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Céad Míle Fáilte! (Irish) ("A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!") | |||||||
Capital (and largest city) |
Dublin | ||||||
Other cities | Aberystwyth, Armagh, Bangor, Cork, Cherbourg, Chester, Derry, Douglas, Dundalk, Dundee, Galway, Inverness, Limerick, Oban, Stornoway, Swindon, Wrexham | ||||||
Language official |
English | ||||||
others | Irish, Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Manx, Lowland Scots, French | ||||||
President | Mary Robinson | ||||||
Prime Minister | Andrew Price | ||||||
Area | 267,000 km² | ||||||
Population | 5.5 million | ||||||
Independence | 20th March 1986 | ||||||
Currency | Cel |
The Celtic Alliance is a confederation of twelve member nations: the Republic of Ireland, ten former parts of the United Kingdom and its dependencies, and the Cotentin on the coast of France. The Alliance was formed by surviving governments around the Irish Sea joining together after Doomsday to form a single political entity while preserving autonomy for themselves. Following the nuclear destruction, Eire was one of the most powerful and stable states in Western Europe. During the 1980s the republic formed increasingly close partnerships with surviving British fragments in order to govern and care for refugees and restore peace to Northern Ireland. These partnerships culminated in the Alliance, and over the next few decades the Alliance steadily expanded in size and took on more responsibilities.
The Celtic Alliance was founded on the ideals of social democracy, federalism, and human rights in the hope of creating a new moral political order to replace what had been destroyed. It adopted elements of pan-Celtism and Celtic revival as a way to promote unity among its members, even though starting in the 90s it admitted members from outside the traditional Celtic nations.
Today the Alliance is a significant regional power in Western Europe. Its constituent members, always called Nations, are considered to be sovereign states in their own right that have delegated certain areas of policy to the Alliance. Internationally, the CA most often speaks with a single voice and acts as one power. It has a single seat in the League of Nations and the Atlantic Defense Community. The separate Nations have limited power to engage in diplomacy on their own, for the most part restricted to relations with other states in the British Isles.
Member nations[]
Overview[]
The present Celtic Parliament in Dublin with 101 MPs.
Nation | Flag | Capital | Counties / Burghs | Seats in Parliament | Date of membership |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eire Republic of Ireland |
Dublin | Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal; Fermanagh, most of Tyrone, parts of Armagh and Derry | 32 | 1986 | |
East Ulster Oirthear Uladh | Newry | Down, Antrim; parts of Armagh, Derry and Tyrone | 12 | 1986 (nominal), 1998 (effective government) | |
Alba ∙ Scotland Northern Scotland |
Dundee | Highland, Grampian, Tayside, Fife, Central Scotland, Shetland, Orkney, parts of Strathclyde | 15 | 1986 | |
Western Isles Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Outer Hebrides |
Stornoway | Western Isles | 3 | 1986 | |
Isle of Man Mannin, Mann |
Douglas | Mann | 5 | 1993 | |
Isles of Scilly Syllan |
Hugh Town | Scilly | 1 | 1994 | |
Cymru Wales |
Aberystwyth | Anglesey, Caernarfon, Clwyd, Merioneth, Maldwyn, Radnorshire, Brecknockshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan, Gwent | 14 | 1995 | |
Cheshire | Chester | Western parts of Cheshire | 3 | 1995 | |
Hafren Territory of the Severn, Western England |
Hereford | Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire | 5 | 1997 | |
Channel Islands Guernsey and Jersey Guernési et Jèrri |
Saint Helier and Saint Peter's Port | Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, Herm | 4 | 2004 | |
Cotentin | Cherbourg | Arrondissement of Cherbourg | 3 | 2011 | |
Wessex | Swindon | parts of Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire | 4 | 2015 |
The following regions were formerly member nations but were later annexed to others.
Nation | Flag | Capital | Counties / Burghs | Date of membership | Annexation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orkney | Kirkwall | Greater Orkney (East and West Mainland, Ronaldsay, and Hoy), Lesser Orkney (Sanday, Stonsay, Westray, Eday, Rousay, and Shapinsay) | 1987 | to Scotland, 2001 | |
Shetland | Lerwick | Shetland | 1987 | to Scotland, 1998 | |
Wigtownshire | Stanraer | Wigtownshire, far southern Ayrshire | 1994 | left Alliance, annexed to southern Scotland, 2000 | |
Iarthar Uladh West Ulster |
Derry | Tyrone, Armagh, Fermanagh | 1986 (nominal), 1998 (effective government) | to Eire, 2015 | |
The Kennet New London, New Windsor |
Marlborough | parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire | 2002 | merged to form Wessex, 2015 | |
The Cotswolds | Cirencester | parts of Gloucester and Oxfordshire | 2006 | merged to form Wessex, 2015 |
Descriptions[]
Founding members[]
Eire (Republic of Ireland). Ireland's population and economy dwarf the other CA members, and the Alliance itself is very often described as an Irish sphere of influence. Ireland's capital Dublin is also the capital of the Celtic Alliance as a whole, despite periodic discussions to move it. It serves as the economic metropolis for the entire British Isles and is home to many regional and international companies and institutions. The western half of the former Northern Ireland joined the republic in 2015.
