We know little of them at this time because theirs was an oral tradition with no written records. We see them in Roman history in 50 B.C. as the Gauls through the eyes of Caesar. Rome conquers them and invades England, Wales and parts of Scotland. With the beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire, the armies withdraw, leaving behind a network of roads and Christianity as the dominant religion.

The vacuum left by the Romans is quickly filled by invading Anglo Saxon tribes from Germany driving down through Scotland. It is at this time that King Arthur of Celtic legend probably lived as he attempted to rally his people from his base in Cornwall to fight the new invaders from the north and create an independent Celtic republic. In the end, even Arthur's heroic efforts were not successful and the Celts of England were subjugated by another invading force.

Yet in spite of the effects of the invasions by the Romans and Germans and subsequently those of the Vikings and the Normans, the Celts had a remarkable staying power as a cultural force. Even though much of their history was not even written down, their contributions remain strong in the myths, religion, history and traditions that form our modern society. Indeed, there is a Celtic renaissance under way today as the culture is revisited and appreciated anew.

I am descended from these people on my father's side. I know this from my dermatologist, who warns me that my Celtic complexion and blue eyes cause me to be subject to negative effects of sunburn. More directly, my family name, Clough, is believed to derive from a term related to those Celts who lived in and around the cliffs of Brittany in France. Clough is a Welsh name (pronounced Cluff) and to this day many Cloughs live in Wales, although my forebearers immigrated to America and to what was to become Massachusetts in 1635. My wife, Anne, is a Burke on her mother's side and her grandparents were Irish, so she shares with me the Celtic lineage.

When told that the Alumni Association was looking for a Georgia Tech couple to host its Celtic lands tour, Anne and I jumped at the opportunity. This would give us a chance for the first time to visit some of the places where our ancestors spent their lives and to see the historic locations we had heard so much about.

The Celtic lands tour originates in northern France and from there on to England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. This is to be a sea-based adventure, touching land each day after a sea passage. In its own way this is appropriate since the Celts were accustomed to coastal travel by water because in the early times, an established road network did not exist and the land was heavily wooded. Our well-appointed base, the M.S. Le Diamant, a cruise ship with 133 cabins, affords an abundantly comfortable moving hotel that will take us from site to site.

We are joined on the tour by 18 stalwart Georgia Tech alumni and friends, along with 150 or so other folks affiliated with other universities and affinity groups. The tour is sold out, a sign of the growing interest in Celtic culture.

The Beginning

Departing Atlanta on the evening of June 7 and landing in Paris on June 8, we are immediately whisked to the French city of Rouen, where we board the Diamant and settle into our cabins. After a gracious dinner, it does not take long to fall into a deep sleep from the effects of jet lag. Overnight the ship takes us to Caen, France, which formed the base for our activities on June 9.

This first day is spent taking advantage of the proximity of the beaches and battlefields of the D-Day landings along the Normandy coast for a tour of this hallowed ground. Our circumstances could not have been more different from those of the courageous soldiers who were locked in a mighty struggle with Nazi Germany that would secure freedom for our nation and our allies.

While the American, Canadian, British and Free French troops were confronted with rain, fog and high seas and faced deadly peril, we experienced a sunny day in the high 70s in the now peaceful and alluring French countryside. Monuments and remnants of the battlefield that were preserved allowed us to at least understand the significance of the events that took place on this hallowed land. But the enormity of the sacrifice made was brought home by our visit to the hauntingly beautiful American Military Cemetery at St. Laurent overlooking the English Channel. Here 9,300 marble crosses mark the graves of U.S. soldiers who gave their lives in the landings and later in the war.

Nothing about these landings was on less than a heroic scale. In the afternoon we visited Arromanches, a small town where in the early days of the landing an outsized floating port was created in less than two weeks to supply the needed equipment, fuel and food for the mighty armies fighting to secure the land needed to support the advances into enemy territory. Winston Churchill personally helped in the design of the port and oversaw its construction. Arromanches was the site of his first landing after the attacks were launched. As we are served a helping of lectures about the creation of this remarkable port, the eyes of some of my fellow passengers seem to glaze over, but to this civil engineer, nothing could be more exciting.

