What Defines The Term "celtic"

I agree with all but your first type of Celt. If you have no Celtic ancestry, I can't see how you can be a Celt in any way. For those people you could say they have the Heart of a Celt. Either is welcome here.

There are branches of the Scot side of my family that fought in every American war. We were not of such importance as to have signed any "great" document. We came as "Indentured Servants."

The Irish ancestors can be traced back to the potato famine with the latest arriving in 1893. They were poorer than the Scots who came as indentured servants. Many settled in the "Black Swamp" of North West Ohio. The land was worthless and many died from mosquito borne illness. Eventually they drained the swamp and the land produced excellent crops. Otherwise we would have remained "dirt" poor. (Not that we are a lot better now)

It was the Fierce Celt spirit that made it ALL possible.

Slàinte,   

 Patch    

Patch;

The Irish famine could have been avoided but it seems when you dig into the history of the U.K that there was a unspoken genocide in progress. The English had a system of getting rid of trouble makers. Not just their own but the Scots, Irish or Welsh who rebeled against their rule. That of course was to ship them all off somewhere in the hopes that where ever they ended up it would kill them. The one thing they did not take into account was the stubborn streak bread into every Celt and the drive to survive.


Camac.

I found this site, though about three years too late by the looks of things, while searching for the answer to the very question posed at the beginning of this post: What defines a Celt? How is a Celt distinguishable from any other person?

I know about the linguistic demarcation, as well as the subdivisions; P-Celts, Q-Celts. Apart from that, it seems to me there are various factors. Polytheism seems common. General ferocity in battle has been historically noted, as has a demonstrable unwillingness to be ruled by others. The last thing I've noticed is the lack of desire to form an empire. I could be wrong on this but the pattern of the varied Celtic lifestyles seems to point this way, as does the general retreat of Celtic culture to a proportionally smaller area and safe haven. I think most clan-based societies prefer to live and be left alone, fighting when the need arises in defense as well as for gain, but seemingly not to dominate. Now, having said that, I would like to throw in my two cents on other matters...

Whether people want to admit this or not, blood plays a large part in our lives; affecting our personalities, physical traits, and personal skills/abilities. These are basic building blocks upon which we must construct our own souls. Knowing what lies in the past of one's blood, is something of an oracular experience, only in reverse. It will show pitfalls and shining lights; the best and worst of personal proclivities. At the risk of sounding pompous and grandiose (and intentionally redundant ) - the glowing embers of evil in all hearts must be searched out and consciously extinguished, while at the same time the spark of good must be fanned to life. We may choose to add what fuel we wish. That fuel is what we control in our own make-up.

I suppose this could be looked at as a combination of nature and nurture. I have been thinking about this subject a lot lately. I'm planning a trip to Ireland and Scotland in August of this year. A trip to confirm my roots, but also a spiritual sojourn. I think people are drawn to certain things by both blood and consciousness. It comes down to association for the consciousness. Due to the histories and landscapes of both regions, I, and presumably many others, associate Ireland and Scotland in particular with tenacity of life, freedom of thought, and freedom of the heart. These are things which I prize because I find myself lacking in such areas. I think that sentiment, the desire to embody those ideals, which is what Celtic peoples seem to do, is what draws people to Celts. Romanticism is, after all, just like a cliché, it becomes so through common use due to a certain aptness to the situation, or in this case people, with which it is associated.