East Ulster. Although Belfast (the capital of Ulster) was hit on DD the other towns and cities in Ulster came through Doomsday relatively unscathed. The damage that it suffered was self-inflicted in the ensuing years. Obtaining peace between the factions in Northern Ireland was the original raison d'etre of the Celtic Alliance, and for that reason both halves of Ulster were considered founding members even though they lacked any real government until 1998, when the border between them was drawn. East Ulster consists mostly of the counties of Derry, Down, and Antrim, though the border does not follow the county lines exactly. In 2015, West Ulster was annexed into the Republic of Ireland, while the East began talks to reinstate the British monarch as its head of state.
Alba (Northern Scotland). The north has made significant economic and demographic recoveries since the war, especially in its capital, Dundee. Since the end of the abortive Galloway War, relations with the south have improved, but the two Scotlands remain divided over the issue of Alliance membership and reunification is nowhere in sight.
The Western Isles (Outer Hebrides). The nation consists of the islands of Lewis (where the capital of Stonoway is located), Harris, North Uist, South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Scalpay, Brenera, and Grimsay. They formed an autonomous emergency government in the period just after Doomsday and have remained separate from the rest of Scotland.
Other members[]
The Isle of Man. Occurring in 1993, Mann's admission represented an expansion of the Alliance to a third traditional Celtic Nation (after Ireland and Scotland) and helped reinforce the celtist identity of the organisation at a critical point. The Isle has striven to maintain political stability and its constitution is largely the same as it was as a Crown Dependency: it is in fact the only part of the British Isles to have consistently recognised the rule of the senior branch of the House of Windsor, still exiled in South Africa.
The Isles of Scilly. (St Mary's, Tresco, St Martins, St Agnes, Bryher and Samson) Joined in 1994, the first part of England to become an Alliance member, and representing the traditional Celtic Nation of Cornwall. Mainland Cornwall became part of Southern England, but the Isles' neglect by the mainland government led it to develop closer ties to Ireland and Wales.
Wales. The Celtic Alliance welcomed Wales as a member in 1995. At the time the country was still struggling to bring order to its territory affected by nuclear blasts at Belfast, Swansea and Liverpool. Clwyd and the Gower were largely under control by 1997, Glamorgan by 1999. Civil government was restored to the last portions of Gwent and Powys in 2002. The Welsh capital is Aberystwyth on the western coast.
Cheshire. Refugees from Liverpool led the creation of a new state in Chester in 1995 and almost immediately sought CA membership, following years of strengthening interactions with the Welsh, Irish, and Scots. High levels of population mobility means that a large number of people in the the shire have origins in and around Liverpool. This was the first expansion of the CA out of the traditional Celtic Nations and into mainland England. It sparked inconclusive talk about changing the alliance's name and identity.
Hafren (the Severn, Western England, Mercia). Formed from the former English counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire, later expanding into parts of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The communities there had slowly organized a new state with strong Welsh support and became a member in 1997.
Wessex. This nation began as a pair of communities that, like Cheshire, have strong associations with survivors from urban areas. The famous settlement of the Kennet, or "New London", formed in the North Wessex Downs and became an Alliance member in 2002. The Cotswolds, inhabited by many survivors from Birmingham and Bristol, joined in 2006. The two small nations merged into one in 2015 and adopted the name and symbols of the traditional region of Wessex.
The Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey). The other British Crown Dependency was closely involved with the CA all through the 80s and 90s, but it took until 2004 for its slow-moving political system to come to a conclusion on membership. The Islands function as two distinct entities, Guernsey and Jersey; the joint institutions known as the United Bailiwicks date to 1994. In 2018 the islands became the first CA member to re-adopt the British monarchy.
The Cotentin. Personnel from Ireland, Wales, and, later, the Channel Islands occupied the area around Cherbourg from 1986 after major leaks occurred at an abandoned nuclear fuel site. The CA supervised the region's government for many years after that, and in 2011 the people of the peninsula finally agreed to become a member nation. As the only CA member to emerge in France rather than the British Isles, the Cotentin and its people can seem like outsiders. The nation is committed to holding a referendum on leaving the Alliance and joining France, at such time as a credible French state emerges.