A Day in 'Little Britain'

Leaving behind the modern issues of World War II, our ship moves us overnight to the old port city of St. Malo in Brittany for June 10. St. Malo's Christian origins date back to the founding by Welsh monk MacLow of a bishopric in the sixth century. This location had been a stronghold of the Celts for centuries, but with the founding of St. Malo as a Christian outpost, it served as refuge for the Celts leaving England to flee the invading Anglo Saxons. In the 12th century it became a walled and prosperous city with its own armed forces that eventually pledged allegiance to France. The prevalence of Celts in this region who immigrated from Great Britain led to its being called Brittany, or "little Britain."

Among the many historic sites in this region, the most famous and dramatic is the abbey of Mont St. Michel. Built on a rock island in a bay known for its 20- to 30-foot tidal changes, the abbey looms above the countryside and is visible from far away. As early as 708 the island became a site for religious pilgrimages and in time buildings developed, evolving from modest origins to one of the world's most magnificent religious monuments. Succeeding generations built on the works of those before them with architecture reflecting new styles and technology. Modifications to St. Michel continued even into modern times. Because of the lack of land, the abbey grew vertically, not horizontally, calling for an ingenuity not seen in other famous abbeys and cathedrals.

The history of Mont St. Michel is as storied as its architecture, involving a succession of supportive patrons, including dukes of Normandy and kings of France, as well as those who sought to destroy or damage it, among them English invaders and the leaders of the French Revolution. For a period, especially during the French Revolution, it was used as a fearsome prison and some frescoes and artworks were damaged or destroyed. Beginning in the late 1800s, it was recognized as a treasure and the government of France assumed responsibility for restoration and maintenance. Today it has been designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

High atop the abbey is the magnificent gothic cathedral with its stained glass windows glowing in the sunlight and providing sweeping views of the bay. Capping the cathedral is an ornate steeple guarded from above by a gilded statue of the archangel St. Michael with his sword unsheathed, ready to strike.

Our visit comes on a glorious day with plenteous sunshine and cool temperatures. A visit to St. Michel brings exercise because you have to climb well-worn stone stairs one by one to reach the top. Views of the bay and the chance to stand in hushed wonder in the remarkable refectories prepared for worship are worth the effort. A meditation garden lies adjacent to the gothic cathedral, its ethereal presence unexpected so high in the air it seems suspended in time. The garden is bounded by a rectangular covered walkway with an open side framed by numerous small arches, each supported by delicate rose granite columns. These are staggered one by one so that a repeating pattern is created that is at once pleasing to the eye and at the same time evocative of geometric rigor.

Too soon we have to make our descent back to the bus, but the return is rich with insight as our route proceeds down spiral staircases through successive levels, each serving the needs of the abbey in differing ways. Descending level by level we see the architecture change and age, reflecting earlier centuries of work until at last we exit and the rock of the island appears under the works of man.

To the 'Land of King Arthur'

Returning to St. Malo, we board the Diamante and the ship prepares to cross the English Channel to Fowey, a quaint port city on the south of Cornwall, England. Cornwall lies at the heart of Celtic country in England and is bounded on the north by the Irish Sea and south by the English Channel. It served as a key link in the "Saints Way," a passage beginning in Ireland that led the faithful for centuries across Cornwall on pilgrimages to Rome.

In legend and likely in history, Cornwall is also the home to King Arthur and his knights. On our tour we are treated to several lectures by experts who examine Arthurian history and legend. Although there is debate about this, the predominant evidence points to Tintagel in north Cornwall as his birthplace, and it is believed Camelot was located at Cadbury Castle in the middle of Cornwall.

Historical records suggest Arthur lived around 550 and likely served as an officer in the Roman army in his early life, learning the arts of organized battle and war in the process. He assumed his role as a leader of the Celtic tribes as the Romans withdrew and he found the advancing Anglo Saxons so that a free republic could be created. Arthur was unique to his time in having unified the Celtic tribes by treating each as an equal. Beyond rudimentary historical information, we learn it is hard to separate fact from fiction about King Arthur. He is mentioned in a number of historical references from 550 to 1100, but the larger aspects of his reputation began to grow as the Normans invaded England and Norman writers viewed him as a hero.

