The Celtic League is a
pan-Celtic
Pan-Celticism ( ga, Pan-Cheilteachas, Scottish Gaelic: ''Pan-Cheilteachas'', Breton: ''Pan-Keltaidd'', Welsh: ''Pan-Geltaidd,'' Cornish: ''Pan-Keltaidd,'' Manx: ''Pan-Cheltaghys''), also known as Celticism or Celtic nationalism is a political ...
organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote
modern Celtic identity and culture in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
,
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
– referred to as the
Celtic nations
The Celtic nations are a cultural area and collection of geographical regions in Northwestern Europe where the Celtic languages and cultural traits have survived. The term ''nation'' is used in its original sense to mean a people who shar ...
; it places particular emphasis on promoting the
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edwar ...
of those nations. It also advocates further self-governance in the Celtic nations and ultimately for each nation to be an independent state in its own right.
[Current Campaigns]
celticleague.net. Retrieved 26 February 2016. The Celtic League is an accredited
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
with
roster consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (EcoSoc).
Aims
The Celtic League presents its aims as including:
* "Fostering co-operation between Celtic peoples."
* "Developing the consciousness of the special relationship and solidarity between them."
* "Making our national struggles and achievements better known abroad."
* "Campaigning for a formal association of Celtic nations to take place once two or more of them have achieved self-government."
* "Advocating the use of the national resources of each of the Celtic countries for the benefit of all its people."
"Each Celtic nation is conditioned by a different history and so we must not expect uniformity of thought, but instead allow diversity to express itself within the Celtic League. In this way, we may better recognise those areas of possible co-operation and eventually formulate a detailed common policy. With this we can work out which kind of relations between our communities will enable them to enjoy freedoms and liberties at both individual and community level."
Politically, the Celtic league seeks to create six
sovereign states from the six
Celtic nations
The Celtic nations are a cultural area and collection of geographical regions in Northwestern Europe where the Celtic languages and cultural traits have survived. The term ''nation'' is used in its original sense to mean a people who shar ...
it acknowledges as existing,
associated in some way.
There is some variation in the understanding of these aims, which ranges from annual general meetings (AGMs), to an actual federation along the lines of the
Nordic Council.
The 1987 Celtic League Annual General Meeting stated that it: "firmly reiterates that the Celtic League has a specific function within
Celtia, i.e. to work for the reinstatement of our languages to a viable position, and the attainment of sufficient economic, cultural and political autonomy to guarantee the survival of our civilisation into the 21st century. This emphasis on the languages of our six nations marks us now as distinct cultural communities, and therefore as distinct nations."
History
Founded in 1961, the present Celtic League grew out of various other pan-Celtic organisations, particularly the
Celtic Congress
The International Celtic Congress ( br, Ar C'hendalc'h Keltiek, kw, An Guntelles Keltek, gv, Yn Cohaglym Celtiagh, gd, A' Chòmhdhail Cheilteach, ga, An Chomhdháil Cheilteach, cy, Y Gyngres Geltaidd) is a cultural organisation that seeks to ...
, but with a more political emphasis. Previously,
Hugh MacDiarmid
Christopher Murray Grieve (11 August 1892 – 9 September 1978), best known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid (), was a Scottish poet, journalist, essayist and political figure. He is considered one of the principal forces behind the Scottish Rena ...
and others had suggested something along the same lines.
The Celtic League was started at the 1961
National Eisteddfod of Wales, which was held at
Rhosllannerchrugog near
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in northeast
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. Two of the founding members were
Gwynfor Evans
Gwynfor Richard Evans (1 September 1912 – 21 April 2005) was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first Member of Parliament to represent it at Westmi ...
and
J. E. Jones, who were respectively president and secretary-general of the Welsh nationalist political party
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
at the time. Interest was expressed by Scottish parties, and also by Breton nationalists.
Branches
There are six main, national branches of the Celtic League in the six Celtic countries, generally known by the Celtic language names of their countries: Ireland is known as ''
Éire
() is Irish for "Ireland", the name of both an island in the North Atlantic and the sovereign state of the Republic of Ireland which governs 84% of the island's landmass. The latter is distinct from Northern Ireland, which covers the remaind ...
'',
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
as ''
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...
'',
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
as ''Cymru'',
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
as ''Breizh'',
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
as ''Kernow'' and the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
as ''Mannin'' or ''Mann''.
