British Isles

The Vikings taught the Brits everthing they know to this day.

-- Thor and Odin are the greatest of Gods.

If you are really serious DKV, you could get a history book and learn all about the British Isles from reading what some historians wrote.

I love history me, not that I’m a boffin or anything.

As far as my understanding of it goes, pre Roman invasion, the Brits were all Celts (probably a lot of gingers in the populace).

Enter the might of Rome, Celts defeated except Welsh ones and Scottish ones who ran away to Wales, Scotland and Cornwall. One Briton heroine of note was Queen Boudica of the Icini tribe (the same tribe as Agron, from the TV series ‘Spartacus, Blood and Sand’), who defeated many Romans. Hadrian’s Wall which divides England and Scotland was built by a Roman named Hadrian to stop the Scottish Celts plundering England – now a part of the Roman Empire.

Crumble the Roman Empire, the middle ages begins, enter the Saxons to create the age of Anglo Saxons, then came the Vikings.

There was once a gay Viking King who came to conquer part of Northern England.
“Kill the women and rape the men!” he cried as they went to sack and plunder a village,
an aide corrected him, “My Lord, don’t you mean, kill the men and rape the women?”
to which the gay King replied “speak for yourself, duckie”.

This is documented somewhere, it actually happened, or it could have been one of my Dad’s bad jokes, circa 1978.

Then came the Normans, not an army that all had the name of Norman, but from the Normandy region of France. William the Conqueror owns King Harold who got an arrow in his eye as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

After that there were centuries of feudalism, crop rotation and the industrial revolution. In answer to your question about when did English become the spoken language, I don’t know. Definitely before last Tuesday.
But I do know that Cornwall has it’s own (dying unfortunately) Celtic language, Welsh is it’s own language (it even has it’s own dedicated tv station) Scotland again, own dialect, and Ireland has it’s own language – Irish, begorrah! It is important to point out that Northern Ireland (six counties of the Island of Ireland) is part of the United Kingdom, whereas the Republic of Ireland is a Republic and has been since 1926.

Regional dialects can be found in all regions of the British Isles. The Scottish accent can be hard to follow, I am not going to say anything about alcoholism, but Scottish people live the most unhealthy lifestyle of anyone in Europe. Welsh people are mostly unemployed since the mines and steel works were closed by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980’s

England now is very much a multi-cultural society, the result of having an ‘empire’ stretching from the West Indies to the Far East.

English youth is disaffected, hence the disgraceful rioting of 2011, Football (Soccer) is our national game but we haven’t won anything of note since 1966. As a nation, we eat a lot of pies.

-- Do or do not, there is no try

Thanks renners.

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

No problemo!

You would not fare well in England, as we all enjoy a ‘nice cup of tea’ and you can’t get kool aid.

-- Do or do not, there is no try

DKV: Try reading a book called ” A Man Called Intrepid”. Shows the UK during WWII. Pretty good stuff.

-- Thor and Odin are the greatest of Gods.

Renners, madts, I would enjoy something comparable to what Michener would write. I would enjoy a book that combines the history of the Isles with a good fiction story to pull it all together. James Michener had a special talent at telling a good story and teaching you history at the same time. Any ideas?

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

I’ll have it ready for you in a couple of weeks DKV.

-- Do or do not, there is no try

Can that be Science Fiction?

-- Do or do not, there is no try

Dr. Who? Love it…

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

Football (Soccer) is our national game but we haven’t won anything of note since 1966. As a nation, we eat a lot of pies.

Always had you down as a Cat renners.

-- A family man has photos in his wallet where his money used to be.

Murch, I have lived in Co. Kilkenny for the last 10 years, but I am as English as a pair of oven gloves with kittens on them.

-- Do or do not, there is no try

@renners, very interesting read. Thanks

-- Don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd

without the British people, we would all be wearing the following

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Anyone read this?

-- I would drink a river of the kool aid before I took the smallest sip of the tea...

-- keeping myself entertained