In 1970, Tecwyn Williams, of Penbedw, Llanelwy (St. Asaph) in Clwyd, happened to read a notice in the Welsh weekly Y Cymro of a Pan-Celtic Festival to be held in Killarney, Eire during the spring of that year.

Tecwyn, active in many Welsh cultural activities as well as Plaid Cymru (the Party of Wales) and his local chapel, was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire to Welsh parents. He had decided to come to Wales to live at the age of 29. There was, he said, no future for a Welsh-speaking person on Merseyside, at least not for one who wished to take full part in Welsh activities and be able to use the language daily, rather than saving it for the occasional Welsh get-together. Tecwyn went off to Ireland with his wife Margaret, son Hugh and a small group of curious friends from Clwyd, seven in all, to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Celts (and to see just how Celtic was this festival). Entrants included groups from Eire, Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales – the six Celtic Nations. The curious seven were impressed and have gone back ever since, each year taking more and more Welsh friends with them.

As entertainments officer for Clwb Triban in Rhyl, Clwyd, Tecwyn then began arranging coach tours to the festival in 1974. Interest grew and the annual traditional visit from Wales began. In 1996, over 700 visitors arrived in Tra Li (Tralee) from all parts of Wales. The number swelled to 900 in the spring of 1998, the 28th year of the festival.

The aims of the Pan Celtic Festival (Ceilidh Phan Celtaidd) are to foster better relations between the six Celtic nations and to encourage trade, tourism and the exchange of information. It is non-political, non-sectarian and governed by an International Council and six National Committees. A local Festival Committee, approved by the International Council, organizes the weeklong activities.

The festival began in 1971, in Killarney. It was held there for 20 years before moving to Galway for two years, Tralee for four years, Ennis for one year and then to back to Tralee. It followed the practices of the Welsh National Eisteddfod by moving from place to place. The weeklong activities originally included singing competitions, mainly soloists and small groups, but has expanded to include instrumentalists of all kinds (not just the Welsh and Irish harps), folk dancing and choral groups.

At Tralee in 1998, the usual host of soloists, twelve choirs that ensured high standards of competition, some coming from South Wales, Scotland, Brittany and Cornwall as well as from Ireland itself joined musicians and dancers. There were even hard-fought competitions in golf, fishing and indoor pool (the origin of golf, of course, being credited to Scotland). I have it on good authority that the amount of beer consumed at one of the largest hotels exceeded that quaffed during the last International Rose of Tralee Week (the largest festival held in town).

In 1997, Tecwyn was admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards (order of the Green Robe) at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, for his work as secretary and organizer of the Welsh element at the festival (which has consistently been the largest and strongest) and for his efforts in promoting the event throughout the Celtic world. The honor represents a resurging interest in Celtic traditions throughout the five nations.

What has recently become most popular at the ever-growing festival is the Celtic Song Contest in which regional winners from each of the five nations compete on stage in an eagerly-awaited contest televised by the BBC on its Welsh Channel Four (SP4). At Galway a few years ago, the author was surprised, and of course delighted to hear many Irish speakers using many Welsh phrases that they had heard on this channel.

During recent years, there has been a renewal of interest in Celtic music, Celtic languages themselves and many other aspects of Celtic culture. Though Manx died out as a living language in this century, Cornish having disappeared two hundred years ago, and Breton living a very precarious existence among the older folks in Brittany, such festivals as the Feile Phan Celtaidd have led to attempts to not only preserve the language and cultural traditions of the Celts where they still remain, but to restore them in areas where they have been lost. Of the Celts, Hermann Noelle wrote:

The Celtic culture as a whole, developing very early on about l000 B. C., and reaching its finest expression around 500 B.C., is a fundamental part of Europe's past. This is not to underrate the subsequent influence of the Latin and Germanic peoples on this part of Europe. But the Celtic foundation was already present. Thus, European culture is inconceivable without the Celtic contribution. Even when the presence of the Celts in their original territory is no longer obvious, we must acknowledge the fact: they are at the root of the Western European peoples who have made history. (Die Kelten und Ihre Stadt Manching , cited in Cunliffe, 2l4)

There are six areas that we can consider Celtic in character. All are western extremities of Europe, peninsulas or islands that jut into the wild Atlantic. All six have retained so much of their indigenous culture, not the least of which are their distinctive languages:

Ireland

In 1801, Ireland was formally joined to the rest of the British Isles, a decision in which the great majority of Irish people had no say. The Act was mainly the work of British Prime Minister William Pitt: it dissolved the Irish Parliament and transferred legislative control to London. It wasn't until 1921 that Ireland regained its independence after hundreds of years of armed rebellion culminating in the bloody events begun in the "Easter Rising" of 1916 that can be said to have awakened the soul of the Irish people. The Gaelic language is widely spoken in parts of the north and west and is the official language of Eire.

Scotland

The Act of Union (1707) joined Scotland to England and Wales. There was no referendum on the decision to forfeit the Scottish Parliament. In the Referendum of 1997, the people of Scotland overwhelmingly decided to regain their own Parliament. Gaelic is still spoken in the Western Isles; most of the Scots language being derived mainly from the Northumbrian dialect of Old English and being rapidly displaced by Standard English.

Isle of Man

Part of the British Isles, but not part of the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man is the smallest of the Celtic "nations." It is 30 miles long by l0 miles wide. Man (ancient Mona or Nonapia) was the home of many Irish missionaries following the teachings of St. Patrick in the fifth century. Norse invasions began around 800 A.D. and the island was a dependency of Norway until 1266 when its was sold to the kingdom of Scotland. The island has been a crown possession since 1828, but is administered according to its own laws by the Court of Tynwald (old Norse: Field of Assembly). The Tynwald has two chambers: the House of Keys and the legislative council. Acceptance of British Law is still the prerogative of the Manx people. The Manx language as a common tongue died out in the 1940's though the last native speaker died in 1974.

Wales

Wales was united with England as early as 1543, but it is here that the Celtic tongue has showed the most remarkable survival. Since World War II, however, English inroads have been constant and pervasive and vast hordes of English settlers are swamping the strongholds of the Welsh language. About half a million people use the language as an everyday method of communication. The Referendum of 1997 ensured the creation of an Assembly to Wales with limited powers to be located in Cardiff, the capital.

Cornwall

Cornwall, an English county in the far southwest, remained largely untouched by the English emigrations from 400-1000 A.D., and thus remained Celtic. The Cornish language was widely used up until the 17th century, but had died out by 1800. There have been attempts at revival and small groups of Cornish men and women are learning and teaching the language.

Brittany

Brittany became part of France in 1532. It was originally settled by British Celts during the time of the Anglo-Saxon migrations to greater Britain. The Celtic language remained strong until the beginning of this century. Today fewer than half the population speaks the language, though there is a separatist movement, FLB working towards self-government. Perhaps its members will take inspiration from the successful referenda of Scotland and Wales.

This section, The World of the Celts, will examine the various aspects of this world, both past and present and see what is being done to ensure a future for the six Celtic "nations." In the past, the relationship between these so-called "fringe" areas with the powerful central governments of England on the one hand and France on the other has not been happy. The Celtic lands were politically the weaker lands to be conquered and exploited (and in the modern era to serve as a dumping ground for the multitudes swarming out of the overcrowded metropolitan areas of England). No wonder the referenda of 1997 showed the desire of at least some of the people to be left alone to manage their own affairs.

It is a sobering experience to read the following by Richard Muir in, of all places, a Shell Guide to the Celtic lands:

In England, particularly, we must learn to understand the history, qualities and problems of our nearby northern and western neighbours . . . how can the public at large appreciate the characters and difficulties of the Celtic regions when the popular media seem concerned only with the candy floss worlds of bagpipes and heather, shillelaghs and leprechauns? How can we take pride in a British civilization which allows the communities of the Outer Hebrides to wither and decay?

And not just the Outer Hebrides. Resilience has always been a hallmark of the Celtic character. This author is convinced that the Celts still have a lot to teach the world, even if sometimes it is only a friendly wave or a smile; a story told of long ago times, of long ago loves; or an ancient song in a haunting, beautiful language. And, of course, we must not forget the equally haunting and mysterious landscapes which offer the weary world-traveler so much that is different and worthwhile.