Of or relating to the Gaels, or the ancient Celtic peoples of Ireland(Éireann), Scotland(Alba), and the Isle of Man(
Ellan Vannin) in Britain.
It especially refers to their languages: Irish Gaelic(Gaeilge), the most prominent, and her sister languages; Manx Gaelic(Gaelg); and (Scottish) Gaelic(
Gàidhlig). Their cousin languages from the Brythonic Celtic languages are Welsh(Cymrig), Cornish(Kernowek), and Breton(
Breizh). All of them possess rolling r's, hard-only c's and g's,
gutterals, and soft sounds also. All are poetic, musical, beautiful languages, often sounding very
Tolkienesque.
The languages are now fragile after centuries of prejudice from the English. Still interest in them has risen in and around their homelands. There is lingering prejudice and doubt still around, but not quite as bad as it once was.
The Celts have been allowed to speak any language but their own. Why?
Example:
"'S e dùthaich gun anam a th'ann dùthaich gun cànan"?
Gu fìor; tha h-uile rud an-seo airson adhbhar. Gun e/i, marbhaidh 'n iomadachd na t-saoghail seo bì
deag is bìdeag. 'S e cànan à
lainn a th'anns a' Ghàidhlig... bu lugha orm e fhaicinn
dhol.
Cho fad is bhitheadh na Ceiltich cànanan beò, agus tha ùidh againn
orra, bidh ann
ronn na dòchais dhaibh.
Ach th'ann mòran
obair ri dhèanamh.
("A country without a language is a country without a soul"?
Truly; everything is here for a reason. Without it, the diversity of this world will die piece by piece. It is a lovely language that Gaelic is... I would hate to see it go.
As long as the Celtic languages are alive, and we are interested in them, there will be some hope for them.
But there's still much work to do.)