituality of the Celt is the living of life with the head in the heart.”

MacManus, Seumas
--Story of the Irish Race
(Devin Adair Company, Old Greenwich, Conn. 1980)
Basically, the story of Irish civilization from the first Celts to come to Ireland though the Treaty that created the Irish Republic. Told with a Bard’s voice, 12 chapters are dedicated to Celtic Christianity and it’s impact on the development of Irish culture and legal systems. (Possibly out of print?)

Toulson, Shirley
--Celtic Alternative: Reminder of the Christianity We Lost
(Rider, London, England. 1987)
I discovered this book in a list of ‘other works’ in Ms. Toulson’s book “the Celtic Year” and found that it was not available in the U.S.! So I wrote Ms. Toulson and bought a copy directly from her. At only 150 pages, possibly one of the best ‘concise’ treatments of Celtic Christianity I’ve read. Ms. Toulson clearly feels that Celtic Christianity is “a picture of an open and balanced society which still has much to teach us of tolerance, persistence, and a tough but gentile kindness.”

Or, on the other hand, if clothing were optional altogether. That way security concerns would be non-existence, and competition on who has the more expensive skirt or slacks or jacket would be done away with.

Well, they got THAT part right, anyway!!!