Former members[]
Shetland and Orkney. This pair of island groups joined the CA very soon after its foundation. As Scotland grew in strength and capacity to maintain order and services, the people of the islands were persuaded to accept reannexation to the country. Key to the decision was the development of the Scottish offshore petroleum industry during the 90s. This is why Shetland agreed to annexation before Orkney despite being more distant from the mainland.
Wigtownshire. This lieutenancy area joined the Alliance in 1994 expecting to reunite with Scotland eventually. The Northern Ireland settlement four years later was wildly unpopular in Wigtownshire, which is close to Ulster and houses many refugees from there. It left the Alliance and joined the southern Scottish state, then in the process of consolidating.
West Ulster (Iarthar Uladh). When Northern Ireland was first partitioned, separate national governments were put in place for East and West. West Ulster, republican, Catholic, and always strongly in favor of unification with Eire, always had the character of an unsatisfactory compromise. It kept its independence for over a decade out of fear of disrupting the delicate status quo. But by the mid-2010s, the rest of the Alliance was willing to allow the province to determine its own future; it became part of the Republic in 2015.
The Kennet and the Cotswolds in southwestern England merged to form Wessex in 2015; see above.
History[]
See main article: History of the Celtic Alliance
Brief History[]
TThe roots of the Celtic Alliance date to the time immediately after the nuclear attacks of the Third World War. Britain's system of emergency governments began to fail, and Ireland often found itself having to pick up the pieces. With Belfast destroyed, the Northern Irish emergency government was almost totally relying on Eire within days, causing unrest that would reignite the Troubles in 1985. Ireland could not find a peaceful resolution on its own, so it sought help from emergency governments in Great Britain. Most of these had no help to send. The only ones able to enter a dialogue were the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, whose MP was successfully establishing a breakaway state; and a fragment of the national government in Taymouth, Tayside, which had effective control of the northern part of the Scottish mainland. All other pieces of Britain were either consumed with their own local problems or were collapsing entirely.
On March 20, 1986, the Irish-Scottish Alliance was formed from the Highlands and Western Islands of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. It was one of the first formal agreements entered into by a British fragment, and there was no expectation that the other emergency sites would enter into it. It was a sign that the United Kingdom was truly gone. At first, the agreements were made on behalf of the entire British government and nation; later, these claims had to be modified as other British survivor nations remained isolated from each other and went each their own way.
This cooperative arrangement was extended to other small states in the 80s and 90s: Shetland, Orkney, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Isles of Scilly. In 1993, the alliance created a new permanent executive body, and its members decided to take advantage of their nations' status as traditionally Celtic nations and create a new identity to give them a common purpose; and thus the alliance became the Celtic Alliance.
The Alliance finally negotiated an end to the Troubles in 1998. While this was a fulfillment of its original mission, the solution involved a permanent partition of Northern Ireland into Catholic and Protestant halves, essentially giving the stamp of approval to ethnic cleansing that had been committed during the conflict. This badly damaged the CA's relations with other survivors in Great Britain, especially Southern Scotland but also the nations of southern and southeastern England. Nevertheless, some communities in England continued to aspire to join the alliance, and new members continued to be admitted.
Beginning in 1990 the CA made formal diplomatic contact with the rest of the world. After exchanging envoys with the Portuguese rump government it would go on to make contact with Australia and negotiate the return of some of the United Kingdom's ships that had evacuated there in the 80s. Further engagement with the nations of western Europe led the CA to fight two wars in the Mediterranean and help found the Atlantic Defense Community in 2007.
In 2008 the Celtic Alliance adopted an idealistic new constitution as a sign that it was overcoming the difficulties of the past and hoped to be the region's leader in liberal democracy and human rights. After a brief war in Scotland in 2010, relations with the southern state improved steadily. New arrangements were also made for the status of Northern Ireland; by the end of the 2010s, western Ulster was united with Eire, while the east was on the path to restoring the Crown.
By this time, the CA was the clear military, political, and diplomatic power in the British Isles. Dublin had replaced London as the metropolis of the archipelago. Ships from all over the world came to its ports as global trade slowly revived. Though still battered by nuclear war and social collapse, the Alliance seemed to have found a prominent place for itself in the postwar world.
Medicine Impact[]
Long held as centre for medical excellence the Alliance is once again at the forefront of medical advances in treating radiation sickness and other ailments brought on by the aftermath of Doomsday. The Alliance is formally asked by the LofN's to house the Medical wing of the LofN's. this is opened by the Secretary General in November 2008. The positioning of the medical wing is also based on the Alliances proximity to mainland Europe and also its distance from the Sicilian Republic.
