Seriously OT: Celtic History and Nationalism

From: PHELIM MURNION <pmurnion_at_aran.gmit.ie>
Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 12:51:31 +0000


Speaking as a Celt ...

>>It doesn't help that a lot of the writing for laypersons is also
>>done by Celtic nationalists of one sort or another

Isn't "celtic nationalist" an oxymoron?. Paul Johnson is an English nationalist historian who writes for a 'lay' audience. Does he count?

>>Well, if we're going to have a fantasy 32-county Irish
>>republic, we might as well go the whole hog and make

Anybody who still refers to the 32-county Irish Republic as a fantasy has not been watching the news for at least 6 years. Gloranth is fantasy (of the highest quality). A 32-county republic is merely an unlikely event. There's a world (groan) of a difference.

>>Makes it hard to read most Irish history, 'cos of the
>>distracting noise of the axes being ground.

Yeah. Unlike US, British , French , etc. historians who dispassionately analyse their collective pasts. Which is why you never hear Americans saying things like "I just don't understand what the Arabs have against us?".

> Few conflicts in history can be resolved into simple >"good guys and bad guys".

How true. That's why we see so many BBC documentaries with titles such as, "Two World Wars: The Clash of the English and German Empires". I wish :)

If the moderator doesn't pull this I'll be amazed! the next post will definitely be on topic.

Phelim Murnion


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