Gaelic Language and Culture

Syllabus & Class Information

Class Times: Wednesdays, 7 PM to 9 PM, 7 weeks (4/12/2017 - 5/31/2017) NO CLASS
4/19

Class Location: Bellevue College North Campus, 14673 NE 29th Place, Bellevue, WA
98007

Instructor
Geoffrey Sammons, geoffrey.sammons@bellevuecollege.edu; www.gaelicseattle.com

Class Summary
In this class we will explore the history of the Gaelic speaking peoples and the effects
of that history on their language and culture. Emphasis will be on Scotland and
Ireland. As we journey through the past, song, poetry, and myth will give us a window
into the lives and language of a fascinating people from whom so many of us descend.
Note: This class will not provide Gaelic language teaching. I teach a separate class on
Scottish Gaelic at Bellevue College, as well as through private lessons.

Learning Objectives
After this class, students should be able to:
• Understand the origin of the Gaels through archeology and myth
• Understand the history of the Gaels and the effects of that history on the people,
language(s), and culture
• Understand the status of the language(s) today

Attendance
Attendance to all classes is highly recommended as subsequent classes build on
previous classes. Arrangements for notes can be made if a participant must miss a
class.

Homework
There is no assigned homework planned for this class, however, reviewing the previous
weeks material is advised as we will be moving forward in time from class to class. If
you find something of relevance in the news for our class topics, feel free to bring it
in for a bit of show and tell. It is my intention to distribute the class handouts online
via the Canvas learning management system. Please visit Canvas before class and
bring a printout of the handout to class if you would like to follow along.

Assistance with setting up Canvas can be obtained at the Front Desk at the North
Campus.

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Class Topics
First Class – Origins, Mythology, Archeology (Prehistory to 50 BCE)

Setting the stage: We will discuss the landscape before the arrival of the Celtic
language in Ireland and Scotland by looking at the archeological record. This is the
time of the chambered burial tombs, stone circles, houses built over the water (called
crannogs), and Iron Age stone structures called ‘brochs.’ Our examination ends with a
discussion about the Book of Invasions, the origin story of the Gaels. (Gaels is the
term used for those who speak Gaelic.)

Second Class – The Celts

Defining the term: This course generally follows a timeline, however, as the Celts play
such an important role in identity, we will spend a class discussing them. Who were
they? Where did they come from? What is ‘Celtic?’ How did the Celts of mainland
Europe differ from those in Britain and Ireland? Is what we call ‘Celtic’ today the
same as the ‘Celtic’ of the past?

Third Class - Writing and Romans (50 BCE-500 CE)

The next phase: While the Sumerians developed clay tablet cuneiform in the 4th
millennium BCE and the Egyptians shared papyrus with the Greeks and Romans, the
Celts (and the Gaels) avoided writing things down. During the period 0-500 CE, Ogham
is developed and we get the first writing of the Gaels. The Romans bring Christianity
and with it come the future saints: Patrick, Ninian, and Columba.

Fourth Class – Dál Riata to Scotland (500 CE to 1165 CE)

Developing states: The Gaels, doing reasonably well on their own, run smack into the
Vikings and the Normans. This is a time of change: Christianity, medieval feudalism,
Viking raids, Norman conquests, and English Expansionism. France and Spain have an
agenda. The English Crown isn’t having any of it. Henry VIII of England lays the
groundwork for “Union.” Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth of England, and Mary, Queen of
Scots help his plans along in different. What are Highlanders and Lowlanders? What
does ‘Beyond the Pale’ mean?

Fifth Class - From the Lordship of the Isles to Union (1165 CE to 1603 CE)

Good Times, Bad Times, Ugly Times: Highland versus Lowland becomes ‘a thing.’ The
Gaels are having a ‘Golden Age’ but overreach. Political destruction results in waring,
cattle-raiding, and those with nothing find new lives as mercenaries. Then comes the
Protestant Reformation. France and Spain have an agenda. The English Crown isn’t
having any of it. Henry VIII of England lays the groundwork for “Union.” Elizabeth of
England and Mary, Queen of Scots help Henry’s plan along in different ways. England
takes more of an interest in Ireland. What does ‘Beyond the Pale’ mean?

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Sixth Class – Union, Suppression, and Rebirth (Scotland) (1603 CE to Today)

Full assault: The political states of the Gaels have been destroyed and chaos reigns.
The Gael is defined by those who sought to destroy and subdue them as savages.
Purveyors of ‘civilization’ establish colonies in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The
Flight of the (Irish) Earls results in the Ulster Planation, setting the stage for The
Troubles. The Jacobite Uprising in Scotland ends with the Battle of Culloden, the
banning of tartan, bagpipe and the Gaelic language. The Highland Clearances come
not much later, and with them Gaelic speaking Scots are distributed around the world.

Seventh Class - Union, Suppression, and Independence (Ireland) (1603 CE to Today)

Union, or not: Ireland loses its independence, but what form will its relationship to
Britain take? Famine, war, and emigration play a role in shaping things. Then comes
partition. Is this the end of the language and culture of the Gael? Maybe not.

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