The flourishing of the Arthurian legend comes with the publication of "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory in 1469. This beautifully wrought story, written in part while Malory was in prison, tells us his version of Arthur's great accomplishments and leadership and trials and tragic ending. Even though Arthur is depicted as a hero, he is appealing because at the same time he is human and flawed. Faced with decisions that hold dire consequences to his person, he is willing to live by his belief in principles and the rightness of law. In the end, he is driven even to kill his son, Mordred, who attempts to overturn the king. In killing Mordred, Arthur is struck with a mortal wound himself, an end both tragic and filled with moral overtones.

Arthur's death is mythically consummated in the "Lady in the Lake" story, but Malory leaves the door open to another ending as his conclusion recalls the resurrection. "Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place. And men say that he will come again and he shall win the Holy Cross." So it is that legend lives on.

We are off to an early start on the morning of June 11 with a tour of Cornwall in the presence of cool temperatures. A marine layer of clouds lies close over the green and verdant hills, but not so thick as to suggest they will not break to let the sun shine through later. Fowey is all you might expect in a picturesque port town, with its brightly painted houses built narrow and close to each other to allow as many people as possible to live near the water. The port is naturally well protected as it lies within an elongated pearl-shaped harbor. Fowey's steeply pitched streets rise quickly from the water and are wide enough for only one vehicle at a time. With an abundant rainfall, the houses of Fowey are framed by an abundance of bright flowers.

At the center of town lies the Fowey Parish Church, with a tower that rises above the town and is crowned by a golden weathervane sporting a large salmon, a fish native to these waters. Parts of this church date back to 500, when the early Christian priests were expanding their influence as the Romans withdrew. It has gone through several incarnations, although today its loyalty lies with the Church of England.

Nearby is the home of one of the most famous of the residents of Fowey, the author Daphne Du Maurier, who lived out her life here and wrote novels like the well-known mystery "Rebecca."

Our day trip is to the Pencarrow estate, about 15 miles north of Fowey. The bus ride takes us along roads often too narrow for two vehicles, causing one to choose to either stop and reverse or to lay close to the vegetation that hugs the sides of the road. As the sun breaks through the clouds, the bright colors of foxglove and other flowering plants are seen on the roadside. Valerian, with its puffy cone-shaped flowers in soft pink hues, graces hillsides and fields. The far view in the distance is of green and verdant fields crisscrossed by hedgerows. These we learn are reinforced by granite blocks with the greenery grown onto the sides and in the middle.

Arriving on the entry roads to the Pencarrow estate we are treated to the riotous blooms of rhododendrons, with dozens of varieties present. The "rhodies" are not native to this area but are imported and are thriving to the point of driving out other species to the concern of the local naturalists. The estate has been in the hands of the same family since the 1500s, including the present residents. It is a handsome Georgian edifice containing many valuable antiques and artifacts and surrounded by elegant gardens.

We learn the estate has been visited by many luminaries, including most recently Margaret Thatcher. But for all its impressive history, today it survives because of folks like us who pay to see it because the upkeep exceeds the ability of the family to pay for it. Repairs go undone in some cases for want of funding. The good news is that local residents have taken up the cause and work as docents to help in the cause of historic preservation.

After an enjoyable visit to Pencarrow, we return to Fowey, where our bus has to let us out well up on the hill above town. We navigate our way down the narrow and winding streets to the tender that carries us back to the Diamante. We depart Fowey and head into the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Ireland, where we will visit Cork and Dublin. The weather en route has produced long swells that cause the Diamante to rock front to back and to yaw side to side. This is disconcerting to some of our passengers and the dinner serving is conducted with less than the normal contingent.

The Emerald Isle

Ireland is a country with a long history founded on Celtic legends and traditions. The Irish would argue that for several thousand years while the rest of Europe was occupied by peoples who painted themselves blue and lived brutish lives, the Celts of this island were culturally advanced and celebrated religion under the guidance of the Druid priesthood. The native tongue is Gaelic, a language now celebrated, but until Irish independence in 1922, was outlawed by the English government. On most public signs the words are listed in Gaelic along with English. In many cases the English translation is a phonetic one. Thus, the town of Ros Lair becomes Rosslare in English or Corcaigh (pronounced Corkie) becomes Cork.