When concluding against the inclusion of the historically Celtic regions
Galicia and
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
(Asturies) in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, the 1987 Celtic League Annual General Meeting stated that, because the Celtic League's specific function, "to work for the reinstatement of our languages ... and the attainment of ... political autonomy", must remain undiluted, "this AGM considers that it would be condescending and inappropriate to offer a limited status to the applicant nations
.e., Galicia and Asturiaswithin the Celtic League." The AGM expressed that it "encourage
them in their efforts to develop the Celtic elements in their heritage" such that "from such areas, might come the support and understanding we need to pursue our aims more effectively"
(in Spain, there are no surviving Celtic languages, although in Galicia there is a minority nationalist movement which seeks independence from the Spanish Kingdom and promotes a Celtic identity as a fundamental aspect of Galician culture).
There are various
diaspora branches, that play little part in the annual general meetings:
A
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
n branch was founded in the
Chubut River Valley,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(the location of
y Wladfa
Y Wladfa (, "The Colony"), also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig (, "The Welsh Settlement"), refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh immigrants in Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of the lower Chubut Valley. I ...
, a Welsh colony), at the end of 2009; it remained active , with Mónica Jones as secretary and her husband Michael Jones filling an unspecified post.
Celtic League, American Branch (CLAB) was founded in New York City in 1974, and has its own newsletter,
but reported decreased activity ,
the same year its domain name, CelticLeague.org, was lost to a
cybersquatter
Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting) is the practice of registering, trafficking in, or using an Internet domain name, with a bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else.
The term is derived f ...
. CLAB organized various annual events, including the Pan-Celtic Conference.
There is a generalized International Branch for "
ose living far away from the national branches", including prospective Spanish members in Galicia and Asturias;
it was active with a website, Celtic-League.org (operated from the Isle of Man), from 2004 through 2010.
There has been a separate England Branch, based in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, active at least from 2004 to 2007.
[ (Old CL official website at Manxman.co.im/cleague.)] There used to be a branch in
Cape Breton Island, Canada, where a small
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
-speaking community still exists; this branch was moribund , though various consultations had taken place in efforts to restart it.
The branch was then recorded as being active by 22 January 2015.
Publications
The Celtic League publishes a quarterly magazine, ''
Carn
''Carn'' is the official magazine of the Celtic League. The name, a Celtic word which has been borrowed into English as ' cairn', was chosen for its symbolic value and because it can be found in each of the living Celtic languages. The subtit ...
'', which highlights political struggles and cultural preservation issues. The articles are produced in the six
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edwar ...
in addition to English. The cover of the magazine is a map of the six Celtic countries with their respective Celtic-language names beside them. In the past, articles have appeared in French as well. For many years, Carn claimed to be the only regular publication carrying all six Celtic languages.
The Celtic League, American Branch (CLAB) prints its own quarterly newsletter, ''Six Nations, One Soul'',
which provides news of branch activities and events within the Celtic communities in the United States, publishes letters from members, and reviews books and recordings of Celtic interest. CLAB published at least six issues of a larger semi-annual magazine, ''Keltoi: A Pan-Celtic Review'',from 2006 to 2008.
CLAB also produced a wall calendar each year, with art from members, appropriate quotations, and anniversaries; publication ceased with the 2008 issue.
Other branches have published their own periodicals from time to time, but few have been very long-lived.
Notable members and former members
Some of the more notable past and present members of the Celtic League have been
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
leaders
Gwynfor Evans
Gwynfor Richard Evans (1 September 1912 – 21 April 2005) was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first Member of Parliament to represent it at Westmi ...
and
J. E. Jones,
Scottish National Party leaders
Winnie Ewing
Winifred Margaret Ewing (' Woodburn; born 10 July 1929) is a Scottish politician, lawyer and figure within the independence movement who served as President of the Scottish National Party from 1987 to 2005. Ewing was a Member of the Scottish ...
,
Robert McIntyre and
Rob Gibson
Robert McKay Gibson (born 10 October 1945) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 2003 until 2016, first as a Highlands and Islands regional member from 2003 until 2011, then repre ...
, leader of
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (; born Peter Roger Casement Brady; 2 October 1932 – 5 June 2013) was an Irish republican political and military leader. He was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to ...
