The Coming of the Celts, AD 1862 - by Caoimhín de Barra (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Coming of the Celts, AD 1860 examines nationalists in Ireland and Wales between 1860 and 1925 to determine what it means to be Celtic.

Book Synopsis

Who are the Celts, and what does it mean to be Celtic? In this book, Caoimhín De Barra focuses on nationalists in Ireland and Wales between 1860 and 1925, a time period when people in these countries came to identify themselves as Celts. De Barra chooses to examine Ireland and Wales because, of the six so-called Celtic nations, these two were the furthest apart in terms of their linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic differences. The Coming of the Celts, AD 1860 is divided into three parts. The first concentrates on the emergence of a sense of Celtic identity and the ways in which political and cultural nationalists in both countries borrowed ideas from one another in promoting this sense of identity. The second part follows the efforts to create a more formal relationship between the Celtic countries through the Pan-Celtic movement; the subsequent successes and failures of this movement in Ireland and Wales are compared and contrasted. Finally, the book discusses the public juxtaposition of Welsh and Irish nationalisms during the Irish Revolution. De Barra's is the first book to critique what "Celtic" has meant historically, and it will appeal to the reader who wants to learn more about the modern political and cultural connections between Ireland and Wales, as well as scholars and students in the fields of modern Irish and Welsh history. It will also be of interest to professional historians working in the field of "Four Nations" history, which places an emphasis on understanding the relationships and connections between the four nations of Britain and Ireland.

Review Quotes

"Lucidly written and deeply researched, de Barra's The Coming of the Celts is an important contribution to the scholarly record of both Ireland and Wales, expanding our understanding of the impact and ideological uses of Celtic identity." --Victorian Studies

"The Coming of the Celts places the political and cultural nationalist campaigns of the Irish and Welsh into dialogue with one another, offering readers a fresh perspective on the turn of the twentieth century. De Barra significantly enhances our appreciation for the numerous cross-currents in play and provides readers with a plausible explanation for the waxing and waning of the Pan-Celtic impulse on both sides of the Irish Sea. Grounded in contemporary correspondence and press sources, this work expands our understanding of pan-nationalist invention at a seminal moment in the history of British-Irish relations." --Timothy G. McMahon, author of Grand Opportunity: The Gaelic Revival and Irish Society, 1893-1910

"As a way of imagining a collective cultural and political identity, insular Celticism is essentially a phenomenon of the second half of the nineteenth century--the title of Caoimhín De Barra's The Coming of the Celts, AD 1860 is provocatively witty but accurate. In his finely researched and lucidly written study, De Barra details the rise, ebb, and flow of the idea of a common Celtic identity linking Ireland and Wales." --The New York Review of Books

"At the core of this deeply researched book is an original study of how Wales became part of the Irish nationalist imagination--both as inspiration and reproach--from the late nineteenth century to the creation of the Irish Free State and beyond. It sheds valuable new light on the transnational influences on Irish nationalism by exploring the interactions between nationalists in Ireland and Wales, and it uses these two historical case studies skillfully to illuminate wider debates about the role of language in modern nationalism." --Paul O'Leary, Aberystwyth University

"Engagingly written, well researched and grounded in both Irish and Welsh language sources, this is an important and much needed study that usefully reframes the history of Irish and Welsh nationalism. Moving beyond the bilateral relationship with an English 'Other, ' De Barra's exploration of the ideological interconnections and limitations of Celtic identity in Ireland and Wales is compelling and insightful." --John S. Ellis, University of Michigan-Flint

"In this exhaustively researched and absorbing book, De Barra (Drew) explores the problematic nature of the word Celtic as it applied to the populations of Ireland and Wales before and after 1860. . . . De Barra's conclusion that the ethnic sense of national identity characterized by being Celtic may soon become disentangled by immigration and a focus on civic participation is timely indeed." --Choice

". . . a significant contribution to understanding the cultural and political affinities, exchanges and differences between Ireland and Wales during a crucial time." --Books Ireland

"This book is an important piece of original research and it makes a solid contribution to the fields of Irish studies, Celtic studies, and political science. The contribution is its attempt to connect Welsh and Irish nationalism which, to my knowledge, has not been done explicitly by others in these fields. Thus, its focus on cultural issues and their connection to politics make the book unique. It is exceptionally informative, clear, and well-written." --Kurt Jefferson, Westminster College

About the Author

Caoimhín De Barra is assistant professor of Irish studies at Gonzaga University.