Celtic Heritage

The Tragic Highland Clearances by: Robert M. Gunn - The Celts dominated mid and Western Europe for a thousand years. But it is only recently that the importance of Celtic influence on the cultural linguistic and artistic development of Europe has risen. The Celts as an identifiable race or ethnic group have long since disappeared, except in places such as Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and to an extent in Wales and Brittany. www.members.aol.com/skyelander/main.html –11/06

I am focusing on the Celts because they have been ignored, lied about, persecuted, and misrepresented throughout history. The Celts migrated and established their tribes in many countries in Europe. There are hundreds of Celtic archeological sites all over Europe. So far the oldest Celtic archeological sites found are in Switzerland/Germany, at Halstat and La Tene. Celtic tribes completely covered England, Scotland and Ireland. Megalithic sites of Great Britain: www.megalithicsites.co.uk and Great Britain: Long-Mounds, Tumuli, Megalithic Tombs and Menhirs - www.comp-archaeology.org/GBphotoIndex.htm -7/06

The Scandinavians invasions of Germany dominated the Celts. That’s why Celtic culture gradually disappeared in Germany. You can see this in the fashion and décor of Germany. The beautiful Celtic artistry was erased. All that’s left is the archaeological sites. In reality Germany should have restored its Celtic historical décor. Later on when the Anglo/Saxon (German Celtic, Scandinavian mix) invasions in England took place they drove the existing Celtic tribes out of that area. One example of a Norman king working to destroy the Celts in England was King Edward I “Long shanks”. He failed to conquer Scotland. He is in the movie Brave Heart.

Good teaching: chapter X. The Vikings and the Normans. www.electricscotland.com -12/06- some of the families and clans in England, Scotland and Ireland have Scandinavian surnames. The Scandinavians have different DNA than the Germans and the rest of Western Europe. If you are mostly German, you are Celtic.

Starting in the 1600’s, ethnic cleansing laws operated for approximately 300 years in Scotland and Ireland. During the Highland clearances the British army took Highland tartans and wore them. The Queen’s own Highlanders and the Black Watch were Highlanders forced to join or be driven out.

Scott’s-Irish and the Clearances-Page 2 by Iain Kerr - The racial mixture of the populations of the British Isles is highly complex; largely due to the continued movement of significant portions of the population throughout recorded history. The population of Scotland in the 16th and early 17th centuries was made up from remnants of the early Celtic inhabitants of the British Isles, of Roman invaders and settlers, the Angle, Jutes, Saxon and Viking invaders of the Dark Ages from continental Europe, later Fleming’s from the Low Countries and the Normans themselves of Viking origin) who came north after the conquest of England in 1066. The Irish population at the same time was a mix of early Celts, Picts ands other Hibernian invaders plus Viking and other incomers. www.rootsweb.com/~pictou/clearncs.htm - 1/07

There are some Highland Clans that have another country of origin, but they joined the Highland government and mixed with the Celts. There are Scandinavian Scotland Clans that worked to protect the Clans. One example is the Lindsey’s (one of my family surnames), worked to protect William Wallace.

There was a time in the 1300’s that the Irish living near English settlements were forced to adopt English surnames. Those who wouldn’t were put in prison. There are historical records of Irish heritage including original names. Fortunately Irish genealogies go way back. Check out the ancient Irish name base roots. The populations were a lot smaller back then. Reclaim your real original surnames. There are also false origins of some of the original surnames. Also, Gaelic language was outlawed.

The Celts have long histories of modernly ignored Kings and Queens and forgotten, ignored, famous female defenders. This includes Celtic Europe, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Celtic women were honored and treated as equals by their men. The Celts are one of the few ethnic groups that held women in a high place of honor and respect. The Celts were an advanced, productive and prosperous culture. They have their own languages and metal coinages. They were civilized; clean, first to develop soap. They have beautiful crafted jewelry and many other artifacts. Some Celtic artifacts and coins were recently found near Ljubljanica in 1981. An article was written about this in National Geographic Jan. 07.

Some Celtic groups still exist today, throughout Europe. They still have regular festivals and celebrations throughout Europe and a few in the United States. The Scotland and Ireland clans and families still have reunions. Some of the clans of Scotland are still in operation others are working on restoration and regaining of properties in Scotland. Historical Scotland and Ireland needs to be restored. The Cockburn Association in Scotland is working on restoration of Scotland. www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/ - 10/06

As far as religion goes the Celts of Western Europe have been Christian for hundreds of years. Except for the United States and Western Europe, most of the rest of the world’s cultures are still practicing their original pagan religions. Celtic Christianity has been around for a long time. I am in the process of researching and investigating the true beliefs and practices of Celtic Christianity. So far I’ve found one website with a combination of information. There are a lot of wrong teachings out about Celtic Christianity along with false representations of Celts in general. New Age Celtic Christian church: www.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/Celtic_Church/ - 4/07