, prominent Breton exiles
Yann Fouéré
Yann Fouéré (26 July 1910 – 20 October 2011), also known as Seàn Mauger was a Breton nationalist and a European federalist. His French birth certificate names him as ''Jean Adolphe Fouéré'', a French name, as the Third French Republi ...
and
Alan Heusaff
Alan Heusaff, also Alan Heussaff (23 July 1921 in Saint-Yvi, Finistère – 3 November 1999 in Galway) was a Breton nationalism, Breton nationalist, linguist, dictionary compiler, prolific journalist and lifetime campaigner for solidarity betwe ...
, the historian and writer
Peter Berresford Ellis, writer
Bernard Le Nail, and Manx language revivalist
Brian Stowell.
American author and linguist
Alexei Kondratiev
Alexei Kondratiev (February 15, 1949–May 28, 2010) was an American author, linguist, and teacher of Celtic languages, folklore and culture. He taught the Irish language and Celtic history at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan, New York from ...
was president of the Celtic League American branch.
Campaigns
The Celtic League also campaigns for a
united Ireland
United Ireland, also referred to as Irish reunification, is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. At present, the island is divided politically; the sovereign Republic of Ireland has jurisdiction over the maj ...
, and the return of the
Loire-Atlantique department to
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
. Over the years, the Celtic League has campaigned consistently in support of the languages in Celtic nations, and for the return of ancient artefacts, removed from Celtic countries to museums outside of these areas – amongst these are the
Lewis chessmen and the
Chronicles of Mann
The ''Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles''
– British Library ( la, Chron ...
.
The Manx branch of the Celtic League successfully campaigned for the
Calf of Man
Calf of Man ( gv, Yn Cholloo ) is a island, off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. It is separated from the Isle of Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound. Like the nearby rocky islets of Chicken Rock and Kitterland, it is ...
island to be transferred from the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
to the local
Manx National Heritage
Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...
.
In the mid-1990s, the Celtic League started a campaign to have the word "
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...
" on the Scottish
football and
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
tops. Since 2005, the
Scottish Football Association have supported the use of
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
on their teams's strip in recognition of the language's revival in Scotland. However, the
SRU SRU may refer to:
Organizations
* Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, US
* Scottish Rugby Union
* Shri Rawatpura Sarkar University, Chhattisgarh, India
* Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, US
* Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai ...
is still being lobbied to have "Alba" on the national rugby strip.
The Celtic League has also passed a motion to support the general aims of
Independence First, which aims for a referendum on
Scottish independence.
In 2010, the Celtic League sought to prevent retailers selling the
flag of England
The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross (heraldic blazon: ''Argent, a cross gules''). The association of the red cross as an emblem of England ...
in Cornwall, criticising it as "foreign".
Political status of countries
The political status of the Celtic League's suggested six Celtic nations varies widely. Both the UK and France were traditionally very centralised states.
The following Celtic nations have some degree of autonomy, although Ireland consists of the territory of two sovereign states:
* Ireland:
**
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
(26 counties) – independent.
**
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
(6 counties) – has a devolved assembly. Was ruled directly by the United Kingdom from 1972 to 1998. From 1922 to 1972 Northern Ireland had had its own parliament, but due to the worsening political violence of
The Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...
the British army was deployed to the region and direct rule established. Under the 1998
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...
some autonomy and various provisions were granted on a power-sharing basis. Until 2007 various controversies between
Unionists and
Republicans had caused the
government of the United Kingdom
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
to rule directly. Northern Ireland now has its own devolved Assembly since 1998.
* The
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
– under
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
as a British Crown Dependency. Although controlled by the UK, it is not officially part of it.
*
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
– has had a devolved
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
since 1999, but voted against becoming an independent country in a
2014 referendum.
*
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
– has a devolved
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
which was renamed in May 2020 from the "National Assembly for Wales", to "Senedd Cymru" or "the Welsh Parliament", simply referred to as the "
Senedd". It has had a devolved institution since 1999.
There is also a campaign for a
Cornish Assembly
A Cornish Assembly ( kw, Senedh Kernow) is a proposed devolved law-making assembly for Cornwall along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the United Kingdom.
The campaign fo ...
. In 2000 the Cornish Constitutional Convention launched the Declaration for a
Cornish Assembly
A Cornish Assembly ( kw, Senedh Kernow) is a proposed devolved law-making assembly for Cornwall along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the United Kingdom.
