Tag: Celtic

Timeline and reconstruction of summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford 5000 years ago © Wessex Archaeology

UK: Strange Stories from England – Proto-Stone Henge Dsicovered! (19.6.2026)

“The discovery at Bulford is fundamental because it’s the earliest example of people building things here that aim directly at the solstice. When we talk about the solstice, we’re talking about religion. About how prehistoric peoples understood the cosmos, the world, and their place in it. What we see at Bulford, and later at Stonehenge, is a way of celebrating and marking the passage of time, but it’s also about making sure the world keeps working as it should. It’s likely their way of saying to their deities, please keep us in mind, keep us warm and safe. It’s a religious event. That’s why it’s so important.”

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Prof. Chuck - Astrology!

UK: Charlie Chuck Does Horoscopes! (7.6.2026)

Wonderfully discontinuous! Professor Charles Chuck from up North! Today, the venerable Professor addresses the subject of ancient Celtic Horoscopes – and informs the audience of an interesting archaeological find in a cave somewhere in England. Although I am considered an expert in translating ancient Chinese text – I cannot translate what Prof. Chuck is saying (or the way he is saying it) for non-native Brits. Apologies for that – you are stuck with reality I’m afraid. Just allow the cadence to wash across you like a cool breeze and permit the jumbled metaphors to come and go as they please. This is from the James Whale Show of 1993. A masterpiece of a sketch. It may not mean a lot to you – but it meant even less to Prof. Chuck! I have had academic teachers who made about as much sense to me as Ptof. Chuck means to everyone else!

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How Ogham Was Aligned with the Greci-Roman Alphabet.

Eire: Speaking [and Writing] the Irish Tongue! (6.4.2026)

She was also taught English at school by brutal school-masters. The children were beaten until they learned the English words – and this was by Irish teachers. As far as I am aware, Irish is a spoken language that was first written down in Ogham (lines pressed into the edges of clay tablets before firing – or engraved along the edges of standing stones – and known as the tree alphabet). Later, the sounds of Irish were transliterated into the received Greco-Roman alphabet – but this development was a contrivance – so that the invading English could understand what the Irish were saying. It would seem that the modern Irish learn to speak their language as normal – but now write it down using a foreign alphabet (English). Not only is this the case, but it would seem that a “French-like” accent (termed a “fada”) is used in modern Irish literature – such as over an “á” and other letters. Adding this mark – or taking it away – alters the sound of words and therefore the meaning of words. I suppose it amounts to “context” – but regarding literature (that is – the written word of modern Irish). As I cannot speak, read, or write “Irish” – I’m busking at the moment. My claim to fame is that my paternal grandmother (Gladys Kilmurray) could speak Irish – and that when her family members came to the UK to attend her funeral – they spoke Gaelic to one another and English to us. They seemed surprised that we could not speak Irish – but Nana was always reluctant to speak it in England due to the racism she used to receive for being “Irish”. Now, the racists would have believe the Irish have been “White” all along.

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UK Celtic Christianity

UK: When Did the Celts Develop a Written Alphabet? (11.1.2026)

The Celts did not develop a written language until 500-years after coming into contact with the Greek people – which occurred during the late 3rd century BCE – when the Greeks established a colony in Southern France (suggesting that a Celtic alphabet was developed c. 200 CE). Considering Richardson also states that by 400 CE (just two-hundred years after the Celts developed that alphabet) – most of the Celtic languages were nolonger spoken (due to the successful Roman Conquest of Western Europe and Britain) – this must be considered a relatively late date for a Celtic written language (considering the Celtic languages were existent for thousands of years prior to this).

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Pytheas of Massalia (350-285 BCE)

UK: How Celtic Languages Spread Across Britain & Ireland! (2.1.2026)

I hesitate to “agree” regarding the Ogham script and would like to see the evidence (that it evolves from the Roman alphabet). I have seen Ogham etched along the side of clay tablets (which were then “dried” for preservation) and engraved along the edge of stone tablets (a much more difficult task). As in China, early reading and writing evolved around the ruling families – the kings – and their specially trained advisors. Why write along the edge of things? Romans did not do this. I suppose a case can be made that Ogham might be a development of Roman numerals – but I would like to see the evidence. My parents live in South Devon, and although born in Oxford, I was brought-up in Devon and Cornwall – two of the UK’s Celtic heartlands. I learned Country Dancing at school, and visited museums that contained the Celtic Coracle (round fishing boat). We also learned about the magic of Druidism and how the mighty Boudicca united the Celtic tribes and inflicted terrible defeats on the Roman invaders. I also drink cyder and eat clotted cream. All of this I have imparted to the Chinese members of my family (we take our children all over the Celtic South-West) – just as they have imparted Hakka culture to me. Of course, also possessing Irish ancestry (my father’s mother was from Mullingar) – this confirms the Celtic identity.

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Photogrammetry map of Brusselstown Ring showing locations of what may be roundhouse footprints!

Eire: Scientists Unearth Ireland’s Largest Prehistoric Hillfort Settlement! (1.1.2026)

Additional survey work revealed a unique structure near one of the trenches. The flat interior outlined by large stones, uncommon for roundhouses at the site, made it unlikely to be a prehistoric roundhouse itself. From previous surveys, it was known that a stream flowed into the structure from a rocky outcrop uphill.

Given its shape and size, it is hypothesized that this might be a Bronze and Iron Age water cistern like those found elsewhere in Europe. Because Brusselstown Hill would have had to accommodate a large population, a source of freshwater would make sense. If further investigations confirm the structure to be a water cistern, it would represent the first of its kind in an Irish hillfort.

More research is needed to better understand the extent and nature of Brusselstown Hill’s potential water cistern, establishing the nature and chronology of the enclosing elements and better understanding how and why the settlement may have been abandoned.

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