Gaelic people

Gaels

Total population
2,431,000,000 approximate
Regions with significant populations
Caergwynn	120,000,000
Dericania	60,000,000
Fiannria	410,000,000
Faneria	280,000,000
Kiravia	85,365,765
Urcea	1,401,596,392
Languages
Fhasen, Faeskt, Caeric, Lebhan, Latin, Aenglish, Kiravian Gaelic, Old Gaelic (historical)
Religion
Levantine Catholicism Insular Apostolic Church Agnosticism Protestantism Others

Gaels, also rarely known as Indigenous Levantines, are an ethic group native to Levantia and parts of Kiro-Borealis. Gaels made up the vast majority of the aboriginal population of Southern Levantia alongside the Paleo-Levantine peoples prior to the arrival of Latins from Adonerum, and remain the ethnic majority across much of Northern Levantia, with a significant diaspora in Kiravia and across Southern Levantia, with smaller populations in Levantine colonies worldwide.

Language and Culture Subgroups

Fhainnin/Fhasen

Fhainnin people, the dominant gaelic subgroup in Faneria, can be further divided into Sheafhainn, Fhainn Proper, Parvefhainn, and Cascufhainn. Cascufhainn are a mix of Caerish and Fhainnin descent, Parvefhainn are mixed with Fiannrians and Latins, and Sheafhainn have minor historic relations to Kiravian Coscivians. Regardless of their wide dispersal, the various regional dialects in Faneria were slowly coalesced into Fhasen by the Eighteenth Century. Fhainn have a number of unique linguistic and cultural traits that diverge from mainstream Gaelic cultures, partly due to the history of states in Faneria and its proximity to the Coscivian world.

Cosco-Gaels/Kiravian Gaelic

Gaelic people are by far the largest non-Coscivian ethnic group in the Kiravian Federacy, and Gaelic is (again, by far) the most widely spoken Japhetic language in the country. Migration of Gaels to the modern territory of the Kiravian Federacy dates back many centuries and continues to the present day. Gaels were instrumental in the Christianisation of Kiravia through the Ionan missions, and have contributed immensely to its linguistic, artistic, material, and culinary (whiskey replacing native potato spirits) heritage, as well as its genetic heritage. A large minority of Coscivian-Kiravians have non-trivial Gaelic ancestry, this being most substantial among the Féinans and Ĥeiran Coscivians.

The Gaelic population of the Kiravian Federacy is diverse in its geographic distribution, ancestral origins, subcultures, and present socio-economic conditions. The largest sub-category of Gaelic-Kiravians, known as "Kiravian Gaels", conventionally defined as those with roots in the country deeper than the 18th century AD, whose ancestors migrated to Great Kirav and Ilánova in multiple waves beginning in the sixth century, mainly from Faneria. Kiravian dialects of Gaelic, especially in their spoken forms, differ significantly from Levantine dialects as a result of Coscivian influence, conserved archæisms, and independent developments, but their divergence has been mitigated by common literary culture, later waves of immigration, and other cross-Kilikas contact. Just over half of self-reported ethnic (Kiravian) Gaels claimed to speak Gaelic as their home language, whether alone or in conjunction with other languages, as is often the case. Among the remainder, many speak Coscivian languages/dialects with strong Gaelic influence, such as Æran-Kaltan Coscivian or Fenian Kiravic, and small communities speaking mixed languages exist in the Eastern Highlands. The boundary between Kiravian Gaels and various Gaelic-influenced Coscivian subgroups (sometimes termed "Cosco-Gaels") is fuzzy and highly contextual, and on the other hand, the boundary between Kiravian Gaels and more recent Gaelic arrivals from Levantia, especially Faneria, is fluid and porous, complicated by extensive intermarriage.

The second-largest subcategory of Gaelic-Kiravians are "New" or "Immigrant" Gaels of more recent (18th century onward) immigrant origins. Celtic people are accorded preferential treatment in the notoriously bureaucratic and openly biased Kiravian immigration system, and this combined with a welcoming culture and extensive public accommodation for the Gaelic language has made Kiravia an attractive destination for Gaelic immigrants. Fanerian Gaels account for the plurality of this group, followed by Fiannrian, [Somewhere else?], and Carnish Gaels. Urcean-Kiravians undoubtedly also, but the complexities of Urcean ethno-national identity and language use make their classification in this scheme difficult. New Gaels are more likely than Kiravian Gaels to live in urban areas, and also more likely to speak Gaelic at home. The Gaelic spoken by New Gaels is generally closer to the national varieties spoken in their nations of origin, though in practice close contact with Kiravian Gaels in urban environments often results in the uptake of some characteristically "Kiravian" Gaelic features to some extent.

The native populations of New Ardmore, a Kiravian overseas state, and Scapa, a Kiravian protectorate, are also Gaelic, and constitute a majority in their respective territories. Ardmorean Gaels are kith and kin to the Gaels of the Carnish Highlands, and Scapalline Gaels are similarly related to the Sheafhainn of the nearby Fanerian mainland.

Gaelic-Kiravians live throughout the Kiravian Federacy, but in uneven concentrations. The densest concentrations are found in Ilánova, Levantine Kirav*, and Northern and Eastern Great Kirav, particularly the Eastern Highlands and the large Eastern Seaboard metros, and Trinatria. Medium concentrations are found across lowland Mid-Continental Kirav and parts of the Atrassic Northwest. Gaelic quarters are a feature of most pre-Kirosocialist Kiravian cities. Gaels are less commonly found in the Western Highlands and South Kirav (the Southern Gaels being an isolated and historically disadvantaged community deserving of their own article).

As a class, Gaelic-Kiravians are well-integrated into the mainstream of Kiravian life. Gaels were generally enthusiastic supporters of the Republican Revolution. [We wuz presidents n'shit]. Sports and entertainment.

Gaelic-Kiravians have long been at the forefront of Kiravian overseas exploration and expansion.

See Also

• Faneria
• Fiannria
• Caergwynn
• GaelWind
• Pan-Gaelic Theory
• International Council on Fhasen Conventions