Celts, The: Rich Traditions and Ancient Myths

I watched this series in syndication when I was a young teen, when it came on TLC, and I loved it then. Sometimes I'm disappointed when I revisit programs that I liked when I was younger, but this didn't disappoint. In fact, I've been watching it repeatedly at night when I go to bed, quite often since I purchased it just prior to Christmas.The pattern of this documentary series follows very closely to that of another series by the same name, which is available to stream on Amazon. This is superior, in my opinion, despite it being older and having much in common with the narrative and historical and episode sequences. The narrative story-telling by Frank Delaney is wonderful, and the historians provide additional detail as well, without being as drab as those in the 2000s documentary series by the same name. Also, the music by Enya, which comes from her album The Celts, provides a romantic, almost fantasy-like landscape for the historical reenactments that add color to this old, but beautiful gem of a documentary.As this series is from the mid 1980s, don't expect HD film quality. But if you're OK with that, if you're a fan of Enya's music, are planning a trip to Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Scottland, or England, where you may visit sites directly relevant to Celtic history, or if you're looking to learn more (or start learning) about this culture of people, consider checking out The Celts.

This BBC version of "The Celts" is a little better than the Kultur DVD series by the same name, but both are worth watching. The present BBC version aired well before Ireland temporarily became known as the Celtic Tiger, and before there was as much reviving of the Gaelic language in Scotland and Wales as there apparently is now, but it is relatively up to date in other respects. It was obviously more or less up to date in all respects when it was made.The early part of the series covers relatively ancient times. The later part gets into interviews with people who pontificate (maybe too much) about what the definition of a Celt would be in contemporary times. The culture has obviously morphed from clan leaders and their people, but an interesting observation was made that some aspects of the Kennedy family could be seen as a modern day version of this, in that the management of resources within an extended family can be a good way to get ahead even in modern times.Between the interviews, it was sort of amusing that another definition of Celtic is right in front of you when watching the series, but some of the people being interviewed seemed to miss that point a little. For example, in the microcosm of music, the video shows the Irish singer and composer Enya preparing to record a song (the whole soundtrack is by Enya), who one could say fits the definition of a Celt, as would her extended family. Some in the extended family are in the musical group Clannad, which keeps the older flavor of Celtic music alive, while Enya does more contemporary, yet by some definitions, still Celtic, music. In a way, the series implies that Celtic music may include whatever a Celtic person would perform now, whether it is older songs or new ones. Celts of centuries past obviously didn't stick to the same songs century after century to the exclusion of any new material.The series ultimately makes a point that Celts are more a culture or a natural connection with the Gaelic language than a race, and that if the Celtic culture diminishes, so does the definition of Celts themselves. This does not necessarily negate the fact that some people have Celtic ancestry, since those having such ancestry may have more genuine interest in the language and culture, and by extension, its continuation. The preceding is an early 2015 update to the original review from 8 April, 2012. Text from the 2012 part of the review follows:After previously listening to Enya and seeing her mention doing music for "The Celts" in an interview on her "Very Best Of.." DVD, it was interesting to see the Celts series. For me, this is partly because I have some Celtic heritage myself by some definitions. (I don't speak Gaelic myself, but have great or great, great grandparents on both sides of the family that probably did.) The price of The Celts had been prohibitive for a while, but it got affordable during a sale right after Thanksgiving.What I wasn't expecting was to find (SPOILER ALERT) that Enya was actually "part of the story" in a brief part of one of the last episodes. Even better, there are two informal Enya music videos in a bonus interview feature, the first being "Na Laetha Geal M'oige" (Gaelic for "The Happy Days of My Youth", as a lament), and the second being "On Your Shore", both on the Watermark CD. She's just walking around synching to her songs in the videos, but it is still very pleasant. It was also interesting to find (from the Na Laetha Geal M'oige video), that the nice scenery in another of her music videos (How Can I Keep From Singing?, from the Shepherd Moons CD and not in this series) is near 751 m high Mount Errigal in County Donegal. I'd always wondered where that footage was taken from. She also talks about what she was seeking it express in each of the songs, which is something I haven't seen in conjunction with any of her other songs, especially the videos.While not specific to the Celts series, my cat thought it was a day to take to the TV screen and swat at Enya's earrings while the "On Your Shore" video was playing, but my cat's always been a wild child.

I found the video immensely comprehensive and overall well done; explaining the celtic movement along time and space (i.e. not only focusing on Ireland and Scotland), and the many factors that influenced its movement, settelment, assimilation, and impact on Europe then and now. The artifacts were stunning, the vistas wonderful.Some of the presentation was, granted, a bit 'dated' in feeling, but then again it is not a new production but rather and older one now issued in DVD. I agree with others who reviewed with item, in that it would've been a more complete program if an updated last chapter was to be added, or even a brief commentary about the state of celtic languages in Ireland and Scotland's uplands is today, 20 years after the video was done.Overall, I recommend the series.

