# Celtic: Confederation



## schweizer61

*D*oes any out there know of a *C*eltic or *P*re*-R*oman name or phrase for the word 'confederation', relating to politics and/or political ideals?


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## Dlyons

schweizer61 said:


> does any out there know of a celtic or pre roman name or phrase for the word 'confederation', relating to politics and/or political ideals?



Welcome to the Forum schweizer61!

Any of the related words I can think of like "confederacy, league, union, federation, association ..." seem to have Latin origins.

Have you any more context or any hints?

A "tuath" was a "people" or a "tribe" - is that the sort of thing you are thinking of?


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## schweizer61

I live in the 'confoederatio helvetica' but I am also English and wish England to be a confederation with an old *E*nglish name! *U*nion is to red, is tuath *C*eltic or *G*aelic?


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## Dlyons

schweizer61 said:


> I live in the 'confoederatio helvetica' but I am also English and wish England to be a confederation with an old *E*nglish name! *U*nion is to red, is tuath *C*eltic or *G*aelic?



Tuath is Irish Gaelic which is a Celtic language.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_Dé_Danann


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## L'irlandais

Hello schweitzer61,
Welcome to the forums.  
I don't know of a suitable translation of *confederation* "_as Gaeilge_".

The Latin name of the Swiss Confederacy, _Confoederatio Helvetica_, harks back to the Helvetii, who were a confederation of Celtic tribes, whose first contact with the Roman Republic was in the 1st century BC.

The Dumnonii, les Durotriges & Dobunni peoples were split into many tribes, each one speaking their very own dialect.  In Latin this country was called  *Britannia*, it included neither Caledonia nor Hibernia.

That said, since the Romans never conquered Ireland, nor Scotland for that matter, the notion of pre-Roman doesn't have much place in the Irish language.
Not sure what language was spoken by the Mesolithic peoples of the West country.  While the region was certain Celtic, as you suggest, I imagine it would be fairly different from modern Irish.

I consider Britannia to be the nearest equivalent to the Swiss title.


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