Travelling throughout the remote Celtic world, award-winning author Marcus Tanner describes the relentless pressure on Celtic communities to assimilate and warns that a distinct Celtic identity may not survive for another generation--a sobering loss that would impoverish us all.

"Tanner has concluded we must resign ourselves to the fact that Celticism is done, over, finis. He proves it in a very good and special book that every prodigal and true Celt should read and try to prove wrong."--Malachy McCourt, Washington Post Book World

"Lively. . . . [A] thoughtful book."--Publishers Weekly

"An exceptional journey into the remarkable cultural history of the Celtic people. . . . [Tanner's] experience reads like a travelogue and an insightful history with an emphasis on cultural heritage."--Raymond L. Flynn, Boston Sunday Herald

"[An] angry, elegiac and meticulously researched book."--Christian Century