When discussing the first inhabitants of Great Britain there are all sorts of theories. An Excellent map shows original distributions of DNA all over the world. www.dnaheritage.com -7/06

We know that the Celtic tribes at one time completely covered most of Great Britain. The question is, who was there before them? There are mythological and true histories of various groups inhabiting different areas. Two such groups are the Tuatha De Danann’s (part of my ancestry) and the Milesians (also part of my ancestry) they were supposedly Celtic. Some people are trying to say the Tuatha de Danann were from Israel’s tribe of Dan. I don’t believe this. Not every one on earth is descended from Noah. The inhabitants before the Tuatha De Danann may have been descended from Noah. But, they were completely wiped out by plagues. The Israelites have different DNA than the Scandinavians and the Irish and Scottish, German Celts. Israelite genealogies, designs, artifacts have no representation of this. One design mentioned is the Dragon. The only Dragon designs I’ve seen are from Scandinavia and the Orient. Not to say that they are not used for other decorations. Dragons supposedly existed all over ancient Europe.

Supposedly inhabitants of Great Britain before the Tuatha De Danann were completely wiped out by plagues. Many battles destroyed alot of the different inhabitants and who ever were left mixed with the new inhabitants. Some were driven out and returned later. Also people seem to forget that other people existed besides and before Noah’s people. And some of these people remained on earth and were not destroyed by the great flood. The Tuatha De Danann’s were famous for protecting Ireland and killing Giants. Evidently some of the Giants remained after the flood. Noah’s flood was not world wide by Pastor Bertrand L. Comparet - www.wckkkk.com.bible_study/flood.htm -3/07 and Noah’s flood Global or Local? By: Donald Hochner – www.angelfire.com/ca/DeafPreterist/noah.html - 3/07

Sitting on top of the King seat of Temair is the most famous of Tara’ monuments- Ireland’s ancient coronation stone - the Lia Fail or stone of Destiny which was brought here according to mythology by the godlike people Tuatha De Danann, as one of the sacred objects. It was said to roar when touched by the rightful king of Tara. www.mythicalireland.com -3/07

So basically these different groups inhabited all of Great Britain. When the other Celtic tribes came in and inhabited Great Britain they had a large population. Celtic DNA is R1b. When the Anglo/Saxons (German/Scandinavians) came in, they took over. But they were part Celtic also. Remember the Germans are a Celtic/ Scandinavian mix. The Individualist Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA) -6/07

England for some reason blocked out their Celtic heritage. I guess because of the Scandinavian dominance? This is a mistake because Great Britain and Ireland, for protection, need to band together. Bring back the original Celtic tribal identities; restore what has been stolen from them. Let them be who they are. They are all historically and genetically connected.

Now that we are testing DNA and finding more archaeological sites, it is changing history. The movie Arthur uses the newest archaeological findings to confirm King Arthur’s existence and ethnic identity and about planting the Sarmatians on the Scotland/England border to protect Hadrian’s Wall. The Romans mixed lightly with the border people and returned to Italy. The Sarmatians stayed and mixed with the people living on the border. The Sarmatians were a nomadic, gypsy Iranian tribe. I read an article about the Sarmatians saying they were blonde with blue eyes and tan skin? Just type in on the Internet the Sarmatians, nomads or gypsies. Greeks, Amazons and Archaeology: Silk Road Foundation- www.silk-road.com -10/6

There are some Gypsy surnames from different countries also on the Scotland/England border and throughout Western Europe and the world. Some gypsies purposely married into and adopted local family names to hide themselves. The Yetholm Gypsies, the Gypsies: www.scottishgypsies.co.uk/yetholm.html - 9/06 and Patrinweb Journal- Romani (Gypsy) Culture and History: www.geocities.com/~patrin/ -9/06

A lot of existing history of civilizations and nationalities are in error. A lot of people do not know they have Celtic heritage. And some people think they are Celtic and they aren’t. It takes more than one Celtic surname to make a person Celtic. On top of that a person needs to test their DNA. Some of my surnames originated from Celtic bloodlines. Two of my family surnames originated from the Niall (Celtic Boii tribe) and the Mor/Muir (CelticGrecraige tribe), kings of Ireland. Brian Boru the last famous King of Ireland is related to the Niall’s. Research shows that the Niall Kings had such a large amount of passed on DNA that a large percentage of true Irish people have some of their DNA.

A high percentage of people are still not racially mixed. People have been lied to, to try and make them think they are this big mixture to keep them from researching their genealogies. We know how precise DNA can be by the scientific research of police departments. For a small amount of money you can have your DNA tested to geographically locate your ancestry. When researching your DNA scientists are able to go back thousand of years to the precise geological place that it came from. Focus on the geological group or area with the highest percentage. When researching genealogical history make sure that the company you are using draws their information from an ancient archeological DNA database. There are many different historical theories written by famous people but the main historical information they provided existed during their time, way before archaeological and DNA proof was available. Ancient archeology is obviously the most substantial proof. As time goes on more true historical evidence will be uncovered.

