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Quoi va ny Celtiee?
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Y feysht veayn Haink lioar anaasagh magh er y gherrid. T’eh enmyssit ‘The Origins of the British: a genetic detective story’ as v’eh screeut liorish Stephen Oppenheimer veih Ollooscoill Oxford ayns Sostyn. She ard-oayllee eshyn bentyn rish cooishyn GDN (DNA) as lorgey ny arraghyn jeh pobbleyn harrish ny eashyn meeillaghyn dy vleeantyn er dy henney. Dy çhelleeragh as mish jeeaghyn er y lioar hoshiaght, va mee beggan boirit ec y fockle shen ‘British’. Dooys, shen fockle hie er croo ec impiroilee Sostnagh tree ny kiare cheead blein er dy henney ry hoi tayrn ry cheilley er egin hene ooilley ny pobbleyn ayns y Vretyn Vooar as Nerin as ny ellanyn elley as cur orroo dy ve nyn Sostnee arrymagh. Agh tra t’ou lhaih paart jeh’n lioar shoh, t’ou feddyn magh dy vel Oppenheimer gymmydey focklyn myr ‘British’ er aght ta beggan seyr. Myr sampleyr, t’eh gymmydey yn fockle ‘England’ myr dy beagh y çheer rieau er ve ayn – eer syn Eash-Rioee. My oddys oo shaghney doilleeidyn myr shoh, ta’n lioar feer anaasagh as foaysagh, er lhiam, eer mannagh vel oo toiggal cooishyn gienoaylleeaght (genetics).
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S’anaasagh y fockley ‘goaldagh’ ayns Gaelg. My t’ou jeeaghyn er fockleyr Cregeen, ren çheet magh bunnys daa cheead blein er dy henney, t’ou feddyn magh dy nee ‘a guest’ va’n Baarle hug Cregeen er yn ockle shoh. My t’ou jeeaghyn er fockleyr John Kelly, va jeant ny smoo na daa cheead blein er dy henney, t’ou fakin dy row ‘goaldagh’ ny ‘Goaldagh’ keeallaghey ‘a guest’ as ‘Welsh, English, foreign, Gaulish’.
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Anaasagh. Ec y traa t’ayn, ta shin gymmydey ‘Goaldagh’ myr ‘British’. Agh cha nel shen ayns coardailys rish y spyrryd jeh lioar Oppenheimer: ta beoyn ersyn dy hayrn ooilley ny shenn phobbleyn jeh ny ellanyn shoh ry cheilley myr un phobble, ga dy vel eh goaill rish dy vel reddyn er lheh bentyn da ny Sostnee.
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Er aghtyn ennagh, she lioar doillee t’ayn. Cha nel eieyn Oppenheimer ayns coardailys rish ny eieyn cadjin mychione ny Celtiee ayns y Çheer Vooar Oarpagh ny ayns ny ellanyn shoh. T’eh gra dy vel ooilley yn stoo shen mychione ny Shenn Cheltiee as y thalloo dooie oc syn Austeyr (Austria) ny boayl faggys da shen, dy vel eh slane aggairagh. Haink yn eie shen, ta Oppenheimer gra, veih’n çhenn fer shennaghys Herodotus, ren gra dy row thalloo dooie ny Celtiee faggys da’n voayl raad va’n awin Danube goaill toshiaght. Agh smooinee Herodotus dy row yn Danube goaill toshiaght sy Rank sheear-ass. Ta Oppenheimer gra dy row Herodotus kiart bentyn rish thalloo dooie ny Shenn Cheltiee – son shickyrys va’n thalloo dooie oc sy Rank sheear-ass, reir Oppenheimer. Agh, reir Oppenheimer, hug marran Herodotus er ny sheelogheyn ny lurg dy ghra dy row thalloo dooie ny Shenn Cheltiee mygeayrt y mysh yn Austeyr, er yn oyr dy row fys kiart ec ny sheelogheyn shen raad ghow yn Danube toshiaght.
