Exploring Celtic

Galicia

Northwestern Spain celebrates its ancient heritage which spread to Ireland, Scotland, other northern lands 

By Marie J. DeLopez

U.S. Army Garrison Hessen Marketing Office

I’ve called Spanish Galicia my home for the past 30 years. I’ve enjoyed its lush forests, mountainous landscape, turquoise blue coastline and ancient culinary flavors. But it wasn’t until recently that I looked deeper into the region’s ancient Celtic heritage.

Many people may not realize the northwestern region of Spain, like Ireland, is a place of Celtic melodies and druid legends (or meigas as they are called in Galicia).

Research shows that the Celtic culture began flowering in Galicia in the 7th to 5th centuries B.C. Warriors who sailed from the Iberian Peninsula to conquer Ireland represented what was known as Cultura Castrexa which alludes to the types of towns built at the time — known as hillforts and later called castros by the Romans.

King Breogán founded the town of Brigantia, the city today known as La Coruna on the northwestern Spanish coast. It features the oldest functioning lighthouse in the western world and is known as the Tower of Hercules. It is said that the massive tower was of such mythic proportions the king’s sons could see Ireland from the top.

It was that tempting glimpse of the distant isle that lured Ith, King Breogan’s son to sail north and land in Ireland. Upon making land in the north of the island, he encountered the chieftains of Tuatha de Danann and a battle ensued in which Ith was slain.

A second expedition, commanded by Mil, another son of Breogan and brother of Ith, led to the conquest of the island.

It is said that many of the great clans and families of Ireland, known as “Milesians,” descend from these early Spanish conquests by the sons of Kings Milesius and Breogan.

Sea routes between Galicia and Ireland were established in prehistoric times and strengthened after the 6th century B.C.

For the Galicians, Breogán is the founding father of the Galician Celtic nation, and is recognized as such in the Galician national anthem. Near the ancient Tower of Hercules, the Galicians have erected a larger than life statue of the Celtic king.

In La Coruña is a 60-foot-tall mosaic depicting the seven Celtic nations as points on a star — Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Galicia.

Green, hilly and rainy — not unlike Ireland and Scotland — its landscape, culture and music are markedly Celtic. With cathedrals, castles and hill-forts peeking through the mist, this age-old land is full of mysteries and magic.

Galicia may be the most forgotten of the seven Celtic nations, but it has some of the oldest Celtic traditions, dating back more that 2,000 years. Galicians have become increasingly aware of their Celtic heritage, and Celtic music festivals featuring kilt-wearing musicians playing bagpipes (gaitas) have become regular events. The age-old ritual of dramatic storytelling over a bowl or “pote” of queimada (a flaming liquor and a ritual said to go back to Celtic times) is offered by traditional hotels and restaurants in the region.

Like in other Celtic lands, the Galician culture was officially outlawed in Spain for centuries by religious and political leaders. While the Galician language was banned from official texts and documents, it continues to survive today through its people. A new revival movement begun in the 19th century proclaimed that Galicians were not Spaniards but Celts, thus inheritors of a glorious past of heroism and independence.

Galicia is like a living museum. Unlike other regions of Spain that were influenced by the Greeks and the Moors, Galicia has maintained continuity of its Celtic culture. Just as the Galician language and music have reemerged, Celtic-style jewelry is once again worn proudly as a symbol of one’s Celtic roots.

Once a land of magic and sorcerers, Galicia has strong ties to the original tribes’ history and stories. Folk tales speak of Druids and Druid priestesses who passed on their knowledge of magic and healing to their daughters and successive generations. Once highly regarded, these meigas are frequently depicted today as haglike figures in the form of popular keepsakes in Galician stores.

During the Iron Age, as many people decided to leave roving existences behind to settle in villages, Celtic castros (fortified, Iron Age settlements) were founded in northwestern Spain. Some of these settlements survived through occupation by the Romans. The architectural and artistic legacy this Castro culture left behind is apparent in archaeological sites in the region. Visitors to the Celtic La Citania Museum, located on Mount Santa Tegra near A Garda, can look deeper into the history of these ancient villages and their wealth of crafts, traditions and way of life.

A good place to start exploring the region is the coastal village of La Guardia, located on the border of Portugal and the Mino River. The village offers white sand beaches, fish restaurants and the remnants of a Celtic village on the beautiful hill of Santa Tecla. A visit to this castro will allow you to travel back in time and discover what prehistory’s first “cities” were like. In between winery and cultural sites there are plenty of different types of restaurants offering a great variety of the Galician cuisine — from five-star restaurants to small fishermen’s taverns on the docks offering an abundance of fresh seafood served as delectable finger food in handmade wicker baskets.

Whether on a quest to reclaim one’s cultural heritage, discover more about the history of northern Spain or to simply enjoy all that this bountiful landscape has to offer, Galicia will not disappoint. Night life, water parks, spas, free concerts, fests, hiking, golf and more await.

The area is easily accessible via car, train, plane or ship.

For more information about travel to this region in Europe, visit your local military community library and check out one of the many travel books available. A visit to the official Galicia website, www.turgalicia.es, can also provide a wealth of information and useful links. (Marie J. DeLopez works for USAG Hessen Marketing. Background information for this article was courtesy of the staff of the Citania Museum and various historical works.)