Anglo-Celtic is a macro-cultural term used to collectively describe the cultures native to the British Isles/Anglo-Celtic Isles and the significant diasporas located in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

The term is also used geographically in 'Anglo-Celtic Isles', to describe a period of British military history in 'Anglo-Celtic Warfare' and as a notional racial category.

Macro-cultural group

The term 'Anglo-Celtic' is widely used in its macro-cultural context collectively describing the native British and Irish cultures.

"Anglo", in this instance, is an abbreviation for Anglo-Saxon, a collective term for ancient Germanic peoples who settled in Britain (especially England) in the middle of the first millennium. As the Normans who arrived from France and settled mainly in England after 1066 AD are commonly known as 'Anglo-Norman', the term can also be inclusive of this cultural group.

"Celtic", in this instance, refers to the Celtic peoples predominantly inhabiting Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The term does not include the Celtic peoples of mainland or continental Europe, such as the Bretons.

There is a newspaper sold in the Irish counties of Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan named ‘The Anglo-Celt’.

Some archaeologists and historians claim recent research suggests that the British Celts were not entirely wiped out or driven away from the areas conquered by the Anglo-Saxons from the fifth century onwards. Further, they claim that in most places in England, the indigenous population and the newcomers enjoyed forms of relatively peaceful coexistence. They claim that this, and the subsequent process of language shift on the part of the Celtic population, left more traces in the English language than has hitherto been assumed.

Anglo-Celtic Isles

The term is used in 'Anglo-Celtic Isles', an alternative term (in limited use) for the British Isles (the islands of Britain, Ireland and smaller adjacent islands). Usage of this term stretches back to at least the beginning of the twentieth century, with its inclusion in a ballad by an Ennis Unionist in 1914. The derivative term 'Anglo-Celtic Islands' is also used.

Anglo-Celtic Warfare

The term is additionally used in the context of 'Anglo-Celtic Warfare' to describe the period of warfare in Britain between 410 and 1066 AD.

Usage in colonised countries

The term is used most commonly in Australia to describe people there of British and Irish descent, though not without some objection from Irish Australians. Australian usage of the term reflects the ethnocultural fusion of early Australian settler society. It is considered to refer to the ethnic majority in Australia, where it applies to at least 80% of the population. It is common for an Anglo-Celtic Australian to have an ancestor from two or more British or Irish cultures.

To a lesser degree the term is also used in Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. It is used by traditionalists in the Southern United States, such as the League of the South, whose mission statement is "to protect the historic Anglo-Celtic core culture of the South because the Scots, Irish, Welsh, and English have given Dixie its unique institutions and civilization

References

See also

• Anglo
• Anglo-Norman
• Anglo-Saxon
• Aussie
• Celt
• Celtic nations
• Modern Celts

External links

• Australia's Invisible Migrants
• BBC The Cornish Diaspora - I’m alright Jack
• Kernewek Lowender - The world's largest Cornish festival
• Overseas Cornish Associations
• The Celtic League
• Cornish American Heritage Society - Cornwall on the Web