The campaign fo ...
campaign. In less than two years, more than 50,000 people signed the Assembly petition and
Lord Whitty, in the House of Lords, recognised that Cornwall has a "special case" for devolution. On a visit to
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
,
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
said "Cornwall has the strongest regional identity in the UK."
Three of the countries are completely within the United Kingdom, one partially, and another is a British dependency.
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
is part of the French state, and does not have any legislative autonomy, but four ''départements'' have some financial autonomy as one of the
Regions of France
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas colle ...
, whilst the fifth ''département'' is in another French region. The Republic of Ireland is completely independent.
Posts
Nationality is indicated by letters after their names as so:
:B – Breton, C – Cornish, I – Irish, M – Manx, S – Scottish, W – Welsh
An arrow indicates the editor relocated to one of the other Celtic countries.
General secretaries
:
Alan Heusaff
Alan Heusaff, also Alan Heussaff (23 July 1921 in Saint-Yvi, Finistère – 3 November 1999 in Galway) was a Breton nationalism, Breton nationalist, linguist, dictionary compiler, prolific journalist and lifetime campaigner for solidarity betwe ...
: (1961–84), B→I
:
Bernard Moffatt
Bernard Moffatt (born April 1946) is a Manx nationalist who was born in Peel, Isle of Man. Both his mother (Millie Cashin) and father (James Moffatt) were Manx. He was educated at Peel Clothworkers School, where Manx dancing classes at the Schoo ...
: (1984–88), M
:
Davyth Fear: (1988–90), C
:
Séamas Ó Coileáin: (1990–91), I
:Bernard Moffat: (1991–2006), M
:
Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
Rhisiart Tal-e-bot (born Richard Stewart Talbot, Merthyr Tydfil, 1975) is a Welsh activist, Early Years lecturer and language expert who has been General Secretary of the Celtic League since 2006 and editor of '' Carn'' magazine since 2013. He ...
: (2006 – present), W→C
Editors of ''Carn'' (Established 1973)
:
Frang MacThòmais: (1973–74), S
:
Pádraig Ó Snodaigh
200px
Pádraig Ó Snodaigh (born 18 May 1935, Carlow, Ireland) is an Irish language activist, poet, writer and publisher. He worked for the Irish Electricity Supply Board, and later in the National Museum of Ireland. He is a former president ...
: (1974–77), I
:
Cathal Ó Luain: (1977–81), I
:
Pedyr Pryor: (1981–84), C
:Pat Bridson: (1984-2013), M→I
:
Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
Rhisiart Tal-e-bot (born Richard Stewart Talbot, Merthyr Tydfil, 1975) is a Welsh activist, Early Years lecturer and language expert who has been General Secretary of the Celtic League since 2006 and editor of '' Carn'' magazine since 2013. He ...
: (2013–present), C
Other posts
The presidency and vice-presidency ran from 1961 to 1971 and were then abolished. They were held by
Gwynfor Evans
Gwynfor Richard Evans (1 September 1912 – 21 April 2005) was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first Member of Parliament to represent it at Westmi ...
(W) and
Robert McIntyre (S) respectively for the entire duration of the posts. The successor post, chairman, was held by
Pádraig Ó Conchúir (I) from 1972 to 1978, then abolished.
J. B. Moffatt was serving as the organisation's director of information .
See also
*
Celtic union
*
Pan-Celticism
Pan-Celticism ( ga, Pan-Cheilteachas, Scottish Gaelic: ''Pan-Cheilteachas'', Breton: ''Pan-Keltaidd'', Welsh: ''Pan-Geltaidd,'' Cornish: ''Pan-Keltaidd,'' Manx: ''Pan-Cheltaghys''), also known as Celticism or Celtic nationalism is a politica ...
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List of movements in Wales
This is a list of historical and current movements, campaigns and political positions in Wales.
Current
Political
* All Under One Banner Cymru
* Campaign for a new UK flag
* Labour for an independent Wales
* Opposition to the Prince of Wal ...
References
* Ellis, Peter Berresford ''The Celtic Dawn''
* Tanner, Marcus ''Last of the Celts''
External links
Celtic League Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Celtic League (Political Organisation)
1961 establishments in Wales
Celtic nationalism
Cultural organisations based in the United Kingdom
Endangered languages projects
Home rule in the United Kingdom
Inter-Celtic organisations
Organizations established in 1961
Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom
Politics of Brittany
Politics of Cornwall
Politics of Ireland
Politics of Scotland
Politics of the Isle of Man
Politics of Wales