Austin Gilroy thinks that the witch Helen Penclosa got her hooks deep into him because of his Celtic origin and that his colleague Charles Sadler got off lightly because of his phlegmatic Saxon temperament.
This made me wonder whether people of Celtic origin really are more open to unseen influences than those of other ancestries. I have Irish connections on one side and Scottish on the other, so this topic is of great interest to me.
I remembered that some of the writers featured or mentioned in this blog had Cornish, Irish, Scottish or Welsh connections; I decided to do a quick investigation and list any more people on here who are known or appear to be of Celtic descent on one or both sides.
People of interest with Celtic connections
Conan Doyle may have been born in Edinburgh, but he had Irish Catholic parents.
Joan Aiken’s Canadian-born mother was a MacDonald, which suggests Scottish ancestors.
J. M. Barrie was a Scotsman.
Angela Brazil had a Scottish grandfather on her mother’s side.
The Brontës had an Irish father and a Cornish mother.
John Buchan was a Scotsman.
Taylor Caldwell was of Scottish origin on both sides. She was descended from the MacGregor clan on her mother’s side.
James Cameron has remote Scottish connections.
Andrew Carnegie, whose public libraries have inspired many writers, was a Scotsman.
Eoin Colfer is Irish.
Marie Corelli’s real father was almost certainly the Scottish poet Charles Mackay.
Michael de Larrabeiti had an Irish mother and a Basque father. Some authorities think that the Basques have Celtic ancestry.
Both of Gerald Durrell’s parents were of Irish descent.
Stella Gibbons came from an Irish family on her father’s side.
Elizabeth Goudge’s mother came from Guernsey. The Channel Islands were connected to Brittany and many Celts lived there.
Kenneth Grahame was a Scotsman.
Nicholas Stuart Gray was a Scotsman.
Diana Wynne Jones was Welsh on her father’s side.
Rudyard Kipling was Scottish on his mother’s side; her maiden name was MacDonald.
C. S. Lewis was (Northern) Irish, with some Welsh ancestry.
Gavin Maxwell was a Scotsman.
F. M. Mayor’s full name was Flora MacDonald Mayor.
L. M. Montgomery had ties to distinguished Scottish clans on both sides. Her mother was a Macneill. She married a MacDonald too.
Violet Needham’s father was the (illegitimate) son of an Irish peer.
Terry Pratchett’s maternal grandparents came from Ireland.
Kathleen Raine’s mother was a Scot whose first language was Scottish Gaelic.
Jean Rhys was Welsh on her father’s side. Her mother had Scottish ancestry. Jean Rhys also had an Irish grandmother.
W. C. Sellar was a Scotsman.
Both of Gerald Durrell’s parents were of Irish descent.
Stella Gibbons came from an Irish family on her father’s side.
Elizabeth Goudge’s mother came from Guernsey. The Channel Islands were connected to Brittany and many Celts lived there.
Kenneth Grahame was a Scotsman.
Nicholas Stuart Gray was a Scotsman.
Diana Wynne Jones was Welsh on her father’s side.
Rudyard Kipling was Scottish on his mother’s side; her maiden name was MacDonald.
C. S. Lewis was (Northern) Irish, with some Welsh ancestry.
Gavin Maxwell was a Scotsman.
F. M. Mayor’s full name was Flora MacDonald Mayor.
L. M. Montgomery had ties to distinguished Scottish clans on both sides. Her mother was a Macneill. She married a MacDonald too.
Violet Needham’s father was the (illegitimate) son of an Irish peer.
Terry Pratchett’s maternal grandparents came from Ireland.
Kathleen Raine’s mother was a Scot whose first language was Scottish Gaelic.
Jean Rhys was Welsh on her father’s side. Her mother had Scottish ancestry. Jean Rhys also had an Irish grandmother.
W. C. Sellar was a Scotsman.
Noel Streatfeild had Irish ancestry on her mother's side.
Mary Webb was Welsh on her father’s side and Scottish on her mother’s. Her mother had a possible connection to Sir Walter Scott.
Some afterthoughts
The list was compiled from memory and information found online. It is much longer than I would have expected; there are far too many names for Labels and Links!
It is quite a coincidence that such a high proportion of the writers mentioned on here should have a Celtic connection. I knew of a few cases beforehand, but was surprised when my investigations resulted in many more examples.
Collecting the information was an interesting exercise but I am not sure what, if anything, we can learn from it.
Some of the people on the list look to have much more undiluted Celtic blood than others. A remote Celtic ancestor or two may not have much influence on someone’s personality.
Where some people on the list are concerned, names and birthplaces with Celtic connections do not necessarily denote Celtic blood. Conversely, some people mentioned in this blog who are not on the list may have a Celtic connection; I couldn’t find anything obvious for Stella Benson or Antonia White for example, but that is not to say it doesn’t exist.
Celtic ancestry is one thing; an interest in Celtic matters is something else. While Alan Garner is of solid English stock, he has a great interest in Celtic mythology; I have Celtic connections, but I much prefer Norse mythology!
The modern-day Celts
Wiki has this definition of Celtic:
“The term Celtic generally refers to the languages and respective cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany, also known as the Celtic nations. These are the regions where four Celtic languages are still spoken to some extent as mother tongues.”
The official Celtic nations:
Mary Webb was Welsh on her father’s side and Scottish on her mother’s. Her mother had a possible connection to Sir Walter Scott.
Some afterthoughts
The list was compiled from memory and information found online. It is much longer than I would have expected; there are far too many names for Labels and Links!
It is quite a coincidence that such a high proportion of the writers mentioned on here should have a Celtic connection. I knew of a few cases beforehand, but was surprised when my investigations resulted in many more examples.
Collecting the information was an interesting exercise but I am not sure what, if anything, we can learn from it.
Some of the people on the list look to have much more undiluted Celtic blood than others. A remote Celtic ancestor or two may not have much influence on someone’s personality.
Where some people on the list are concerned, names and birthplaces with Celtic connections do not necessarily denote Celtic blood. Conversely, some people mentioned in this blog who are not on the list may have a Celtic connection; I couldn’t find anything obvious for Stella Benson or Antonia White for example, but that is not to say it doesn’t exist.
Celtic ancestry is one thing; an interest in Celtic matters is something else. While Alan Garner is of solid English stock, he has a great interest in Celtic mythology; I have Celtic connections, but I much prefer Norse mythology!
The modern-day Celts
Wiki has this definition of Celtic:
“The term Celtic generally refers to the languages and respective cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany, also known as the Celtic nations. These are the regions where four Celtic languages are still spoken to some extent as mother tongues.”
The official Celtic nations:
A composite of the six flags:
