The Celts were a noble and ancient race who populated the British Isles and parts of Western mainland Europe. Not a lot is known about them other than the few impressive stone monuments they left behind such as Stonehenge in Britain and Carnac in France. However, there are enough patterns and motifs left from that time for modern tattoo artists to come up with some really innovative designs.

Most Celtic designs these days originate from Ireland, which has perhaps the strongest Celtic heritage of any country in the world. Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, contains a great deal of manuscripts documenting the symbols of that culture. Celtic tattoos really began, however, during the epoch of stone and metal working.

Knots are possibly the most popular and enduring images, featuring endless loops that themselves symbolize the endless cycle of dying and rebirth. There can be no literal translation of the knots although scholars believe that there are linkages here between spiritual and physical aspects of life. Certain strands can signify the ongoing path of love, life and faith and can create a powerful emotional impact upon those who trust in them. Animals also feature prominently in the oeuvre, bearing some similarities to the knots albeit with cords ending in feet, heads and tails. Spirals appear from time to time on Celtic tattoos.

Those people who have Celtic heritage, usually from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, parts of South Western England and Northern France, find that tattoos are a way of preserving their sense of identity in a fast-changing world of uncertainty. Pride is bolstered and tribute to the past is achieved. For many, the symbols are specific to their own ethnicity but also universal, celebrating such emotional realities as love, life, trust, faith and friendship. These types of tattoos are amongst the most intricate one can get done and so take hours and hours of painstaking work on the part of the artist who must be specially-trained and located. When finding an artist be sure to do thorough and wide-ranging research as mistakes made with these kinds of designs can be costly and permanent.