The LoN Mediwing is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the LoN's system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical and practical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defence against transnational threats.
The Constitution and Political Framework[]
The 2009 Constitution is the principle document up on which all future law and principles of democratic government are to be based on. the document takes its foundation from the great political documents of human history especially, the United Nations Charter, Irish Constitution, Magna Carta 1215 and the Declaration of Arbroath of 1314. The Alliances democracy is founded on eight pillars, independent judiciary, personal freedom, dignity, self determination, the rule of law, the right of association, freely elected government and universal suffrage.
Preamble to the Constitution: Let it be known, that if our government should give up what we have begun, and agree to make us or our Alliance subject to any other, we should exert ourselves at once to drive out our government as our enemy and a subverter of their own rights and ours, and make another government who was well able to defend us and our constitution; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under the rule of tyranny. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we lay down this constitution, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest person gives up but with life itself.
- Main article: Constitution of the Celtic Alliance
- Main article: Government of the Celtic Alliance
- Main article: Political Parties of the Celtic Alliance
After Doomsday, the party political structure changed completely with the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) merging to form a northern block called the Dalriadic Party (From Kingdom of Dalriada, former Celtic kingdom crossing northern Ireland, Donegal and western Scotland circa 8th Century) to ensure adequate representation for Donegal, the Ulster counties and Scottish Islands. In recent years emerging political alliances have emerged between pro-devolution supporters bringing about the Celtic Democratic Bloc
Culture[]
- See also: Celtic Church
From the moment that the alliance identified itself as "Celtic" in the early 90s, it has sought to promote unity among its member nations in the cultural sphere. This has included some pan-celtist elements, most notably the official symbols of the alliance; but more often it consists in celebrating and upholding local traditions and promoting a spirit of unity in diversity. The high mobility and social trauma of the war years has made such traditions more precarious and important than ever. Several pre-existing Celtic organisations such as the Celtic League and the Celtic Congress have been incorporated into the set of bodies officially connected to the Alliance. The CA sponsors a number of festivals, games and symposia to pursue its cultural mission. Entities that are not Alliance members, namely Brittany and Cornwall, have long participated in the activities of its cultural agencies.
The Celtic Alliance also promotes increased use of the endangered Celtic languages. With the destruction of several urban centers and the use of the languages in isolated areas, the proportion of Gaelic and Celtic speakers to the general population has increased. This combined with increased education means that these languages are increasing in both speakers and importance. Nevertheless, English is still the most widely used and understood language and the working language of the Alliance and most of its official bodies.
The Alliance added its first English member, Cheshire, already in 1995, the same year that it admitted Wales. This has meant that its cultural project had to be broad enough to include distinctive elements of local English cultures. This includes not only traditional rural folk cultures, but also memories of the vibrant urban cultures that were lost but persist among communities of survivors who make up large portions of the population: Liverpudlians in Cheshire, Londoners and Brummies in Wessex. The Channel Islands have their own distinct culture, a mix of French and English, while one member nation, the Cotentin in Normandy, was formerly part of France. These two nations remain culturally rather isolated from the rest of the country.
Although people often speak of the Celtic Alliance as a single entity in military and diplomatic contexts, and despite the efforts at creating a common identity, the CA does not comprise an identity nor a nationality for its people. People from Ireland identity as Irish, not Celtic, and the same could be said for the other nationalities. Still, the nations of the CA maintain a friendly bond between each other which has only strengthened since doomsday.
National Anthem[]
In order to return the nation to a normal footing the government agrees to a request for song contest based on the former Eurovision model. The aim of the contest is to restore the tradition of singing and oral history as well as giving the emerging nation some light relief. In addition the contest will pick three anthems National Anthem of the Celtic Alliance, Official Anthem of Parliament and the Official Presidential Anthem.
There was a surprise National Anthem entrant – Barbra Streisand! Former American citizen who was on holiday in Ireland during Doomsday comes forward with surprise entry of the Carousel musical hit of the 1960’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Mass demonstrations in support across the Alliance after a deeply moving and personal stage performance paying tribute to all of the fallen especially those she left behind in the former U.S.A. All other entries have withdrawn from the competition and throw their weight behind Streisand.
