Atlantean (documentary series)

Atlantean is a quartet of documentary films and accompanying book (The Atlantean Irish, Lilliput, 2005) by Irish film maker Bob Quinn. The films and book dismissed as myth the popular belief in origins of the inhabitants of Ireland and proposed instead that they are part of a common 'Atlantean' culture that includes the western seaboard of Europe and North Africa.

Quinn focused on various traditional aspects of Irish culture and argued for their non-Celtic nature. One aspect he stressed is the role of sailing in Connemara society, where his films were made, Quinn investigated the history of the Atlantic sea lanes from the Baltic Sea, Ireland, Britain, as far south as the Mediterranean and North Africa. Quinn suggested that Ireland's first inhabitants came by boat sometime after the end of the last ice age – probably from the warmer, more populous south. As navigation gave rise to coastal settlement over long periods of time, overseas trade and cultural exchanges continued until at least the North African pirates of the 17th century. These connections can be seen in ship building styles and sailing techniques, for example in similarities between the Galway Púcán and the Arab Dhow.

Another aspect focused on by Quinn is the Sean Nós or Old Style of Irish song and dance. The non-European feel of Sean Nós singing in particular has often been commented upon. Quinn originally proposed a North African origin for Sean Nós, but later agreed that it is shared by the Tatars of Tatarstan, thus an archetypal musical form older than the Book of Kells. The Irish language, music and art is related to ancient Iberian, Mediterranean and North African culture, in particular the indigenous Berbers of North Africa.

According to Quinn, the idea of "Celtic" origins was a Greek term – Keltoi (Κελτοί) – used to describe any "barbarian" who was not Greek. The Romans perpetuated the slur until 1707 when Edward Lluyd resurrected it as a compliment. It was taken for granted by Anglo-Irish antiquarians who found it a useful way of distinguishing themselves not only from the English but from the "mere Irish". The term also developed untermensch resonances (see Matthew Arnold).

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