The trials of Ireland are well documented in our literature. Conquered by the Vikings in 900 to 1000, the country was eventually dominated by the English. In the time of Henry VIII, the issue of religion split England from Rome and Protestants from Catholics. Rome's influence and that of the Catholic Church in Ireland created a tension with England that spilled over into state relations. This circumstance changed what had been several centuries of rather kindly English rule to one of harsh policies that were supposed to stamp out the ongoing intrigue.

English lords displaced the Irish from their lands while suppressing the Irish culture, including outlawing the Irish language and the Catholic Church. Ultimately this proved ruinous to the Irish people who were confined to small areas of land that depended almost solely on the production of the potato for their food supply. They suffered tremendously from the famine when the potato crop failed. At one time the country supported upward of 8 million people, but at the time of the famine, 1 million died of starvation and malnutrition. Millions more left the country to seek a better life, many in the United States. Today the population of Ireland is 4 million people, less than half the population of the state of Georgia and smaller than that of metro Atlanta.

In the early 20th century, nationalism was on the rise in Ireland and the people fought for, and ultimately earned, independence from England in 1922. But in the new state the Catholic Church was given so much prominence as to create essentially a secular country. Literature was censored and books like those of the great Irish author James Joyce were suppressed. It was not until the 1960s that the present state of Ireland emerged. Because of the history of the country the economic conditions in Ireland in the 1960s and '70s were so inferior that the nation was known as the "poor man of Europe."

Following the implementation of enlightened economic and cultural policies and joining the European Union, Ireland has emerged as an economic power and is now known as the Celtic tiger. Today Ireland has a growing population and one of the strongest economies in Europe based on an influx of global high-technology companies, particularly from the United States.

Our ship arrives in the city of Cork on Monday, June 12, gliding up the River Lee to the city center. The weather is mixed and cool, but the winds stay way. Cork is a vibrant city of some 200,000 people, with the main economic base in its port. Being a seaside city, Cork was invaded by succeeding groups of seafaring nations, including the Vikings and the Normans, before the English arrived. The layout of the city is linear and follows both sides of the River Lee.

Our tour takes us to two churches, St. Finbarre's and St. Anne's Church-Shandon, where the tower bells ring and are heard throughout the old part of the city. St. Finbarre's is Catholic, and although it is relatively new and of modest size, it is designed in the gothic style. This church is intimate in feel and uses an intriguing Book of Kells-like motif in the tiles of the floor and the mosaics with intertwining snakes and animals. Twelve saints, all of whom are Irish, are depicted in the beautiful stained glass windows. Of these, one is of special interest to my wife, Anne, because she took her confirmation name from St. Brigid.

We close our stay in Cork by visiting the port of Cobh, which had the distinction of serving as the embarkation point for great ocean liners, including the Titanic, as well as for lesser ships that carried hundreds of thousands of Irish from a life of deprivation and hunger to a new beginning in another land. Many did not make it to their destination because of the disgraceful conditions on board many of the transit ships, the worst of which were called "coffin ships."

Among those who chose to leave Ireland from Cobh was 14-year-old Annie Moore, who boarded a ship bound for the United States with her two younger brothers. Annie and her brothers were the first people processed through Ellis Island in New York City. A poignant statue of Annie and her brothers stands in Cobh, and an identical statue is located on Ellis Island.

Dublin (Baile Atha Cliath) is our port for Tuesday, June 13. It is much larger than Cork with 1.2 million people and is a thriving metropolis with construction much in evidence. Like Cork, the city center tends to be of a linear pattern laid out along a river, in this case the River Liffey. Young people abound and the streets are filled with shoppers.

In the center of the city is the famed Trinity College with a campus of only 40 acres. If you have graduated from Trinity, you are known as a "Trinity man" or a "Trinity woman." Famous graduates include authors like Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats and Joyce.

Our first stop in Dublin as at the campus of Trinity College, where we are treated to a visit to its celebrated library, which is a repository for a vast collection of historic books, including several chapters of the Book of Kells. Our group, along with many others, line up to view a few of the intricately decorated pages from this remarkable document, which helped save Christianity after the Romans left England.