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As, reir Oppenheimer, cha nel eh shickyr dy nee shenn Cheltiee hug ny cultooryn La Tène as Hallstatt er bun.
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Ny sodjey na shen, ta Oppenheimer gra nagh vel undin Celtiagh ec y sleih t’ayns ny ellanyn shoh. Foddee dy daink kuse dy Cheltiee stiagh ayns ny ellanyn shoh tra ghow yn eirinys toshiaght. Foddee dy daink ny çhengaghyn Celtiagh stiagh ayns ny ellanyn shoh ec y traa cheddin – foddey, foddey ny s’leaie na’n eie cadjin dy daink ad stiagh beggan ny smoo na daa veeilley blein er dy henney. Agh my haink Celtiee ‘firrinagh’ gys ny ellanyn shoh, va pobble elley ayn hannah – myr ta ram scoillaryn er ghra hannah rish ymmodee bleeantyn. Agh ta Oppenheimer gra dy vel shennayraghyn yn çhenn phobble shen ayn hannah ayns ny ellanyn shoh foastagh – as ta laue yn eaghtyr oc er yn aght gien-oaylleeagh (genetic). Ny sodjey na shen, ta’n bun gienoaylleeagh kiart goll rish shen ec ny Bascee. As hannee yn bun gien-oaylleeagh shen er mayrn trooid meeillaghyn as meeillaghyn dy vleeantyn, ga dy vel kuse dy phobbleyn elley er jeet gys ny ellanyn shoh – Celtiee ‘firrinagh’, Germaanee, Romanee, Loghlinee, Normanee, as myr shen foast. Ta Oppenheimer gra nagh ren ooilley ny pobbleyn shen agh anchaslyssyn beggey da undin gien-oaylleeagh y phobble ayns ny ellanyn shoh. Hannee yn undin shen ‘Bascagh’.
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Ec jerrey yn Eash-Rioee, t’eh jeeaghyn dy daink sleih gys y Vretyn Vooar as Nerin (jannoo ymmyd jeh enmyn jeianagh) veih’n Rank sheear-ass. Ec y traa v’ayn, cha row yn Vretyn Vooar as Nerin nyn ellanyn noadyr. Agh, dirree yn keayn as she ellanyn v’ayn. Myr shen, va’n sleih sy Vretyn Vooar as ayns Nerin scarrit rish y Çheer Vooar Oarpagh as haink ad dy ve pobble ‘er lheh’ (va sleih sy çheer vooar Oarpagh rieau smooinaghtyn dy vel sleih ayns ny ellanyn shoh ‘quaagh’!). Ta ughtar y lioar smooinaghtyn dy row daa trooan gien-oaylleeagh roie stiagh ayns ny ellanyn shoh harrish ny eashyn: nane (y fer stroshey) veih’n neear-ass (y Spaainey as y Rank sheear-ass), as y fer elley veih’n niar as y niar-hwoaie (Loghlin as y Ghermaan). Shen y fa, ta Oppenheimer gra (choud’s ta mee dy hoiggal eh) dy vel anchaslyssyn eddyr yn sleih ayns Nerin, Nalbin, Bretyn, Mannin, Y Chorn as Sostyn sheear er un çheu, as y leih ayns Sostyn shiar er y çheu elley. Agh, harrish ooilley ny çheeraghyn shen, s’lajer ta’n undin gien-oaylleeagh ‘Bascagh’.
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Ta Oppenheimer shickyr nagh daink earrooyn mooarey dy h-Anglo-Hostnee dys y Vretyn Vooar shiar-ass ec yn un cheayrt lurg da ny Romanee v’er naagail, as dy ren ny Anglo-Hostnee shen marroo meeillaghyn dy chummaltee v’ayns shen hannah. Cha row kynney-ghunverys jeant, er lesh, er y fa nagh vel feanish jeh shen ry gheddyn. Ta Oppenheimer smooinaghtyn dy row boghtynid as propaganda screeut ec Gildas, y fer-shennaghys Sostnagh, tra screeu eshyn mychione ruegys Anglo-Hostnagh, as mychione ny Anglo-Hostnee cur mow ‘Britnee’ dy bollagh.
