 spoken in most part of England before the Anglo-Saxons, and that included in southern part of Scotland. Ancient Scotland was known as Caledonia or Alba at the time of the Romans. Some of Welsh-speaking Britons fled across the channels to Armorican Peninsula, but it changed its name to Brittany. However, Welsh and Breton became unintelligible.
And the Goidelic languages were referred to as Q-Celtic languages, comprising of Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Manx (from the Isle of Man).
It is not certain if Ireland had ever spoken P-Celtic language before the arrival of the Gaelic Celts settled on this isle. Ireland was called Ierna by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy, while it was called Hiberia by the Romans. The people of Ireland were also called Scotti, so Ireland was also called Scotia. Around the 4th century, these Scotti invaded and colonised Argyll in Alba and established a kingdom known as Dal Riada. The Scotti warred, and then intermingled with Picts, and the whole Alba was renamed to Scotland. That was the reason why the Scotland spoke a Gaelic language, and shared strong cultural, mythological and folkloric ties to Ireland.
The Irish had also settled on the Isle of Man, around the 5th century, displacing the P-Celtic language spoken there. The Irish invaders have also established a kingdom of Dyfed in southern Wales.
But how did Gaelic people reach Ireland?
So where did the Gaelic people come from?
Like in Britain, the Celtic people had arrived in Ireland only in the 1st millennium BC. It is clear from archaeological evidences that there were people living in both Ireland and Britain before the arrival of the P and Q Celtic people in the 6th-5th century BC.
It was these pre-Celtic people who were involved in the megalithic cultures, such as erecting large standing stones and megalithic tombs. It is a 18th and 19th myths that the Celtic druids were involved in long barrows in Ireland or stone circles, like the Stonehenge in England.
There are several routes in which the people might have journeyed to and settled in Ireland. Migrating people could travel to the Ireland's eastern shore directly from Britain or from the Continent via Britain. On the other hand, people can migrate from the south and west, from the Continent, either from Gaul (France) or Spain. During the Viking period, the Vikings landed upon northern shores from Scandinavia via either their bases from Britain (northern England or Scotland) or the Hebrides islands (especially in Orkney).
It is not certain if the people, known to the Roman people as the Picts that lived in ancient Alba (Scotland), had lived in Ireland too. Since the Picts left no records, it is also uncertain of what the Picts called themselves. In the Q-Celtic language, like Irish, the Picts were called Cruithni, Cruithnig, Cruithne or Cruithin. While in P-Celtic, the Picts were called Preteni or Pretani.
According to the 2nd century geographer Ptolemy, Ireland was called Ierna; it was called Hiberia. The people of Ierna were known as the Iverni, which had been identified with the Érainn. It is generally believe today that the Erainn or Iverni arrived after the Cruithni (Picts).
It was also said the Belgae, a tribe that lived in Gaul, between the Seine and Marne, had also settled and established a southern kingdom in Britain, before Caesar's campaign in Gaul. They may have also migrated to Ireland, however, one scholar argued that the Erainn could identify with the Belgae, a view that most scholars discredited.
The Lagin followed Erainn, and settled mostly in the region that was later called Leinster, but also in Connacht. It is said in their legend that the Lagin had come from Armorica (Brittany).
The true Gaels or Goidels or Irish were the last invaders, known as the Féni, and are equated with the legendary Milesians in the Lebor Gabala (Book of Invasions). It is generally believed that the Feni migrated to the isle directly from the Continent, instead of via Britain.
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