Today it is literally hard to conceive the effort and artistry it took to create this masterpiece. Remarkably, the Book of Kells was almost lost to history in the early days when it fell into the hands of Viking invaders who were only interested in their prize for the gold of the book binding. They threw the pages away in a peat bog. These were thankfully later found and restored.

We follow this visit with a tour of the Georgian area of elegant townhomes near Trinity College. These are distinguished by their doors and the lavish colors used for them. Our bus then takes us to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is Protestant in spite of its name. St. Patrick came into the picture by having used a well on the site in the 500s for baptizing penitents. The cathedral architecture follows the lines of a classic gothic form. The cathedral is administered by a dean appointed by the government in England. One of the most famous of these was Jonathan Swift, an author, social critic and activist. He was one of the most prominent spokesmen who sounded the alarms for the poverty that plagued many in Ireland.

We close our tour with a visit to the Writer's Museum, which celebrates Ireland's rich history in literature. Four Irish authors have won the Nobel Prize — Beckett, Yeats, Seamus Heaney and George Bernard Shaw. The oversight is Joyce, perhaps one of the greatest writers in history, whose writings were perhaps too controversial in his time to bring the recognition deserved. Yeats is credited not only for his poetry, novels and plays, but also for his determination to re-establish an appreciation for Irish and Celtic literature and culture, as we can see from his poem, "To Ireland in the Coming Times:"

"Know, that I would accounted be

True brother of a company

That sang, to sweeten Ireland's wrong,

Ballard and story, rann and song."

His efforts were seen as a crucial part of the effort to gain independence for the Irish Republic.

Back on this ship, this is the night for the reception for our Georgia Tech clan. We meet on the seventh deck in an elegant glassed room that affords views of the port of Dublin. Although we have had the chance to meet in small groups during the tour, this is the first chance we have to meet with all hands present. Following a chance to share a libation or two, I provide a few thoughts on Georgia Tech and the exciting times we are enjoying. I learn some folks have not been back to campus recently and urge them to drop by to see the "new" Georgia Tech. We end the reception and move to a small dining area on the fourth deck that nicely fits our party — a wonderful way to close another fine day on our tour.

Wales — English, Yes, But Celtic Too

Leaving Ireland our destination is Holyhead, Wales. Wednesday, June 14 dawns a beautiful day — clear, sunny and cool. Our guide swears this is unusual, noting rain is the more common companion. He also explains that while there are 3 million people in Wales, they are outnumbered 4-to-1 by sheep. Every chance he gets he encourages us to eat lamb.

The history of Wales follows in the path of that of Ireland in some respects, but not others. Like Ireland, Wales was settled by Celts in 4000 to 5000 B.C. But unlike Ireland, which was spared the Roman and Anglo Saxon occupations, Wales was not so lucky and was overrun by them. As in other regions, the Celtic population of Wales had a contentious relationship with its occupiers. Eventually, in 1200 under Edward I, the English crushed the Welsh armies and went about building strongholds to enforce their dominance. Under Edward I and subsequent kings, Wales became part of England, although it did not give up its Celtic heritage or its language.

Through his experience in the Crusades and in Europe, Edward I learned to be a master castle builder and he used this talent to good effect by building castles at key military and commercial sites throughout Wales. While the castles served for generations as effective military control points, they eventually fell victim to a new technology — gunpowder. No longer used, they were raided by locals for building materials. Their historical value was recognized in the late 1800s and several have been restored, including one on our itinerary, Castle Caernarfon. A magnificent structure in terms of both its engineering and fortifications, it provides a clear history lesson for visitors. Recent uses have included the investiture of Princes Charles as the prince of Wales.

Although the Welsh were made part of England many centuries ago, they have managed to keep their Celtic customs and language alive. Today about 20 percent of the natives of Wales use the Welsh language, and it is heard frequently in the towns. It is not easy to pronounce. At Castle Caernarfon, the visitor frequently sees the phrase "cadwch oddi ar y gladwett," or keep off the grass. And a Welsh claim to fame is having the town with the longest name in the European union — by a lot — Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. Don't ask me how to pronounce it, but do know what is shown on the road signs is only a third of the real name.

