Irish & Gaelic
My ancestry as far as I can discern is close to 98% Celtic - 2% is Norway. Even the English ancestry I have is in Shrewsbury, Shropshire which is 9 miles from Wales and used to be part of Wales.
The English were originally Pretani, so I'll allow it. :D
2025 Updated Celtic Melange.
My original DNA conglomerate.
Having said all that, I'm open to all Celtic sources to learn about my culture. Irish and Welsh sources are proving to be the most bountiful, as the Celtic culture appears to have survived in written and lived form in those places, more intact than elsewhere. England is a bit suspect when it comes to Celtic sources. I'm not discounting it, but the Crowley's and Gardner's of the world have ruined it a bit for me.
The same is true of learning the language.
I will happily learn Irish, Scots Gaelic, Welsh or Manx words as they come up. I’m not fussing about masculine and feminine and verb tense; I don't suppose I'll ever be a fluent Gaelic speaker - but learning the small bit of Irish and Scottish Gaelic that I have so far has been a huge part of my connection process.
The language does something really powerful to our brains in moving us towards understanding how our ancestors think and feel.
Add me on Duolingo!
Duolingo is free and I’m learning a lot! Tapadh leibh a’ charaid! Click image for more.
Translation and Pronunciation
The spelling of Gaelic words is super hard to pronounce with my anglicized brain and mouth. Pronunciation websites have proved to be a big help.
Even these websites are not complete in regards to all the words I’ve needed help in pronouncing, but it’s a good start and I’ll add more as I find them.
The Unofficial Guide to Pronouncing Gaelic
I first started reading this and was like “Yeah, I got this…” then it just went ON and ON and ON… The rules around Gaelic pronunciation are A LOT.
The skinny consonants and skinny vowels and RD and RT having a SH in them out of nowhere and H’s changing how a letter sounds and the CH’s in the back of the throat like German or Hebrew. Le Chaim!
It’s a lot, but we gotta start somewhere!
Irish & Gaelic Audio
Click below for audio page. It is a growing audio resource of the Irish words and phrases I’ve learned that are specifically relevant to my Celtic reconnecting journey.
Good Books + Things
Sources I’ve found useful so far:
Dúchas.ie is a digital archive and website that showcases the National Folklore Collection of Ireland. Dùchas means homeland in Irish.
Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches / Chest of Treasures. A depository of Scottish culture: oral stories, songs and tales of the people in English and Gaelic.
To Speak for the Trees
By Diana Beresford-Kroeger
The audio of this book was quite literally the bridge to my ancestral connection. This book is a partner bible to Braiding Sweetgrass.
I recommend both the audio and written book just for the Irish words.
One has the pronunciation, the other how to spell them!
The Druids
by Peter Berresford Ellis
This book was filled with Irish and Scottish Gaelic words that lead me down a rabbit-hole of translation and pronunciation. It is a wealth of uplifting and inspiring historical sources about our ancestors and the magical and wonderful roots we share.
There are many cross-culture beliefs and practices shared between the Celts and Hindus of Northern India. Ellis believes that we share a single ancient ancestral culture.