A search for authentic Celtic culture and its scattered, endangered survivors

Travelling throughout the remote Celtic world, award-winning author Marcus Tanner describes the relentless pressure on Celtic communities to assimilate and warns that a distinct Celtic identity may not survive for another generation—a sobering loss that would impoverish us all.

"Tanner has concluded we must resign ourselves to the fact that Celticism is done, over, finis. He proves it in a very good and special book that every prodigal and true Celt should read and try to prove wrong."—Malachy McCourt, Washington Post Book World

"Lively. . . . [A] thoughtful book."—Publishers Weekly

"An exceptional journey into the remarkable cultural history of the Celtic people. . . . [Tanner’s] experience reads like a travelogue and an insightful history with an emphasis on cultural heritage."—Raymond L. Flynn, Boston Sunday Herald

"[An] angry, elegiac and meticulously researched book."—Christian Century