When looking for your precise surname locations you can go back to the original inhabitants of the particular area check to see how long they remained in their place of origin. Some surname histories are only theories. You can’t count on that. You need historical proof. If you have a lot of Anglo/Saxon or Anglo/Norman surnames, I recommend that you have your DNA tested to see if it’s mostly Scandinavian or German. Check out who and when invaded, if they took over, mixed with or drove out particular groups and tribes, etc. Most of the Highland Clans and the Welsh were isolated in their areas thus able to maintain identity and Celtic DNA. You cannot decide who the original inhabitants of an area really are according to recent invasions and mixes. As time passes people are mixing more. You can also type in a particular surname DNA. Families are now researching their surname DNA history.

Check out ancient maps of tribes and groups to see their countries of origin. In Maps of Scotland Clans and families search for one with highland and lowland names or many names will be missing. There are maps showing my Cockburn/Coburn (Irish origin) family lands, on the coast approximately 40 miles north east of the Scotland/England border, north Berwikshire, definitely not a border family. Cockburnspath Community is right there on the coast still in operation including Cockburnspath tower. There still exists archaeological leftover of the Cockburnspath Tower. Cock Law Hill and Cockburn Law Hill a couple of miles south. Cockburns Ormistan Castle was approximately10 miles southwest of Cockburnspath Community. It took along time to travel back in those days. In order to be a true border family you would have to have lived precisely on the border. Beautifull pictures of Cockburnspath Community and other places are on: www.undiscoveredscotland.com -3/07

Check out census records. Some new inhabitants and people who decided that it was a good way to blend and infiltrate, created new names, losing history and identity. You can’t discern some ones family heritage based on one family surname. Some ancient leaders purposely tried to get rid of particular groups of people by having their soldiers impregnate the women to alter their children’s DNA, (as seen in the movie Brave Heart.) When researching surnames go back to the base names country of origin, that’s where the DNA is, double check different histories of surnames. If it says Irish, trace it back to the ancient Irish genealogies.

You cannot count on American histories and surnames. For example the inhabitants of the Ozarks and Appalachians were not Celtic. Most of them were the 9-group mix from the England/Scotland border and the Ulster plantation (9-group mix) in Northern Ireland, African and Indian American. Travel Through the Ireland Story- www.wesleyjohnston.com - 2/07

Check out base name groupings. If they are collectively from the same area and they didn’t alter the base name then they are probably from that particular area. Some countries were able to better to maintain original DNA than others. Back in the old days most people acknowledged the ethnic differences and most were careful about whom they mixed with.

I am proud to be Celtic. Most of my family roots are in Ireland, Scotland and England. In researching the roots of my surnames, some of them originated in Ireland. Cockburn probably originated in Ireland as Coburn (Mac Conboirne) from Irelands Celtic tribes: Chera-Mail and the Mruadh/Ruarii. People changed their surnames for protection. According to my own family bloodline charts and surname histories, I’m about 60% Celtic. To confirm this I should have my DNA tested. My family and other original Scottish and Irish family lines were driven out of Scotland and Ireland during the clearances. Fortunately they maintained some of their identity in America and Canada. This has continued for a time. Canada has done an excellent job of maintaining ancestral histories. I have found distant relatives in New Brunswick. One person in particular William Cockburn is a genealogist and we have the same great grandfather. bill.cockburn@gnb.ca

Before, during and after the clearances some people mixed and did not protect their bloodlines. You can still take the highest percentage of DNA. What bloodlines are these people that mixed? People also claimed false ethnic identitys, which alters, and destroys family heritage, gifting, destiny, and general health. Your looks attitudes lifestyles, personality traits, physical, mental and spiritual health are all linked to your ethnic bloodlines.

Identity is the foundation of health and stability. Deception and ignorance can destroy a person’s life. A lot of times if a name or history of a relative is hidden. It may have been hidden because of mixing or destruction of original surnames. Now in England, Ireland and Scotland they have the same problem. Lost identities. If a high percentage of original people were all driven out or hidden? Who remained and whose there now? The history of Scotland has been ignored. Find out who you really are. Help your family and country and go back to your families’ real roots of origin. If you don’t know what’s there you can’t deal with the real problems or confirm the direction of your life. To give you the inspiration and confidence to continue on the path you have chosen. Confirmation that your inspiration and direction is inherited will help give the strength, faith and confidence to succeed .You can tell just by the way modern people dress, look, act, lifestyle, etc., that they don’t know who they are or don’t like who they are or think they are.

It’s not too late to protect the United States and Europe. We need to restore our families, identities, protect our DNA, and get our cultures of origin back. History and DNA never go away. This will give us the courage and confidence we need to sustain and protect our lives in the future. You can remain loyal to whatever particular country you live in. Learn the language and live by the laws of the country you are living in.

Carol Cockburn Bird- 5/07