Celtic Christianity
Ireland is the one country that had no martyrs when Christianity came into its territory. This prompted the Irish Christians of later years to develop the "White Martyrdom" of monks who lived austere lives as "living martyrs." Christian worship had reached Ireland around 400 AD. Ireland at this time was still a Celtic nation, which the Roman Church called pagan. Contrary to common myth, the Irish did not abandon their Celtic culture in favor of Christianity. Rather, Christianity was woven into their culture. The Celtic cross reflects this mixture of the two. Celtic culture, unlike the very linear philosophy of Rome and Greece, was built upon a very cyclically minded philosophy, patterning itself after the seasonal cycles and life cycles they observed in their beloved natural world. The Celtic cross includes the cross to represent Christianity and the Circle to represent the Celtic world view.