Celtic Symbols

This is a short video I put together using the online tool Animoto. Eventually I plan to get into more sophisticated types of video production, but for now this is a good way to get started. These are some images of Celtic symbols such as Celtic knots and crosses, as well as landscapes, castles, dolmens and such from Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The great music from this video is Poison Dwarf, by Neidfyre. Some images are from another cool Celtic site, http://www.aon-celtic.com.

The Cranberries are a popular Irish Pop/Rock group who released several albums, mainly in the 1990s. While their music cannot be called Celtic in any traditional sense, their sound, especially lead singer Dolores O’Riordan has a definite Irish/Celtic mood to it. The songs of the Cranberries, such as “Dream” and “Linger” are mellow, thoughtful soft rock, but too interesting to be dull the way some “soft” music is. The Cranberries are currently not performing as a group, as members have gone their separate ways.

I actually chose this topic because I found the following video that contains many interesting Celtic symbols, set to a Cranberries tune called Zombie.

Welsh is one of the Celtic language that is still spoken today by an estimated half a million people, or about 20% of the people of Wales. There are also people outside of Wales, including people who have emigrated to other places, notably England, who speak Welsh. There is even a Welsh settlement in Argentina! In addition to this, there are scholars from any number of backgrounds who have mastered the language. Still, there are very few people today who speak only Welsh; the vast majority of Welsh speakers also speak English.

The Welsh language goes back at least as far as the 6th Century. Like all languages, it has gone through transitions –from Old Welsh to Middle Welsh to Modern Welsh. While at times the Welsh language was discouraged, even suppressed by English rulers, since the 20th Century there has been an active campaign to keep the language alive. In public schools in Wales, it is mandated that Welsh and English be treated equally, ensuring that the language will not die out.

Another way the Welsh language is thriving is in the realm of music. Along with the Celtic music of Ireland and Scotland, Wales has produced some beautiful and haunting music in its native language. The following video, featuring the popular singer Meinir Gwilym, gives you a sample of Welsh, both spoken and sung.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CsDuUh_iVE&feature=related