And yet, he has his most Mary Sue-ish of characters base themselves on a pastiche of Celtic stereotypes...
I should point out, I don't have a problem with a neo-pagan group springing up in the post-Change world - it's no wackier than Caesar's Legion in Fallout. What I do have a problem with is that the Mackenzies can literally do no wrong, and that against enemies who should steamroll right over them they come out laughing every time. Also, they're an unholy mix of Brigadoon and the Quiet Man...
Yeah, the MacKenzies are pretty Mary Sue-ish, but this is not specifically because of 'Celt Wank' on his part. They are patische Celts, not real Celts, they're Americans who flung to all these Celtic stereotypes because their leaders were strongly intune with their Scottish heritage or whatever. "Spontaneously started wearing Kilts" and so forth.
Really, they and the others all suffer from a mess of what seems to me of 'Stirling wanting to recreate Medieval Britain culture wise in his eventual rising Kingdom of Oregon'.
He makes sure Neo-Celts happen. He makes sure Neo-Nordish folk happen (The Armingers). He makes sure that Neo-Normans happen (PPA, duh.). He makes sure taht there's a viking like raider group, in the Haida. He makes sure there's an Anglo-Saxon like (or enough of a bland standin) group in the CORA folks and so forth.
Why? Because he wants it to eventually mesh into a Second Britain in 'Montival'. At least as far as I'm concerned, as the 'Neo-Celts' in the MacKenzie lands are all pastiches and cliches like they thought that was the real culture. There's also an amusing lack of cattle for Neo-Celts, when they'd have a lot of herds if they oculd get them.
I mean if you look at it then look at the other states he creates in White-as-Lilly America, aka non-Deathzone...? Yeah. Idaho gets to be 'Neo-Roman' because it wants to not give up the USoA as a possible body of creation.
Then he lazes out the Neo-Sioux, just I imagine to have his huns attacking America's equivalent of Europe, and also to get the gold star of 'not being racist'. Which is why you see a small smattering of ethnic folk but only a smattering. Also why you see some lesbians but I cannot think of a single referenced homosexual male in any of the books (unless it's a villain, I wouldn't know)... at least to me.
Then the most norse ethnic area in the States becomes Neo-Norse/Neo-Vikings. The Iowans and so forth meanwhile become Neo-Germans/Psuedo-Neo HRE esque in that they have a similar culture and trade with each other and help each other.
I gotta say to me ALL of his big characters are Mary Sue-ish, because they HAVE To be to survive. The only one I didn't think Mary Sue-ish is Ingolf, and even he MIGHT be later.
Also, I didn't mean to sidetrack the thread or anything. Just pointing out you can't say because he lets his Neo-Celts survive untouched that he doesn't F over the actual Celts in Britain to make Neo-british empire happen in the books.