Celtic Gallery

Boer War Memorial unveiling, Haverfordwest, South Wales

Commemorative photograph of the unveiling of the Boer War Memorial at St Mary the Virgin Church, High Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Dyfed, South Wales. The memorial is surrounded by local dignitaries, clergy, a police band and crowds of townspeople. The various umbrellas show that it was a wet day. The memorial is in the form of a celtic cross and was made from Cornish granite, with 44 names of Pembrokeshire men listed on it. It was unveiled by Lord Cawdor

© Mary Evans / Roger Worsley Archive

Cornish Gorsedd procession, St Just, Cornwall

The Cornish Gorsedd, a community of modern-day bards, taking part in the Sword of Arthur ceremony and procession at St Just in Cornwall. The Gorseth Kernow (Gorsedd of Cornwall) was set up in 1928 to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. Toward the end of the Gorseth ceremony the bards swear an oath of loyalty "to Cornwall our Motherland". Each bard touches the Sword of King Arthur by putting one hand on the shoulder of the Bard in front. Here the procession sets off across the Plain-An-Gwary. Date: circa 1980s

© Mary Evans Picture Library/ANDREW BESLEY

Celtic Festival, Brest, Brittany, France

Celtic Pardon Festival, Brest, Brittany, France - September, 1908. Stalls with various things for sale at a Breton Pardon'. A Pardon is a typically Breton form of pilgrimage and one of the most traditional demonstrations of popular Catholicism in Brittany. Of very ancient origin (probably dating back to the conversion of the country by the Celtic monks), it is comparable to the parades associated with Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland or New York. A Pardon occurs on the feast of the patron saint of a church or chapel, at which an indulgence is granted. Hence use of the word "Pardon". Pardons only occur in the traditionally Breton language speaking Western part of Brittany. Date: 1908

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection