We know that in the 18th century the interest in 'primitivism', which led to the idea of the 'noble savage', brought a wave of enthusiasm for all things 'Celtic'. The antiquarian William Stukeley pictured a race of 'Ancient Britons' constructing the 'Temples of the Ancient Celts' such as Stonehenge before he decided in 1733 to recast the 'Celts' in his book as 'Druids'. The Ossian fables written by James Macpherson - portrayed as ancient Scottish Gaelic poems - added to this romantic enthusiasm. The 'Irish revival' came after the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 as a conscious attempt to demonstrate an Irish national identity, and with its counterpart in other countries subsequently became known as the 'Celtic revival'.
