As much as I like to bitch about a bit too much of the Neopagan Blogsphere, Peter Berresford Ellis has a LOT to answer for than they do because he enabled him.
It’s not like it was a big secret that the roots of Western Astrology was mostly in Babylonia (Hindu/”Vedic” Astrology was STRONGLY influenced as well), but this nationalist decided to pull bullshit hypothesises out of his ass as though he never heard of the impact of Alexander of Macedon’s invasions and the following Hellenistic Age.
Sure, the Gauls had a calendar, but having calendars is not the same as having centuries of written records, the math to predict future planetary and rising sign placements, and wasn’t it funny the Coligny Calendar was written in Latin?
But he does try making the case that because of linguistic similarities and that the Irish had their own words for Astrological and Astronomical terms thus means that they had an indigenous Astrology, which is ludicrous. All cultures and languages have words for Planets and Stars, even constellations, it doesn’t mean they have a type of Astrology specific to their culture.
We do however know that the literate peoples of Mesopotamia, China, and MesoAmerica have created roots of their traditions due to textual evidence. Celtic much less Irish, no, no way in hell was that possible especially due to the fact there was very little if any record keeping at the time Ellis alleges happened.
This isn’t to say Ireland was free of Astrology anymore than Britain, at least by a certain time period when writing was much more part of the culture, but I have a problem with this idea of any Astrologer among the Irish using methods and techniques were that different from William Lily.
Early Irish Astrology: An Historical Argument by Peter Berresford Ellis.
Azimech 