In a statement the president said after the show:
'I am moved beyond comprehension, each emotion we have collectively held since 1983 has poured forth like a torrent since hearing Barbra. I am in no doubt that the people have their new National Bard as well as a new anthem. The music speaks for itself’
Speaking after the show, Ms Streisand has said:
' All I could do since 1984 was cry, today I stopped crying. It was all so emotional I only hope that people liked the song and what it means for the Alliance which has done so much for me since 1983. This is for them'
Contestants of the National Anthem Symposium Alliance Theatre Dublin 26th June 2009:
In running order –
Runrig – Protect and Survive
Blue Nile - Tinseltown in The Rain
The Shop Assistants - Safety Net
Barbara Dickson - Caravan
Sweet Savage - Straight Through The Heart
Christy Moore – Ordinary man
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Enya – May it Be
U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky
Sheena Easton – The Arms of Orion
Barbra Streisand – You’ll Never Walk Alone
Top Three:
Winner By Acclaim Barbra Streisand – You’ll Never Walk Alone - National Anthem of the Celtic Alliance
2nd Barbara Dickson – Caravan - Winner of the Freedom Award - Official Anthem of Parliament
3rd Enya – May it Be - Winner of the Presidential Anthem Award - Official Presidential Anthem
Economy[]
The economy of the Celtic Alliance is one of the largest in the western Europe. It relies on three key sectors: mining of zinc, other minerals, and natural gas; manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other medical goods; and agriculture. The CA exports medical goods and food to many parts of Europe.
Heavy manufacturing is a small but growing sector of the economy. Notable industries include aviation materials, military technology, and automobiles. In Ellesmere Port, a a Vauxhall plant employs 1500. The revived Austin Rover Group has factories in Exeter and Owsestry. And on the Irish side, Celtic Motors makes Fiat, Opel and Volkswagen cars under license for the Irish market.
Military[]
- See main article: Military of the Celtic Alliance
Sports[]
Within the Republic of Ireland, Gaelic games (Gaelic football, hurling, rounders and camogie) are the most popular, followed by association football (soccer), rugby union, cricket and boxing.
The Gaelic Athletic Association is the official sanctioning and overseeing body over the four Gaelic games throughout the Celtic Alliance.
Within the portions of the country formerly part of the United Kingdom, association football is by far the most popular sport, with many of the national side players coming from the portions of former England, Scotland, Wales and France controlled by the Celtic Alliance.
There is a three-tiered association football pyramid in the Celtic Alliance. The Celtic First Division and Second Division are the top two flights and include the following clubs:
- AS Cherbourg
- Bohemians
- Bray Wanderers
- Celtic
- Cork City
- Derry City
- Drogheda United
- Dundalk
- Galway United
- Heart of Midlothian
- Hibernian
- Liverpool FC
- Marlborough FC
- Rangers
- St Patrick's Athletic
- St Johnstone's
- Shamrock Rovers
- Sligo
- Stromness FC
- FC Wales
There is discussion among some fans and officials of reviving some or all of the London-based pre-Doomsday football clubs. Aside from the issue of a lack of a population base to support all (or most) of them, Celtic football officials also have cited a desire for a "new" football club for residents of communities with a London Refugee identity.
Other popular sports, as they were in the former UK, are rugby union and cricket.
Rugby league had disappeared post-Doomsday, but there is a small national federation attempting to spark interest in that sport once more. Gaelic games have virtually no following outside former Ireland, although the GAA continues to attempt to establish them among the youth.
Golf has made a comeback of sorts in recent years, particularly as the famous St Andrews Golf Course was salvaged and restored in 2008.
International Relations[]
The Celtic Alliance is a member of the League of Nations and the Atlantic Defense Community.
They have close relations with several English, nations particularly the Kingdom of Northumbria (the former Northumberland and Cleveland) as well as Southern England. Historic tensions with southern Scotland have eased in recent years, while the replacement of the OBN with the Commonwealth of Great Britain has served to increase tensions between the CA and the small states of southeastern England.
Between the 23rd April and the 8th May 2011, the Celtic Alliance, along with its ally the Duchy of Northumberland, was at war with southern Scotland (officially the Scottish Republic). During the Galloway War the Celtic Alliance lost 832 military personnel. When it became clear that the war could not be ended quickly, support for it collapsed, and CA forces withdrew while political leaders negotiated a settlement. Southern Scotland committed itself to disarming militia groups that had been harassing CA personnel in the region. CA observers remained in the country until free, fair and democratic elections were held in the area in October 2011.
Currently the Celtic Alliance has borders with:
- Southern Scotland (with Northern Scotland)
- Southern England (with Wessex)
- Lancaster (de jure border only along the Mersey with Cheshire; in fact the Mersey is still uninhabitable for most of its length.)
- Brittany and République Poitevine (de jure borders only with Cotentin; in fact the peninsula's marshes comprise a no-man's-land.)
See also[]
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