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 == A Reply from the Republic of Ireland talk page. == 

  
 Paul, the Celts never occupied Ireland! You are confuseing a culture with a people and/or ethnic group.  

 The peoples (notice the plural) who called themselves Celts as we know them principly lived in what is now central, southern and eastern France, parts of western Germany, Switzerland, the far north of Italy, and one or two other places such as Spain and Galatia.  

 In what's now France, they were bounded in the north and east by the Belgae and Germanic peoples, and in the south by the Vascones. There are the names of maybe half-a-dozen peoples or nations, known to inhabit Britain and Ireland either side of the first century A.D. (Menapii, Atrebates, Belgae/Fir Bolg) who did come from the Celtic/Belgae/Germanic borders, but only in very small numbers.  Certainly there is no trace whatsoever in the archaeological record that such an occupation of Ireland by anyone took place at that time, let alone the Celts. 

 "" England (later completely Saxonised by the Viking ethnic cleansing)."" That's one humdinger you are going to have to explain! How could the British be Saxonised by Vikings??? 

 ""Our culture, our language and our descent are Celtic. Like all things Celtic, it has been enhanced by the interaction and assimilation of Viking, Norman, Roman, Greek and Arabic concepts, culture and genes."" Paul, frankly this sounds disturbingly racist.   

 ""Your comparison to language is also misleading. A majority of Irish speak English fluently yet the specified quote does not sugest that they are of English ethnicity."" Exactly. 

 ""I would point out that the English are a mix of Viking and Norman"" - actually the English were, up to c.1066, mainly of British and Anglo-Saxon descent, with the culture and language of the latter being dominant. 

 ""there is little evidence for Welsh-Irish interbreeding"" Actually there is. Check out the Attacotti, the Desi, Irish kingdoms in Dark Age Wales, not to mention them returning the favor from 1169 onwards - hence surnames like Bhreanach, Brannagh, Walsh and Welsh. 

 ""the Scots are descendents of Irish colonists known as the Picts from before the submergence of the landbridge between Scotland and Ulster"" Sorry, no cigar. The Picts were in what we now call Scotland long before the Scotti turned up in force from c.498 onwards.  

 All the best in 2006!  "