Blogs

Irish Comedy Writer Graham Linehan Makes Stand Against Edinburgh Fringe Festival Attempts at Censorship

Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan has performed his Edinburgh Fringe Festival show outside the Scottish Parliament after the venue Leith Arches cancelled his show in a blatant attempt to close down freedom of expression. A second venue had also pulled out of hosting the event demonstrating how far the The Edinburgh Festival Comedy Fringe has moved away from its original idea of being a celebration of cutting edge comedy and free speech.

Manx Viking Age Runestones

The Isle of Man is home to a remarkable number of carved crosses and monuments dating from the 5th century to the 12th century. Protected by the Manx National Heritage there are over 200 decorated stone crosses on the Island, most of which can be found in graveyards and churches. The earliest stones carry Celtic designs and inscriptions using an early Celtic script called Ogham. Later Norse sculptors decorated their crosses with both Christian icons and images from their own pagan mythology, along with Norse Runic inscriptions.

Gaelic Festival of Lughnasadh

The name of the month of August in all three Gaelic languages is derived from the Celtic god Lugh (also known as Lug and in Modern Irish: Lú). In Modern Irish August is called Lúnasa, in Scottish Gaelic: Lùnastal, and in Manx: Luanistyn. At the beginning of the month Lughnasadh is celebrated. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. The festival of Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa, like August is named after the god Lugh.

Kilmarnock celebrates Robert Burns first book of poems

The Scottish town of Kilmarnock (Scottish Gaelic: Cill Mheàrnaig) is marking their part in the history and fame of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796). It was a Kilmarnock publisher, 240 years ago, that decided to print his first book "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect". The Kilmarnock Edition features 44 of Robbie Burns best known poems including To a Mouse, Address to the Devil and Halloween. It was printed and issued by John Wilson of Kilmarnock on 31 July 1786. First editions of the book are very rare. Only 612 copies were originally published.

English Labour Party Stamps Down on Scottish and Welsh Labour

It has been reported today on Scottish social media sites that a Senior Labour Party advisor has informed Scottish and Welsh Labour that all Regional Policy decisions will be formulated in London. He has said " We can't have contradictory statements in the press, Keir has made it clear, its his way of not at all". This confirms the long held view of many in Scotland  that Scottish Labour is still in the pocket of a London dominated Labour Party that will never act in the best interests of the Scottish people.

Lorient Interceltic Festival in Brittany 4 - 13 August 2023

The world's largest annual gathering of Celts is taking place in Brittany (Breton: Breizh) from 4th to 13th August 2023. This year the Le Festival Interceltique celebrates the country of Ireland. There will be 10 days and 10 nights of concerts, shows, entertainment and much more.  More than 5,000 musicians, singers, dancers, visual artists, academics, filmmakers from the Celtic nations and Celtic diaspora around the world gather in the town of Lorient (Breton: An Oriant) for the event.

Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering 24th - 30th July 2023

The Isle of Man's top Celtic festival promises a gifted line up of artists for Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering 24th - 30th July 2023. Information can seen on this link to their website Yn Chruinnaght. The origins of the Festival date back to 1924 and was the idea of William Cubbon, the first director of the Manx Museum, who was also the Honorary Treasurer of both Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh (The Manx Gaelic Society) and the World Manx Association (WMA).

Celtic Triskel Celebrated on Stamps from Isle of Man Post Office

The ‘Three Legs of the Isle of Man’ triskelion (or triskel) is the Island’s national symbol. Derived from an ancient sun symbol, the triskelion is one of the oldest continually-used national symbols. The Celtic triskel was a symbol that had various meanings for the early Pagans: it was linked to the sun, triadic Gods and the three domains of land, sea, and sky and was also believed to represent the cycles of life, as well as the Triple Goddess - the maiden, mother and wise woman.

Remains of 13 residents, stolen in 1890, reinterred on the island of Inishbofin

Inishbofin (Inis Bó Finne) is a small island off the coast of Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Under cover of darkness on 16 July 1890 academics Alfred Cort Haddon and Andrew Francis Dixon removed partial skeletal remains of 13 people. They were taken for the purposes of studying craniometry and had remained on display or in storage at Trinity College in Dublin since that time. It is thought the remains date from the mid-16th to mid-17th centuries, with the oldest dated to around 1550.

Treshnish Isles come under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland

The Treshnish Isles (Scottish Gaelic:Eileanan Treisinis) are an archipelago of eight small uninhabited islands located in the Inner Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh) off Scotland's west coast. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its unique landscape, which provides nesting sites for guillemots, razorbills and puffins. The marine environment around the Treshnish Isles is also part of the Sea of the Hebrides Marine Protected Area due to the presence of basking sharks and minke whales. The Isles have now come under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland,

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - blogs