Celtic
Languages
Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres: all of Gaul is divided in three parts... but there were
twice the number of languages.

There were 2 main waves of Celts into Britain and Ireland.  The first spoke Goidelic and this
branch of Celtic is called q-Celtic.  These people may have come over during the Bronze Age; this
became the Gaelic spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Manx.

Later on came another wave around 500 BC and these people spoke Brythonic and we classify
this branch of the language as p-Celtic.  This dialect became Welsh and Cornish in Britain and
Breton on the European continent.
Now I've seen some Celtic names...
how do you pronounce them?
Welsh
Letter
 Usually
Sounds Like
b
 b
c
 c as in card
d
 d
dd
 th as in the
f
 v
ff
 f
g
 g as in get
ng
 as in sing
ll
 hold your
mouth as if
saying l, but
breathe over
the sides of
your tongue
as if saying l,
but breathe
over the
sides of your
tongue
ph
 f
r
 r (but with a
slight roll)
rh
 hr (aspirated)
s
 s
si
 sh
th
 th as in
thought
v
 can be v or u
ae, ai
 like eye
au
 like the letter
a in fate
aw
 close to crown
ei, eu
 like tee or like
eye or like pay
oi, oe
 like coil
ow
 like Owen
wy
 oo then ee
Irish
Letter
 Usually
Sounds Like
b
 b
c
 c as in card
d
 d or j
f
 f
g
 g as in get
r
 may be rolled
bh
 w or v
ch
 like Loch
dh
 like ch but
with g or y
mh
 w or v
ph
 f
sh
 h
si
 sh
th
 h
ae
 like say
ao
 like fee
eo
 like hoe
ia
 like see a
ua
 like fluent
Scottish
Letter
 Usually
Sounds Like
ch
 aspirated K like
the German ach
qu
 silent in some
proper nouns
r
 rolled
b
 b at the start of
a word, p later
on
bh
 v
c
 like card at start
of word, else
like chk
dh
 like gh or yet
fh
 silent
g
 g at start of
word, k
elsewhere
gh
 voiced version
of ch or y
mh
 v
p
 p or hp
sh
 h
t
 t or ht
th
 h
d
 d or j (like let)
si
 sh
Ywerddon &
Iwerddon
In Welsh Ywerddon
means fairy land and
Iwerddon means
Ireland.  
Coincidence?
Nemeton - the celtic word for sacred grove/trees.  How do we know?
 There was a Latin glossary which specifically defined it, but you can
also see it in place names like Drunemeton, Nemetobriga,
Vernemeton and Medionemeton.
A passage on the words for Magic - from Lewis Spence's Magic Arts in Celtic Britain*

"...we find that the noun employed to describe the spoken word of Magic, or the spell, among the
Gaelic-speaking Celts of ancient Scotland and Ireland was Bricht, which has been equated with the
Icelandic bragr, "poetry", that is "magical rhyme".  A term commonly used among the Gaels to denote any
magical act, or sleight of sorcery is Druidheachd, which only too readily reveals the actual source of its
inspiration.  The word Eolas, "knowledge", is also frequently still in use as signifying magical potency..."
*many of these older sources need to taken with a "grain of salt", but still have some valuable
information.  I do not know enough yet about these languages to properly evaluate the statement; so I
left it to you to judge for yourself!