Mair Williams's blog

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

You may have forgotten the MV Parida (pictured below) we haven’t!

It was a Danish registered ro-ro cargo vessel on passage from Scrabster in Scotland to Antwerp, Belgium carrying nuclear waste when it caught fire in October 2014.

We raised the accident at the time with UK and Danish authorities. We also drew the attention of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the incident.

Now the nuclear material on board was ‘low grade’ but nonetheless it was nuclear material.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The weather must have been a lot kinder to drains in the 1940s when they started casting around to find a location to site a nuclear experimental facility which would grow and grow (like topsy) until it turned into the monster site we know as Sellafield.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

It’s that time of year when you have the Eisteddfod – no not in Wales but in the Welsh speaking community in Patagonia.

There’s currently a series of articles from the Eisteddfod held earlier this month on the Facebook pages of our colleagues in the Patagonian branch of the Celtic League.

There are reports on the poetry, harp competitions dancing etc and also the performances given by the National Orchestra of Wales that visited venues in the Welsh speaking Diaspora and other venues in Argentina to mark this historic year.

News From The Celtic League

A response to our query about safety issues at Heysham nuclear power station and the decision to continue its operation beyond its original safe operating date;

https://www.celticleague.net/…/heysham-1-is-it-safe-nuclea…/

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

We have followed up correspondence to the Irish government about the marine vandalism cause by so called ‘super trawlers’ fishing of the West of the British Isles with a call to both the EU Commissioner for the Marine Environment and the UK government to act before these vessels do irreparable damage to both fish stocks and the overall marine eco-system.

The text of the correspondence is set out below:

News From The Celtic League

Bernard Moffatt, Outside Left: Radiation guinea pigs

There are aspects of the British nuclear industry that are like a black comedy.

A few years ago I learned that a UK train-spotters’ magazine openly published details of transports of nuclear waste.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Not known for pulling her punches the Language Commissioner for Wales, Meri Huws (picture), has said that place names should enjoy the same protection as listed buildings.

She told BBC Wales that changes to historic place names should be banned by law and that certain names should be given added protection by being placed on a ‘statutory register’.

The Deputy Culture Minister in the parliament of Wales Ken Skates attempted to question the idea saying the idea would be very difficulty to deliver.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

To mark the 150th anniversary since Welsh settlements were established in Patagonia both the BBC National Orchestra Wales (BBC NOW) and the National Youth Choir of Wales (NYCW) is currently touring Patagonia.

The National Orchestra Wales has this week been working with communities throughout Patagonia, in a week-long residency marking the establishment of Y Wladfa, the Welsh settlement in the Province.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

British Prime Ministers are always apologizing. In the past few years they have gone on the record to express regret for issues as diverse as the Irish Famine and Section 28.

However it seems it’s a step to far for David Cameron to apologize for the destruction of the Welsh speaking community in the Tryweryn Valley evicted despite protest across Wales to make way for a dam to supply water to Merseyside.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Everyone knows know about the Welsh settlement in Patagonia in the 19th century but details have now emerged of an earlier attempt to form a Welsh colony, i.e. “Y Wladfa”, in South America, this time in Brazil.

The attempt to create a “little Wales” occurred in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in 1852, about 13 years before the Patagonian venture got underway. 
“Nova Cambria” (New Wales) was founded by Thomas Benbow Phillips (picture) from Tregaron who wanted to set up a community where Welsh language and culture could flourish.