Our travels in Wales take us along the route of several of the roads of the famous Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford. Telford was a giant of his times, working in Wales, Scotland and England and designing and building innovative roads, lock systems, bridges and buildings, many of which are still standing. Telford designed one of the very first suspension bridges — and oldest still in operation — and we are treated to its sight, spanning high above the Menai Straight.

The Telford road passes near lands where the Cloughs are known to have lived historically and even live today, including Denbigh, Berain and Portmeirion. It is suggested that John Clough, from whom I am descended, immigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 because as a younger brother in this family his older brother inherited all the family lands. Time does not allow me to visit the sites of importance to the Clough family, but I hope to return one day to learn more about them.

Telford also designed a beautiful winding road that climbs through the Snowdonia Mountains, which is part of our trip after we leave Caernarfon Castle. Very rugged and scenic, these mountains attract climbers from all over the world and served as the training base for Sir Edmund Hillary for his climb of Mount Everest. Deep in this range with sunlight filtering through the tall fir trees and cool air, we stop for a mountain inn lunch and a pint of good Welsh beer. Following lunch we are treated to a delightful performance of a Welsh men's choir, a carryover from the long tradition of male singing groups in Wales.

The Welsh tour closes with a stop at Bodnant Gardens, one of the magnificent horticultural sites in the British Isles. It includes formal gardens and a vast array of flowers, shrubs and trees. But what makes it special is its almost Japanese-like lower section, transected by a brook trained to flow over rocks, surrounded by tall redwoods and fir trees and crossed by multiple arch bridges and jumping stone passages.

The Isles of Scotland

On Thursday, June 15, we begin our visits to a series of islands that make up the outer regions of Scotland's west and north. Scotland's history is complex with its own twists and turns that has been the subject of Shakespeare's plays ("Macbeth") and movies like Mel Gibson's Oscar winner, "Braveheart." The Celtic connection to Scotland is more recent than in the other places we have visited, having been largely created as result of an Irish expansion from the east into Scotland about the time of the Anglo Saxon invasion from the north. Prior to the Irish expansion, Scotland was known as Caledonia, but afterward it took the name Scotland from the Irish, who were called Scoti. Scotland ended up being formed from a mix of indigenous people and several groups of invaders, including the Celts of Ireland.

The Celtic influence on Scotland is particularly strong in the west and on the islands. Our first visit is to the Isles of Iona and Mull, with Iona, much the smaller, having the greatest historical importance. It was Iona, a windblown granite island of few trees surrounded by rough seas, that St. Colum Cille (St. Columba) chose in 561 as the site of his future monastery and as the center of his religious order. St. Columba was said to be a large and charismatic man who felt Christianity should be brought directly to the people, allowing them access to the scriptures. He was exiled by the priests in Ireland for his beliefs and he chose Iona as the first island from which he could no longer see Ireland. While St. Columba brought his ideas and philosophy to Iona, it was here on this remote island surrounded by windy seas and in sight of looming mountains that he absorbed a respect for the powers of nature, giving him an appreciation for the forces that helped shape the ancient cultures and people of the Celts and Picts.

St. Columba attracted a group of committed disciples to Iona, built an abbey and began his life's work to win the Scots, Picts and Celts to Christianity. Monks from his order, working first at Iona and later at a monastery in Kells, produced the Book of Kells in the ninth century. The role of St. Columba cannot be overstated as it led to the spread of Christianity to Scotland and elsewhere. The kings of Scotland venerated his memory and 60 of them, including the historical King Macbeth, chose to be buried there. St. Columba's belief that the scriptures should be documented through the lens of the Celtic legends and symbols opened the door for a Celtic influence that would not have existed otherwise.

With its isolation, dramatic setting and rich religious history, Iona gives the visitor a chance to reach inward to a place that offers respite from the chaos of the modern world. While the abbey of St. Columba was burned down, a new one has been rebuilt that is consistent with the sense of this place. Generations of religious scholars have traveled here to reflect and meditate.

