Celtic identity and the Galician Crisis

The six-nation Inter-Celtic Flag - certainly more legible than its cousin, the eight-nation one.

Regular readers of the newsletter will remember last month’s article, ‘The Inter-Celtic Flag’ based on the eight nations version of the flag.  The six nations of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall as well as Galicia and Asturias - two regions in North West Spain.

However, ‘no language, no nation!’ is a short but pithy saying in each of the six Celtic languages still spoken today, so the inclusion of the two regions in Spain is controversial amongst Celtic historians and cultural experts.  This article aims to outline the two sides of the debate.

In support of the eight nation model, the academic, Manuel Alberro published a 2008 article entitled ‘Celtic Legacy in Galicia’ in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies.  Alberro’s argument is that a Celt is anyone who thinks they are a Celt.  As archeological evidence exisits in North West Spain of a once flourishing Celtic culture, he suggests that these provinces should be in included in the family of Modern Celtic nations.

On the other hand, the six nation model is preferred by the Celtic League, today’s most political organisation of the Pan Celtic movement.  In 1986 the League (very narrowly) voted at its annual meeting to accept the principle that Galicians and Asturians constituted Celtic communities.  This was despite the fact that no Celtic language had been spoken in this area since the 9th century!

The decision caused an immediate controversy and became known as the ‘Galician Crisis’ in which the definition of a Celt was fiercely contested, analysed and assessed.  If the language criterion was no longer valid, how then was a Celtic community to be defined?  By race, religion, or some other outwardly identifiable form?  Eventually, the earlier decision was reversed at the League’s next annual meeting and the linguistic definition was reintroduced.

Peter Berresford Ellis, a strong advocate of the linguistic definition and author of ‘The Celtic Dawn: A History of Pan-Celticism’ published in 1993 writes on the Transceltic website ‘It is not my intention to minimise the contribution of the Asturians and Galicians in supporting the preservation, protection and promotion of Celtic culture. … In our struggle to preserve the Celtic languages and Celtic cultures, we are all allies.  As the Celtic tongues of Galicia and Asturias are now lost to time, unfortunately we can no longer save them. I believe the focus of the Pan-Celtic movement should be on the nations where there are still living Celtic languages, which are the Six Celtic Nations’.

The six nation version of the Inter-Celtic flag is reproduced here to help readers make up their own minds on this issue!

-- Philip Selbie, October 2025

[Editor's note - there are even more exotic versions of the flag - such as this one on Reddit, with 14 constituents.]