Laura Eggertson
Ask Paul Birt about St. Patrick’s Day, and the first thing the Chair of Celtic Studies does is dispel a common misconception. St. Patrick, it turns out, may be Ireland’s patron saint – but he wasn’t Irish.
Celtic crosses
in Ireland
“St. Patrick actually was, technically, a Romano-Briton,” Birt says cheerfully. “That’s a Celt of Britain who was romanized during the Roman period.”
Turns out, Patrick, who is famous for converting the Irish from pagans to Christians, grew up on the west coast of Britain in the 5th century. As a teenager, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland, where he spent six years in slavery before escaping. Patrick returned to Ireland as an adult and a missionary of the early Christian church. March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day – commemorates the day he died.
Although he knew Latin and mastered the Irish language, Patrick grew up speaking a language similar to early Welsh. Birt, who grew up in North Wales and is a strong proponent of the language, takes particular delight in relating that part of the story.
Language is only one of the cultural markers that define Celtic communities, Birt points out. In the Ottawa area, for example, Irish communities were founded up and down the Ottawa Valley at the beginning of the 19th century. But most Irish immigrants did not retain their language (Irish, also known as Irish Gaelic), although they did practise aspects of their culture, such as their religion. Music, both vocal and instrumental, has been the strongest cultural link in these communities.
“It’s that connection that makes people feel most Irish in these historic communities along the Valley,” says Birt.
Music also links the Irish immigrants who came to Canada in other periods – after the Second World War and in the 1990s. “When you look at these three communities, they’re all different: all represent different aspects and stages of Ireland over time,” Birt says.
Likewise, the Celtic community in Ottawa – and in Canada – is made up of distinct peoples, including the Irish, Welsh, Highland and Island Scots, Lowland Scots, the Cornish and Bretons. “You can’t talk about a Celtic community as such and expect to put an umbrella over all of these people, because they have all come from countries and regions that are vastly different from the others.”
As the Chair of Celtic Studies, Birt’s courses and responsibilities span all of those cultures. The University offers courses in Irish, as well as Welsh and Breton, but is emphasizing the study of early Celtic civilizations in courses that have proved popular. This year, nearly 400 students are taking Celtic courses as part of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature.
Within the Irish community, there is a strong movement to increase the use of the Irish language, including a weekend Irish language course held annually in Arnprior. In Ireland, Irish is the first official language, and it is taught in school. But there are few Irish-speaking communities, except in the far west of the country. Irish radio and television, now accessible over the Internet, are bringing language into more common usage, Birt says.
So if you want a change from the common campus languages of English and French, wander into the Celtic corner of the Arts Hall. You’ll likely be greeted by the lyrical lilt of a Gaelic singer coming from Birt’s office, and by the strains of the Welsh or Irish that mean he’s entertaining visitors. Le gach dea-mhéin: best wishes.
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