Ulster-Scots / Celtic

Using the professional disciplines of Archaeology, Anthropology, Paleonotology, and the preservation of information related to these sites, I have collected a massive data base of material. As well as filling several museum vaults.
As a certified research field archaeologist, I have documented and recorded hundreds of sites throughout the world. In thirty-eight different countries. For the last fifteen years I have been working here in Oklahoma on local Native American sites and the timeline migration of the Scots-Irish / Celtic in North America.
Which I feel has the potential for continued research. The work completed on the present sites has pushed the envelope back over 40,000 years for the occupancy of paleo-man. Material found here, and in Canada, as well as the rest of the western hemisphere, has and will continue to influence the history of the world. It is through the single surname research of the LARKIN [Clan O'Lorcain], that we hope to offer our people, the septs of the Clan a source for research of the chronological history of our culture.

CELTS

An Archeaological Overview

Indo-European Timeline

Stone-age

During this period Ireland was occupied by - stone age hunters, the original or indiginous inhabitants. In search of game they had crossed the channel from Alba to Antrim. The channel was probable much narrower then than it is now, allowing pedestrian travel back and forth or by small boat. Archeaological evidence indicates this stone age culture had left archeaological traces on the landscape as far south as Carlow.

Old World anthropological research indicates that the Islands were occupied early on by [Paleo-lithic] stone-age man, while the Islands were still joined or nearly joined, to the rest of Europe. Thousands of these Megalithic tombs are in evidence throughout the landscape. as evidence of their occupation, such as Newgrange, Meath and other great stone effigies, such as Stonehedge. There is some thought; to it having been built during this period; perhaps by the Druids. There is little evidence of this occupation, other than early mans archeology. There is evidence that the Islands were occupied by the Celts during the Stone Age [paleo-lithic] or during the New Stone Age [neo-lithic], just before the beginning of the Bronze Age.

What is commonly refered to as Celtic is not a specific race or ethnic group, but an amalgamation of a number of tribes, that identified themselves by a common sept or ancestor. Often these septs if in close proximaty to each other were tribes formed by individuals whom were related. These tribes that by virtue of isolation inter-married, then spoke a similar language and at times co-operated with each other. More often than not, they warred against each other.

There is much documented evidence that there was considerable patricide [killing of the father], father's killing of their off-spring, and even infanticide [killing of new born babies]among the royal families, to gain or maintain these seats of power.

My own family was no different; the Clan O'Lorcain [LARKIN], [perhaps I should take a moment and explain that the Celts were not formed into distinct Clans like the Scots were in later years. They followed a single sept of origin, or progenitor.] Through the single surname research of the O'Lorcain sept, the ancestrial line of heritage has been well documented.

It wasn't until much later that surnames came into existence. Prior to the specific use of surnames of descent, one was known as the son of such and such.

Bronze Age

Iron Age

There appears to have developed a strange anomaly in the eastern hemisphere. Paleo-man began changing their occupancy and difusion patterns. Their impact on the landscape was to some degree governed by the environment as well as the change in religious patterns. This seems to have developed during the period from; about 1500 b.c. to the Roman invasion in 43 a.d..

Late Bronze Age

1000 b.c. = The late Bronze Age was the beginning of the [Urnfield Culture - as some archaeologist call them] which exists across Europe. Begins the transition of the Iron Age. Iron Age Celtic Culture appears all across Europe as they begin their expansion.

800 b.c. = The Urnfield Culture is renamed after new archaeological evidence from Austria in 1876 was revealed. Renaming the Culture to "HALLSTALL".

550 b.c. = In southern Albion [England] the Celtic culture begin to move from the lowlands to hilltop forts, hundreds of them were built throughout southern England. By this time, the culture had expanded its scope of influence by conquest from Britain, France, southern Germany, western Spain, across northern Italy, East to the Black Sea, South into central Turkey.

In the eastern hemisphere Iron Age man quit building burial mounds, stone style circles, and stopped using such ancient spiritual sites as Stonehedge.

During the Iron Age period, the primary mode of livelyhood was dependent to a great extent on raiding and theft of what few domesticated food stock as there were. Supplimented by the gathering of the meager few wild eatables that could be gathered.

500 b.c. = The Celts begin trading with the Etruscans. Archaeological evidence rename culture to La Tene after 1858.

abt. 390 b.c. = Brennus leader of the Celts, lead them in sacking Rome; demanding a high price in gold. The Celts were at their peak during this period.