Nearby from the abbey, a small Protestant sanctuary is found that was built by none other than our famous engineering friend, Telford. A religious man, at one point in his career he was commissioned to build 52 chapels in the remote Highland parishes of Scotland, Iona being one of these. Telford accomplished this task with the same enthusiasm that he brought to his more visible and challenging work.

Leaving Iona via the "walk-on ferry" connecting it to the Isle of Mull, we board buses and undertake the bus trip across Mull to the port city of Tobermory on the west side of the island. The majority of our route includes "one track" roads with "lay bys" that require drivers of vehicles to make split-second decisions as to who will proceed forward and who will drop to the roadside or reverse and find a lay by. The natives are good at this and seem to go to great lengths to keep the process good-natured with lots of waves and nods. Driving is not simple as abundant rock arch bridges that cross the frequent ocean-bound streams are set at angles to minimize the length of the bridge while making turns by buses challenging.

With its views of green and craggy mountains rising from sea lochs and the ocean, the effect of the scenery from the winding road leading from Iona is powerful. Loch Scridian, one of a number of sea lochs that extend into the island, is bounded by Ben More, a mountain with a peak of 3,000 feet. Ben More is typical of the big slope-shouldered mountains that rise dramatically from the ocean. Swept by winds from the sea, the mountains are shorn of trees, but remain green with low grasses that are sprinkled with wild flowers. Rocky outcrops shape the tops of the mountains and their flanks are scarred by ubiquitous landslides. Frequent waterfalls spill down the craggy mountainsides. Rivers and creeks flow from the mountains and are filled with boulders, forming good salmon and trout streams. As the road rises, deep valleys appear left and right with blue lochs in the valley bottoms. The green of the countryside is pervasive and dominates the eye's palette.

About halfway to Tobermory, we stop at Torosay Castle, which was built in 1858 and is much more a manor home than a castle. A highlight of the stop is a visit to the gardens of this estate. As with many of the historic estates, today tourist revenues are important to maintaining them. In this case, the revenues are not adequate to keep the gardens in pristine condition but the slight sense of decayed elegance gives it a poignancy others do not have. A hard-to-find circular pond outside the formal grounds is surrounded by ferns, elephant ears and other plants grown large that invade the imagination as well as capture the eye.

Lower down behind the walls of the garden and the view of most visitors, a stand of rare Himalayan blue poppies resides in isolated splendor. In the rustic greenhouse area, plats of heather in a riot of greens, chartreuse and gray lay side by side ready for planting. Time to enjoy all of this is short and soon we are called back on our bus.

As our bus heads for Tobermory, we see the signs of the crofter culture of days past in the ruins of small rock houses surrounded by stacked rock walls that protected their plots of land that were designed to support a family. With the onset of the potato famine that also inflicted its woes on Ireland, a policy known as The Clearances was imposed on Scotland that allowed the large landholders to evict the crofters.

Forced with starvation and loss of their land, the crofters of Scotland followed in the path of millions of Irish and migrated to other lands where opportunity lay, including the United States. So it was that another forced immigration brought a wave of Celts to America and with it people like Andrew Carnegie and Alexander Graham Bell whose independent spirit helped our country innovate and grow.

From Tobermory the Diamante sails for Portree and the Isle of Skye, arriving on Friday, June 16. We spend only a few hours on the Isle of Skye because of our dependency on the sea for travel and the need to push forward to our next destination. On an earlier Alumni Association trip Anne and I were able to circumnavigate the island and enjoy its stark and windswept beauty and learn more of its sometimes dark history with the clans of Scotland who competed for power.

Even though our stay is brief, the surroundings and the entrance to the port provide examples of the almost mystical scenery of Skye. A visit to the Castle Dunvegan, home to the Clan MacLeod for more than 700 years, gives an insight into the involved history of the island.

Last stop for the tour, other than using Edinburgh as a departure point, is Kirkwall of the Orkney Islands. Our arrival on Saturday, June 17, comes on a cool day in the 50s with light rain. The Orkneys are an archipelago of 70 islands with a total population of around 20,000, which our guide says is about right given the conditions.

The history of the Orkneys is entirely different from that of the other sites we have visited. There is little Celtic influence here, with the influence dominantly that of the Vikings. The Orkneys were governed for centuries by Norway before they were ceded to Scotland.

