A strong powerful race, the Celts were nomadic warriors who lived in tribal communities ruled by their chieftains, kings and queens. They first emerged in Central Europe but soon established settlements in many European countries, including Italy, Greece, France, Britain and Ireland. Although warriors, the Celts were also poets. They did not use the written word but had an excellent command of language which they used to share magical stories of Celtic myths and legends. These often told of heroic deeds and mysterious influences from the 'Otherworld' and provided the inspiration for much of their art.

Ultimately, however, the Celts with their intertribal feuds were no match for the superior organisation and discipline of the growing Roman Empire. Gradually the Romans marched north conquering most of continental Europe before eventually invading Britain. Although much of central England succumbed to Roman rule, the Celts in Wales and Scotland defied defeat and along with Ireland retained their original Celtic culture.

Following the departure of the Romans in 407 A.D., a new Celtic state was established in Brittany. The leaders were chieftains from Wales but most of the settlers came from Cornwall. It is these remaining Celtic settlements of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Cornwall which today offer us the best insight into past Celtic culture, surviving in their purest form uninfluenced by Roman rule.

With the establishment of Christianity in Britain and Ireland Celtic art was used for the first time as ornamentation for the written word, by monastic scribes whose job it was to reproduce copies of the gospels. These religious manuscripts, created between the 7th and 10th Centuries A.D. and written in Latin, were often painstakingly decorated with colourful illustrations and intricate designs. Unfortunately, however, only a small number of these illuminated manuscripts have survived. The Book Of Kells, now on display at Trinity College, Dublin, is by far the best example of such a manuscript although others also recovered include The Book Of Durrow and the Lindesfarne Gospels.