350 - 335 b.c. = The Celts from the vicinity of the Adriatic meet Alexander the Great.

By the late 150 b.c. period the occupants of the Islands had developed a very substantial trade pattern between the continent and themsleves. Raw material such as tin, gold, and silver; finished goods like coinage, wine, and pottery; as well as slaves.

In abandoning this way of life, they turned to a more pasturial way living, in that they created permanent fields and took to living in protected hilltop forts. Perhaps this was because; as they gained the knowledge to make iron tools, farming became a more rewarding proposition than raiding and pillaging. But, it also had its darkside, in that with iron; came iron weapons. Thus early man became more aggressive. Pastorial groups then needed protection from maurauding bands of armed bandits.

In an effort to try and clarify the cosmology of the Celtic culture. I am offering these links to individual pages dealing with my research into their social, cultural, and spiritual impact on the landscape.

Research indicates the only remaining manuscript of the ancient Celtic that is known to exist today. Contains ancient Irish myths and legends. The "Books of Leinster", and as we already know the Clan O'Lorcain's were the Kings and Lords of Leinster. The "Yellow Book of Lecan", notice the variation of the name Lorcain or O'Lorcain, O'Larkin, etc. As a reminder the progenator of the Clan O'Lorcain or septs; was LORCAN son of Phlim.

About 55 b.c. Julius Ceasar made a landing in Britain, but he only suceeded in establishing a temporary foothold. After another abortive attempt the following year. He sailed back to Rome, and left the Islands alone for another 100 years, until in 43 a.d. they land in force.

Up and until the Roman Invasion in 43 a.d., Britain was but a series of small kingdoms, with only about 20 of them large enough to have any significant influence on the region. And, none of these had any control over any large area of the Islands. When Julius Ceasar finale was able to establish a firm foothold in Britannia, his scope of influence spread over all the Islands bringing these petty-kingdoms under his control, except for ancient Ireland. The Roman's were never able to conquer the "barbarian" Celts, as they refered to them. With the stabilization of his pruterian control become he established a wall east to west across the boundary between what is now England and Scotland. This wall in effect established a no-mans land between the Roman's and the Pictish Nation. The Pic's a coalition of bands who are loosely identified with the Celts.

The Pictish Nation

Research of ancient Brittania can not be said to be complete without an extended thesis on the Pictish Nation. Because little concrete information is available. We must rely a great deal on scientific interpretation of glyphs, monumments, and symbols. I will be engrossed in continueing research into this ancient and fascinating culture, the Pictish Nations; the original occupants of Scotland.

The Scots

In the early 1600's the border between what is now Scotland and England was in constant turmoil. It was a no-mans land, where no one could live in peace, nor for that matter, maintain any semblence of a normal life. To survive, these occupants of no-mans land became "Border Reevers" (robbers), they turned to cattle, stealing, robbing, kidnapping, protectionism and fraud. This rugged way of life forged them into excellent frontiersman, guerrilla fighters, rogues, and scouts.
The King, however had no use for this type of people along his borders.
The most famous of the rogues or border clans were the Clans Armstrong, Bell, Grahams, and Johnstons. The most dangerous and notorious was the Clan Pringle.
In 1603, when James I of England [who was the Scotish King James VI and son of Mary Queen of Scots]came to the throne, the border highlands were finally "subjugated". After, many of these Clans people were killed, the others were scattered and sent to the lowlands. Many of them, including whole familes were uprooted and sent to Ireland with the goal of them settling down and becoming farmers. This was not to be. Their former way of life was so a part of their culture, that they became the hard core of the Scots/Irish settlers who emigrated. These were the best frontier (border) fighters in the British Isles, if not all of Europe.
The Scottish Reformation saw these Scots who had been transplanted into Ireland making a complete and total break with the Catholic Church. These hardened Scottish rogues, found that they did not need the King nor the Priest to do their thinking for them.
This was the beginning of the great Scots/Irish migration.

While developing the historic and pre-historic pages of our families Celtic background, I have amassed a great amount of information on the ethnic beliefs, mores, and cosmology of the indiginous people of ancient Ireland.

It is my intention to develop a series of pages that deal with the spiritual beliefs of the Celtic.

As for myself, I follow the spiritual beliefs of the Native American side of my family, but it does not preclude my interest in the beliefs of my ancestors on the Celtic side.

The beliefs of the Celtic people have been called Paganism as have those of my Native American heritage. It has always interested me; in how a group of people can call a belief that is seated in nature as Paganism