The principal attraction in Kirkwall itself is St. Magnus Cathedral, "The Light in the North." Founded in 1137, it was named in honor of the earl of Orkney, Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed by his cousin, Haakon Paulson. Built of native sandstone and rising impressively above the buildings of Kirkwall, the cathedral was constructed over centuries, reflecting both Romanesque and gothic styles. Originally Catholic and later Protestant, the cathedral today serves the small town of Kirkwall as a concert hall and community center as much as a church.

Our tour this day takes us beyond a century's history with our visit to the site of the Ring of Brodgar, a ring of tall stones erected around 2500 B.C. by the Picts who occupied the coastal areas outside of Kirkwall. This monument was built even before that at Stonehenge. Preciously 104 meters in diameter, the ring was made up of 60 stones, only 27 of which remain standing total. The work to build the ring was challenging and required transit of stones from a great distance. The purpose of the ring is not known, but it appears to have been a place for worship or burial as well as to have been used for astrological purposes in observing and recording solar and lunar alignments. Adjacent to the ring are a number of burial mounds containing many remains. It is believed the different mounds may have been created by different tribes living in the area who joined together in the work needed to build the ring.

A few miles to the north of the Ring of Brodgar another amazing archeological discovery was made in 1850 after an ocean storm pounded the side of an inlet and exposed an area previously buried in sand and rock. Here was found the village of Skara Brae, a Neolithic hamlet with a preserved set of houses and community buildings.

Skara Brae was built, expanded and occupied over the period from 3100 to 2500 B.C. The village is the best preserved of its type in the world and allows us insights into how the people lived, what they ate and how their culture worked. Evidence suggests the village was originally set alongside a freshwater lake that was protected from the sea by a barrier of land. This site was a good one for the people of the time, offering shelter from the weather and ample food supply from the sea, the lakes and the land. It is believed the site had to be abandoned when the sea broke through the land barrier and brought saltwater into the lake.

Coming to Skara Brae is a fitting way to conclude our trip because it allows us to see how the people who lived 5,000 years ago were creating a way of life and a culture that led to early civilization. While the Picts and Celts were not the same, their way of life had to have been similar. Because of Skara Brae, we can see how a people found a site that allowed them not only to sustain themselves but the time to begin to develop religion, to observe nature in an analytical way, to develop rudimentary arts and crafts and create a family structure. Farther down the coast of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, England and France, the Celts also were beginning to organize a civilization that would grow and prosper.

The End of the Journey

Our journey has taken us along a path of understanding. The Celts have largely remained a mystery in the past because of their lack of a written history and the suppression of the culture by invaders of the lands they occupied. It has survived because it appeals to something deep in ourselves and the tenacity of those who have made the sacrifice to keep it alive.

Ironically, many of the sites we visited were those of the cultures that invaded Celtic lands. The castles, churches, estates and gardens that form natural stops for tours were largely built by the lords, clan chiefs and kings of the Anglo Saxons, Normans and Vikings. In a twist, today these artifacts are a financial burden on the heirs of those who built them and they struggle to keep them alive. Still they are important to appreciate the history that led to our present forms of government and to understand the history of the Celts themselves. In spite of a minimal physical presence, the impact of the Celts remains in their legends, history, music, games and art. Written documents of ancient history are spare, but the Book of Kells makes up in quality what is lacked in quantity. And the works of Irish and Scottish authors of recent times have created a body of literature second to none.

This trip helped put things in their place, order the legends in history, tie down the relationships between the different countries with Celtic influence, separate fact from fiction, see with their own eyes historical sites, hear people speak the multiple languages derived from Celtic and understand how state, power and religion interceded in history. Our journey brought home how Celtic influence is on the rise and why there is a need for it. For each of us with Celtic heritage it helps us enrich our understanding of those whose existence led to ours and fills in some of the tapestry that forms who we are.

Today people of Celtic origin are spread around the globe in one of the great diasporas of history. In our own country, upward of some 40 million people trace some of their ancestry to the Celts. They have contributed to the growth of our nation in the form of labor, hard work and creative input that has helped us grow into the world's greatest power of our time.

©2006 Georgia Tech Alumni Association