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Irish Times
22-04-2025
- General
- Irish Times
The Celts: A Modern History by Ian Stewart - an extensive work overlooking several essential studies
The Celts: A Modern History Author : Ian Stewart ISBN-13 : 976-0-694-22251-6 Publisher : Princeton University Press Guideline Price : £35 This is an ambitious work that attempts to put three historical themes about the Celtic peoples into one. It is more a commentary on the works of the historians pertaining to those themes. The first part is about the origin and development of the Celtic peoples and their absorption into various empires. The second is the rediscovery of their culture, languages and links. The third is the growth of Pan-Celticism out of the early academic findings leading to a 20th-century conflict between some academics and advocates of political Pan-Celticism. In trying to intertwine these aspects, it becomes an impractical source book by confusing its variation of themes. Apart from the 11 pages of preface and acknowledgments, there are 87 pages of notes and 45 pages of bibliography. As extensive as that is, it overlooks several essential studies. READ MORE The author is an intellectual and cultural historian of modern European culture. He is not a Celtic scholar, and that makes his examination of the origin and development of the Celtic branch of Indo-European culture somewhat cursory. [ The Celts: A Sceptical History — Celts used as mythological political whipping boys Opens in new window ] The advancement of the Celtic culture and languages in the first millenniums BC is indispensable to any subsequent development. We remember that Celtic is, first and foremost, a linguistic definition, in the same way we speak of Romance, Germanic, Slavonic, Baltic and so on. Without the linguistic definition, the Celts do not exist. Even though Celtic languages are still living entities, the author can dismiss this as 'linguistic antiquarianism'. When the author speaks of 'Celtic literature', he is talking about works in English during recent centuries and not literature in the Celtic languages. A missed opportunity here was the lack of analysis of the dynamics of why the Romans, later followed by the Germanic tribes, pursued the path of annihilation of the Celtic people. How and why were the Celtic-speaking peoples relegated from a major European civilisation to a modern, almost vanishing people, whose languages continue to be endangered to the point of disappearance? As an example, 16th-century English law announced the intention to 'utterly extirpate' the Welsh language, and similar legislation was applied to Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The speed with which the European Celtic world, from Anatolia in the east to Britain and Ireland in the west, was eclipsed by the Roman Empire, and then by Germanic invasions, was a major historical phenomenon. The reason for this, I ventured in my study that I ironically entitled The Celtic Empire (1990), was Celtic lack of cohesion. It was summed up by Welsh poet Harry Webb's famous paraphrase of the historian Tacitus: 'Fighting retail, they were beaten wholesale. Had they been inseparable, they would have been insuperable.' Pan-Celticism was developed as a political philosophy in the anti-imperial struggle. The author rightly concentrates on the rise of Celtic scholarship after the Renaissance. The discoveries of intellectuals about who the Celts had been before the conquests and attempted absorptions resulted in the discovery of common heritage and linguistics. This was finally established by 19th-century German scholars when Celtic was identified as a separate branch of the Indo-European family of languages. The modern Celts were therefore linguistically identified as Brythonic (Welsh, Breton and Cornish) and Goidelic (Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx). The author concentrates his commentaries along two paths. There is the history of Celtic Studies, and there is the history of Pan-Celticism, the latter initially being inspired by the academic work on the Celtic peoples. 'A commentary work of this magnitude is hard to follow, even with such a long period of study' It was only in the mid-20th century that groups of Celtic scholars began to feel that Celtic academia and Celtic political movements ought to be separated. While logical, it was interesting that academics used support for the colonial status quo to argue for their separation. Some, like Dr Simon James, even argued that the word 'Celtic' was an invented modern term. This was in spite of Julius Caesar pointing out 'in their own language they are called Celts'. The author does me the honour of quoting some of my early works published in the 1960s, although neglecting the many studies on the Celts I have since published. A commentary work of this magnitude is hard to follow, even with such a long period of study. Compressing the diverse themes into one large volume is somewhat muddling. The rise and fall of the varied Celtic peoples, their languages and culture, from ancient times to their conquests and near absorption in other cultures, may be compressed as one subject. The rediscovery by academics of those languages and cultures is a second subject. The modern campaigns for self-government is a third subject. In trying to combine all aspects, the work fails in clarity due to its perplexity of themes.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Richmond's zero-fare bus funding could run out soon