Frank Delaney's The Celts is a major six part series on these ancient peoples; produced by the BBC way back in 1986. Having being created over two decades ago, the miniseries tends to be very dated today, both in its content and in its style.As a result, it tends be a hit and miss affair as some things seen on the program are still relevent while others are less so.Frank Delaney comes across as an informative and amiable presenter, and this series is very much his own personal view of the Celts. Delaney appears infrequently in the series as he tends to give more airtime to the experts, including the great Barry Cunliffe and the late Celtic scholar Proinsias Mac Cana.Since the program was aired Celtic studies have made huge leaps in knowledge, and many of the scenes in the earlier episodes are now utterly incorrect. In one part we see a map of the 'Celtic Empire' (there was no such thing) as well as arrows showing the many invasions and migrations of the Celtic peoples across Western Europe. It also claims that Hallstatt culture started in 700 BC.Modern scholarship tends to point towards the spread of Celtic culture and language in Western Europe through trade and other less warlike means. The age of the Hallstatt culture has also been extended as far back as 1200 BC, thanks to modern discoveries. The views expressed in the series are still rooted in outdated 19th century archaeology in some ways.The other episodes are also outdated, but mostly because of its mid eighties style. In the last episode we are presented with a look on the future of modern Celtic music and poetry. This includes an interview with a cringe worthy "up and coming popstar" dressed in a kilt and sporting some quasi-medieval armour. In one scene he is seen swinging a claymore on top of the World Trade Centre while singing 'over the sea' to some synthesizer music. Numerous scenes like these help firmly root the series in the eighties.I usually enjoy the pace and style of old documentaries, but this one tends to be too plodding in a few respects. In a dozen or so scenes an old fashioned, stern teacher teaches Celtic history to a class of utterly bored ten year olds. These scenes tend to drag on for ages, and it cuts to shots of the children yawning or throwing paper aeroplanes. What's bizarre is that the whole thing is staged - making these parts some of the most ill-judged scenes I have ever seen on a documentary.The whole point of a documentary is to present information in an interesting format - not to invoke the feeling of being trapped in a dull lecture!What I also found disappointing was the emphasis put on the modern descendants of the Celts, rather than the ancient people. In the first episode Delaney covers the origins of the Celts up until the conquest of the Gauls by Caesar. By the second episode the entire post-Caesar conquest of the Celts is covered in a few minutes, before moving on to the Dark Ages. The rest of the series covers the modern Celtic peoples, with the most screen time devoted to the Irish (Delaney is an Irishman afterall).I suppose your enjoyment of the series will be measured by how much interest you have in the ancient Celts or their modern descendants. If you'd rather watch scenes of Breton dance festivals, Welsh language television or 20th century Irish politics then you will enjoy this series. Personally I would have prefered more time spent on the Iron Age Celts.That said, this series does contain fascinating segments. The look at the burial of the Hochdorf Prince (The so-called 'Man in the Golden Shoes')was wonderful, as were the scenes of Hallstatt, Iron and Dark Age Celtic art and the autopsy of the 2,000 year old Lindow Man.The music by Enya was haunting and evocative of the time period. I had heard the music when I was a child, long before I ever saw the series, which is a testament to how famous it became. Some of the songs you might recognise, considering how rap and pop stars have made a dozen cover versions. This was the series that kick started Enya's career.Overall its a good series that has unfortunately not aged very well. It is a shame really as Michael Wood's 'In Search of the Trojan war' (made a year earlier in 1985) is much more watchable and has aged better in comparison. I suppose the reason why is that that series did not bring much attention to the fact that it was set in 1985 in contrast to how Delaney's The Celts is more liberal in its emphasis on the then modern eighties period.DVD Info-Region: 1No. of disks - 2Length - 325 mins (six hour long episodes)Language - EnglishSubtitles - NoneDVD Features - Weekend: A Musical Journey around Ireland Exclusive Interviews and performances by Enya Nationwide Celtic Connections

I almost gave this one three stars. There is one main narrator, sort of. In reality, there are five or six narrators/speakers with no clear direction most of the time. There are designed segments, yes, but it all smears in with one another, and with so many speakers with so many different styles and speech tones, it's hard to say there's a clear path or focus to any one segment. The result of this is that the dvds (two of them) kind of winds on and on, which is exhausting to this viewer. It just makes out as a long, drawn out tale. But it does go into a lot of detail. It covers history well from many different perspectives (which is helpful). It could have used more maps. There were a lot of map names mentioned, but there aren't that many maps with arrows and colouration showing the movement of people and actions (not enough of them). I never realized how much I liked those maps in other such videos until watching this one. It gets the fourth star from its historical content, not the delivery.

I was interested in a more personal view than a general overview. Music by Enya fitted right in with the subject matter.

Very good