Celts and the Appalachian Mountains

By Gaylord Cooper
ekgenealogy@gmail.com

The Celts were a people who dominated much of western and central Europe in the 1st millennium BC, giving their language, customs, and religion to the other peoples of that area.

Today, the Celts live in and speak the various dialects of their language in Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany. Celtic descendants also live in the United States; about 50 to 60 million Americans are of Celtic descent.

One of the primary areas settled by the Celts in the New World was the Appalachian Mountain regions -- the ancient mountain chain that stretches from Nova Scotia to northern Alabama.

The first US Census, in 1790,s is not particularly helpful for modern researchers, because only the head of the household is listed by name. However, it did list the surname of the household. The people who analyze sociological data say that by 1790, 75% of New England was Anglo-Saxon, and more that 75% of those settled in the Southern Appalachian1 Mountains were of Celtic descent.

It is here, in these secluded hollows and windswept ridges, that you can find traces of the Celtic language, music, superstitions and character. The Celts are alive and thriving in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

When the Scots-Irish landed at Philadelphia they found the better farm land already taken and they disliked the British Colonial government as much as the one they had left in Ireland. They moved west and south settling in the Appalachian Mountains. It is likely that these green valleys and highlands, other than providing a remote haven and a barrier to outsiders, may have reminded the Scotch and Irish settlers of their homes in the Old World.

The British, having their hands full nearer the coast, left these isolated settlers on their own. The hardy Scots-Irish thrived and created a vibrant culture. Their isolation helped preserve the language and culture of the ancient Celts.

The language of the Southern Appalachians has long been derided as an inferior dialect. Detractors both within and outside of the speaking area mistakenly cite laziness, lack of education, and the region's relative isolation as reasons for the dialect's existence. There are those who look with disfavor on this particular form of speech and believe that the English Language has been taken and, through ignorance, shamefully distorted by those living in Appalachia.

The folk speech of Appalachia instead of being labeled corrupt is more appropriately classified as archaic. Many of the expressions heard throughout the region today can be traced back to the Celtic tribes of Great Britain.

The Southern mountain dialect, as the folk speech of Appalachia is called by linguists, is certainly archaic with many ties to the ancient Celt's language, but the general historical period it represents can be narrowed down to the days of the first Queen Elizabeth, and can be further particularized by saying that what is heard today is actually a sort of Scottish flavored Elizabethan English.

This variety of speech , known today as Appalachian English, is spoken primarily in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It preserves many archaic features that date back to earlier stages in the development of English in Britain and an Anglo-Saxon language called Anglish. Forms thought to be substandard today are actually the outmoded standards of yesterday. Linguists have dubbed this variety of English as "American Old English" or "American Anglo Saxon". Mario Andrew Pei (1901-1978), a popular writer on linguistics, said that "The speech of the Southern Appalachian Mountains is closer to Elizabethan English in many ways than the speech of modern London. Many of the words, phrases and usage that are attributed to "bad English" have actually been used for centuries and was used by the highest ranking nobility of England and Scotland. Besides being an ancient language the Southern Mountain Dialect is vivid and descriptive. The inhabitants of Appalachia are not likely to put up with a pale, weak kneed statement such as "my isn't it hot today" or "Isn't it cold this morning"? No they are likely to tell you its "hottern' the hinges of hell" or "it's colder'n witches bosom".

This makes the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains superb storytellers much like the Celtic Bards.

It should not be a surprise to find many of our words have come down to us from the Gaelic language. Shanty-Irish for old house. Brogan meaning old shoe and of course Whiskey meaning "water of life" in Gaelic. The word Quiled can still be heard in many places in the mountains today and almost always in regard to snakes. (Quiled is an Elizabethan pronunciation of coiled.)

The language is full of Gaelic words and phrases. "When I woke up this morning there was a little skift (small coating) of snow on the ground." "I was getting better, but now I've took a backset (relapse) with this flu." "He dropped the dish and busted it all to flinders. (Very small pieces) "Law, I hope how soon we get some rain!" (How soon is supposed to be obsolete, but it enjoys excellent health in the Southern Appalachians.)

The word Ill, very much in favor today to describe someone not in good health, was used in the 1300''s to describe someone or something of bad temper. The proper word used to describe someone who did not feel well was "sick".

The word "hit", used for the pronoun "it" has been derided as bad English but "hit" used for this purpose has been in use for over a thousand years.

There are many more examples of the language of the Celtic tribes in the the everyday speech of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Not only do the inhabitants speak with an Elizabethan dialect they often view their world though Elizabethan thought also. Many of the superstitions and beliefs of the ancient Celts are still at work today in the Appalachians.

The ancient Celts felt that any reflected image was on of the soul. When a Celt died any thing that could reflect an image was covered. It was thought that if the deceased should see another soul---that is a reflected image - it might be tempted to take that person with them. This is still practiced in some parts of Appalachia today but the reasons for doing so have been lost in the mists of time.

The roots of Appalachian music run deep; deep enough to traverse an ocean and long enough to wind themselves back into the misty moors and graceful glens of an ancient civilization, long ago lost to historical accuracy, Appalachian music and one of its offspring, modern country music, are cultural throwbacks to the ancient Celtic society in which the bardic poets wove their epic stories and songs for audiences to hear.

These bards were raised to an extremely high status within the Celtic society and were often viewed as being more important than the king himself. The king was merely a political leader whose duties included taking care of the present while the bards had the responsibility of keeping their culture's past and important ideas within their melodic memories.

The Appalachian region was settled primarily by the Ulster-Scots descent, by far the largest ethnic group to call Appalachia home save for the Native Americans who had been here for quite some time. These settlers brought with them their cultural baggage, which included the many ballads, stories, and instrumental tunes from their Irish and Scottish heritage, much influenced by the Celtic tradition before their departure. Some of these tunes and lyrics go back to the bardic period of Celtic and British assimilation, thus culturally connecting Appalachia with its Celtic ancestry.

If you ever have the whim to talk a Celt, come on down to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. You will find them still living in the secluded hollows and on wind swept ridges.

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1 The Southern Appalachians begin approximately at the Southern Pennsylvania state line and wind their way south to Northern Alabama.

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Gaylord Cooper is the Director Southern Appalachian Genealogy Associates; Is married, living in Kentucky, took early retirement from Norfolk Southern Railroad. Now a freelance writer and photographer, wrote column on Eastern KY for the Lexington Herald leader Newspaper. Published short stories, poetry and political opinions in various magazines. Gaylord has also written political commentary, and major articles for newsmagazines about Vietnam, as well as a lot of local history of the rivercities.

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