A GRTC bus in downtown Richmond in March 2025. (Photo by Ian Stewart for The Virginia Mercury) During fiscal year 2024, almost 11 million riders rode the bus in Richmond, or used paratransit, or LINK Microtransit services, according to the Greater Richmond Transit Company, an increase of 14% percent over last year. That boost is almost certainly due to GRTC's zero-fare program that has allowed people to catch rides for free. But the program, which started during the pandemic, may be eliminated this summer, if a funding gap isn't closed. To spur corporations and the public into action, the non-profit advocacy group RVA Rapid Transit released a report last week at the University of Richmond's Queally Center. Called, 'Free to Move: The Role of Zero-Fare Transit in Advancing Health and Justice in Richmond,' the report breaks down the history of zero-fare, the demographics of riders and how the funding gap could damage ridership. Faith Walker, executive director of RVA Rapid Transit, said her group spoke to 100 bus riders about how zero fare transit plays a critical role in their lives. Their report shows a funding need of $6.8 million for next year. 'The report clearly outlines the impact of fare free public transit, connecting individuals to jobs, health care, education, and essential services,' she said, 'while contributing to reduced carbon emissions and more sustainable urban development. The need for accessible transit is urgent and we must act now to sustain and expand this vital service.' The need Walker spoke of is a daily reality for Aqiyla McMillan, who has been riding the bus for more than a year, after her car broke down and an injury also sidelined her from driving. 'I had a surgery, so I had to start getting around, getting to doctor's appointments, getting to physical therapy, getting the kids to school,' said McMillan. 'So I got on the bus one day thinking I had to pay and they were like, 'Oh, no, the bus is free.'' McMillan said not having to pay for the bus on a regular basis has been a lifesaver. 'I would have never been able to do that if there was fare on the bus,' she said. The transit service gets funding from a variety of sources, including state and federal grants. Separate funding injections come from nearby localities and from the Central Virginia Transit Authority. But these funding sources help cover GRTC's entire budget, not just the zero-fare program, according to spokesperson Ashley Potter. A state grant of $8 million from the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT) called the Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) launched GRTC's zero-fare ridership at the end of 2021. The purpose was to study and implement zero-fare service for a limited time, according to GRTC. Over a three year period, the funding would dwindle to zero. The net cost for the zero- fare program for that time period was $20.4 million, according to Mass Transit, a trade publication. That's after removing $1.2 million for fare collection costs. With the $8 million TRIP grant in place, other funding sources had to come forward to make the $20 million mark. So Virginia Commonwealth University stepped up to contribute $3.8 million, and GRTC ponied up $8.56 million in funds. The city of Richmond also contributed some funds. Knowing the DRPT grant was set to expire, GRTC launched a Transit Access Partnership program in 2023 to seek out other corporate sponsors and individuals to help sustain zero-fare ridership. 'Our focus for zero-fare and our TAP program has been at the forefront of what we've been doing over the last couple of months,' said Sheryl Adams, GRTC's chief executive officer. 'So, with the TAP program anyone can contribute. If you're an organization, you can do a tax write-off through our 501C, which is Ride Finders.' Torres said to help keep the program afloat, GRTC has also been seeking a variety of new sources. 'We have kind of gone after several paths to keep it sustained for the next year,' said Torres. 'We've applied for a congestion mitigation air quality grant and that's $2 million.' New revenue from an expanded advertising program will also help with zero-fare funding, said Torres, who hopes to get up to two million dollars from it. 'We worked with the city and they did a franchise agreement, which now allows us to do advertising basically in any right of way, so not just at the pole stations, but at bus stops, shelters, poles, benches. We've also expanded the ability to advertise on our vehicles,' she said. Adrienne Torres, the bus company's chief of staff, said they've also been looking through their budget to see where else they can help with funds for the program.'We feel like we're pretty close. Like I said, we have zero-fare in there for this year, but we still need to continue to have support for it,' she said. 'Our grant applications are still pending. So hopefully we'll know for sure in the next month or two where we are. Our budget's going to go to the board in May. We have a strategy and a plan that hopefully will come to fruition for FY2026.' Walker hopes her group's new report on zero fare encourages everyone, from the members of the public to those with legislative power, to do all they can to help keep the service running. 'I am calling on elected officials, employers, transit riders, environmentalists and everyday Richmonders to support the future of zero-fare transit through the GRTC Transit Access Partnership Program and their advertisement program,' said Walker. 'It's time to champion tap funding and ensure continued support for zero fare transit services.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
How Car Tariffs Will Hit Consumers, and a Fight Over Funding Elmo
Hosted by Tracy Mumford Produced by Sarah DiamondWill Jarvis and Ian Stewart Edited by Ian Stewart and Tracy Mumford Featuring River Akira Davis On Today's Episode: Trump Announces 25% Tariffs on Imported Cars and Car Parts, by Ana Swanson, Jack Ewing and Tony Romm Intelligence Officials Face a Fresh Round of Questions About Signal Leak, by Julian E. Barnes and Robert Jimison Elmo and Elon Musk Are Cited as G.O.P. Lawmakers Grill PBS and NPR, by Benjamin Mullin and Michael M. Grynbaum Trump Administration Abruptly Cuts Billions From State Health Services, by Apoorva Mandavilli, Margot Sanger-Katz and Jan Hoffman H.H.S. Scraps Studies of Vaccines and Treatments for Future Pandemics, by Carl Zimmer and Apoorva Mandavilli Federal Government Detains International Student at Tufts, by Jenna Russell, Safak Timur, Anemona Hartocollis and Eduardo Medina Farewell to Gaia, the Milky Way's Cartographer, by Katrina Miller Tune in, and tell us what you think at theheadlines@ For corrections, email nytnews@ For more audio journalism and storytelling, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
