07-22-2010, 08:31 AM
As an indication of how a clan mentality can progress through the ages I have recently read a book called "King of the Gypsies" the life of Bartley Gorman a champion bare knuckle figher. His clan or "breed" as they call it encompasses several families, of different names, with a number of breeds making up an Irish traveller continjent in the UKs travelling community. They believe that they are decendents of Irish clans displaced centurys past who had to travel and make a living as best they could. This is very reminicient of the Scottish clans, which itself was a holdover from earlier days.
Now it is 265 years since 1745 and the battle of Culloden and there is still a small section of modern society who follow a long gone system in amongst those who have subsumed all other traces of this.
They also follow a sort of internecine warefare through the ability to fight in bare knuckle contests. They also deal extensively in horses, despite them not being needed as transport any more, breed them for sale & profit and show them off through trotting competitions and races.
It indicates that a sub culture of pre-Roman Celticness "could" have survived 350 years of dominance by Rome, no doubt changed accordingly by Roman influences.
Now it is 265 years since 1745 and the battle of Culloden and there is still a small section of modern society who follow a long gone system in amongst those who have subsumed all other traces of this.
They also follow a sort of internecine warefare through the ability to fight in bare knuckle contests. They also deal extensively in horses, despite them not being needed as transport any more, breed them for sale & profit and show them off through trotting competitions and races.
It indicates that a sub culture of pre-Roman Celticness "could" have survived 350 years of dominance by Rome, no doubt changed accordingly by Roman influences.
Conal Moran
Do or do not, there is no try!
Yoda
Do or do not, there is no try!
Yoda
