Quote Originally Posted by neloon View Post
Clarification of an earlier comment -
"I think it has long been recognised that most of the far west and north clans are Norse rather than Celtic. "
It is possible to debate the origins of patronymics but the placenames in all these clan lands are so exclusively of Viking origin (however much they have been Gaelicised) that there can be no doubt as to the cultural identity of these clans.
No doubt whatsoever, they're celtic. That is afterall where the Gaidhealtachd is, where traditional highland culture is at its strongest. As you said, culture is more important than DNA and these guys are celtic culturally, not norse, you even admit that these clans are the result of norse being Gaelicised. Which makes sense because they lay between Ireland and the Irish influenced "Scots". The northern isles though, they're surely norse culture rather than celtic.
Another example would be the large number of Cumbric place names in the south of Scotland, the people there though are not Cumbric - their ancestors maybe, but not them.

I find the British Isles fascinating in regards people movements. The vast majority of the people are from similar regions along the Coast of Europe but the ins and outs of it are quite mind boggling. Now DNA comes along and challenges some of the detail of who came from which direction. I'll have to get a test done myself one day and see if anything unexpected turns up. I read once that Shirley Manson was tested and the results were 100% Scottish. Her ancestors must have been some of those red haired Caledonians that the Romans spoke of.