This compilation was first suggested by the needs of the organisers of the Pan-Celtic Congress held in Edinburgh in May, 1920. Acting as convener of the Scottish Committee for that event, the editor found that there was in existence no list of persons who took an active interest in such matters, either in Scotland or in any of the other Celtic countries. His resolve to meet this want was cordially approved by the leaders of the Congress; circulars were issued to all whose addresses could, be discovered, and these were invited to suggest the names of others who ought to be included. The net result is not quite up to expectation, but it is better than at first seemed probable. The Celt may not really be more shy or more dilatory than men of other blood, but certainly the response to this effort has not indicated on his part any undue forwardness. Even now, after the lapse of a year and the issue of a second and a third circular, the list of Celtic authors and musicians is far from full. Perhaps a second edition of the book, when called for, may be more complete. Such as it is this first "Celtic Who's Who" will be found useful as an authoritative book of reference, supplying the addresses of well-known workers and the principal facts regarding them. For that reason it must win the approval and support of all interested in Celtic literature. The book does not pretend to comprise the names of living Celts who have won for themselves a position in the politics, the literature, the science, the art or the inventions of the world. Such names will be found in the ordinary biographical year-books. This handbook is concerned with those who are to-day recognised as contributors to tile literature or music, or who otherwise join in the racial activities, of tine Celtic peoples. Even here, as already suggested, it is incomplete, but such as it is, and from its narrower province, the work shows that the Celtic mind makes a greater contribution to general literature than is generally recognised. Naturally and rightly a large part of this contribution is expressed in the different Celtic languages, but not a little is in French or English, and some of the rest will yet be translated into these tongues and so made available to the world at large. It may be noted that the space occupied by the different Celtic nationalities is curiously disproportionate. This was to be expected, for the life and sentiment of the race do not flow with equal fullness in the different countries. Already the interesting Celtic language of Cornwall has ceased to exist as a spoken tongue, and the Gaelic of the Isle of Man, that little Cinderella of the Celtic sisters, is at a low ebb. Even in Scotland, and in spite of the laudable efforts of its lovers, the ancient Gaelic is barely holding its own. But in Brittany the Breton speech shows remarkable vigour despite official discouragement; in Ireland the native Gaelic is gaining more in print than it in losing in current speech, and in Wales, the ancient British or Welsh, that indomitable language that survived two great invasions, the Roman and the Saxon, is to-day a living evidence of robust nationhood.

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The Celtic Who's Who

Publisher

Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US

ISBN

1707279349

Language

en

Release

2019-11-10

Pages

171

Categories

Reference / Directories

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About the Author

Lachlan Macbean

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