The Other Celtic Country

Learning About Wales

Here in America, we hear little about this other Celtic country. We are all about Ireland, which makes sense when you consider the number of Americans who have Irish roots, nearly a quarter according to some sources. And Scotland? We have Braveheart and tartans, just to name a few Scottish influences. There are numerous novels set in these two countries. There are also some novels set in Wales, but not nearly as many. We have the legend of King Arthur, which may come from Wales, but even that is debated.

Today is St. David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales. I wrote a little about this saint here on Celtic Voices.

My Ancestry

I have ancestors from the border region of Scotland, from Northern Ireland, from Cornwall, and from Wales. Cornwall and Wales are new discoveries for me, and my ancestors came from those areas very long ago—the first half of the seventeenth century. I will save Cornwall for another post, but my Welsh ancestors came from Anglesey, Wales. Anglesey is actually an island that stretches into the Irish Sea toward the Irish capital of Dublin. Anglesey has a rich Celtic history, which of course fascinates me. I have much to learn about its history still. I don’t know if in the 1500s and 1600s, Anglesey was involved in whaling. But my Anglesey ancestors certainly were people of the sea and fishermen. When they came to Massachusetts, they remained sailors and soon moved to Nantucket and became whalers. My Myrick family is most definitely rooted in Wales.

The Search Begins

My genealogy searches extend beyond names and dates. I want to know about places and about the history of those places. And of course, I want to go there. On my bucket list!

In future posts I’ll look at some novels set in my places of origin and share some of the history as I learn more.

Do you have anything to share about Wales? Please comment! And Happy St. David’s Day!