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Y red smoo arganagh ta bentyn rish barelyn Oppenheimer, ta shen dy vel eh smooinaghtyn dy row Anglo-Hostnee cummal sy voayl t’ad gra Sostyn rish roish my daink ny Romanee stiagh, as dy row sorch dy Vaarle goll er loayrt ayns ‘Sostyn’ bleeantyn as bleeantyn roish y lhing shen. Foddee dy nee Germaanee va ny Belgee as cha nee Celtiee, t’eh smooinaghtyn, kyndagh rish reddyn va screeut ec Julius Caesar (shimmey scoillar ta gra dy row kianglaghyn lajer eddyr ny Belgee ayns y cheer vooar Oarpagh as ny Belgee ayns y Vretyn Vooar). Paart jeh’n oyr ta Oppenheimer smooinaghtyn myr shoh, ta shen er y fa nagh vel feanish ayn dy row kynney-ghunverys jeant myr va screeut ec Gildas, as yn aght quaagh dy vel eh jeeaghyn dy jagh yn chengey er caghlaa cho aashagh ayns ‘Sostyn’ shiar lurg da ny Romanee v’er naagail. Foddee nagh row chengaghyn Celtiagh goll er loayrt feiy’n Vretyn Vooar tra haink ny Romanee, ta Oppenheimer smooinaghtyn.
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Gyn ourys erbee, bee scoillaryn dy liooar noi eieyn y dooinney shoh dy bollagh. My t’eh kiart lesh eer paart jeh ny eieyn shoh, bee scoillaryn dy liooar d’aascreeu lioaryn dy liooar. Shimmey lioar stoamey ta ry gheddyn mychione ny Shenn Cheltiee as yn aght chroo ad cultooryn Hallstatt as La Tène. Vel ooilley’n stoo shen aggairagh? As bee eh feer ghoillee da ram sleih dy yannoo lesh yn eie dy row chengey Vaarlagh goll er loayrt ayns ‘Sostyn’ ymmodee bleeantyn roish my daink ny Romanee gys y Vretyn Vooar. Agh ta Oppenheimer heose rish cooish noa – gienoaylleeaght. Nee Bascee shin? Surrys enn nagh vel ughtar y lioar shoh heose rish chengaghyn Celtiagh. T’eh screeu ayns shen nagh daink agh kiare focklyn stiagh ayns Baarle veih chengaghyn Celtiagh son shickyrys! Gyn ourys, ta ny sloo focklyn Celtiagh ayns Baarle na veagh oo jerkal rish, agh ta’n earroo foddey ny shlee na kiare. Er y laue elley, ta foddey ny smoo keeall sy lioar shoh na ayns lioaryn goll rish ‘The Atlantic Celts: Ancient People or Modern Invention’ liorish Simon James. Ta Oppenheimer gra nagh y lioar shen cairagh. T’eh jeeaghyn dooys dy vel claare politickagh ec Simon James as e lheid. Ta Oppenheimer gra nagh vel eh kiart dy chraidey mysh cooish ny Celtiee. Ec y traa t’ayn, ta sleih dy liooar coontey’n chooish dy ve scanshoil da’n jarroo-enney oc. Shoh lioar feer arganagh as lioar anaasagh, erskyn ooilley tra t’eh briaght y feysht ‘Quoi va/ta ny Sostnee?’.
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Summary ‘The Origins of the British’ by Stephen Oppenheimer is a contentious and interesting book. Many people will be upset by ideas that the Celtic Iron Age homeland was not in Central Europe, that the virtually unperturbed genetic basis of most people in these islands is very similar to that of the Basques, and that some form of English was spoken in what became England before the Romans came. But in no way does Oppenheimer dump ‘the Celtic thing’ like some authors have tried recently.
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Brian Stowell
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