Blogs

Preceding the annual general meeting of Agan Tavas, (The Campaign for the Cornish Language), held at Murdoch House, Redruth on Saturday 6th February the Pewas Perghyryn, (The Michael Palmer Award) was presented for the second time.

 The award is for new literature in Cornish or outstanding translation work and was given by the Palmer family in memory of Michael who was a prodigious writer of  stories in Cornish. The name of the award reflects Michael's bardic name.

A new Manx-Irish dictionary has been compiled by Professor Kevin Scannell with a PDF version online. The focus of this work is for Irish speakers who want to learn Manx Gaelic.

The British press has been reporting this week that the infamous aristocrat Lord Lucan has been officially declared dead. This comes nearly 42 years after the playboy gambler disappeared following the murder of his children’s nanny in an unsolved mystery.

There has been a stunning victory for Scots Gaelic in the Scottish Parliament.  Under the 2016 Education Bill approved yesterday, Scotland’s local authorities will be required to provide a public education in Gaelic if requested by parents. This statute applies even if the area has no history of Gaelic speaking.  In reaction, Scotland’s Bòrd Na Gàidhlig has issued the following statement hailing this historic breakthrough for the Celtic tongue of Scotland:

News from the Celtic League

The Cornish were included under the terms of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCPNM) in April 2014, following many years of active campaigning on the issue, but how successfully has the Convention been implemented in respect of the Cornish?

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

We highlighted last year in Celtic News the controversy the Westminster government had caused by insisting that the Union Flag would be displayed on all new driving licences issued in England, Scotland and Wales.

David Cameron well assuming the Scots and Welsh would roll-over sensibly stopped short of imposing this latest piece of imperialist jingoism on the North of Ireland.

The first reaction was in Scotland where stick-over Saltire flags were applied despite threats from the DVLA. Now things are spreading!

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Well after saying we don’t often just link across here is another article verbatim from Lorna Siggins Marine correspondent at the Irish Times. It’s worth recycling because its message is stark!

Lorna Siggins is well known to the League we have cooperated with her over the Submarine threat to MFVs and more recently liaised over general marine matter. She has a reputation for extremely well researched and sourced material and this is no exception

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

It is not often we simply link to an article but the story in Friday’s WalesOnline about Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood’s, and her early life is well worth a read.

It is to be hoped that Leanne can do for Plaid Cymru’s fortunes in Wales what Nicola Sturgeon has managed to achieve in Scotland.

Obviously given her background - brought up in a family that was struggling in a Labour heartland in Wales she should naturally have gravitated to the Labour Party however as she says:

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Our focus on Sophia Morrison last year and the recent wreath laying as part of Mec Vannin’s commemorations of significant figures in Manx political and cultural life encouraged Cristl Jerry of Mec Vannin to undertake some research on the collectors of Manx folk life material (links):

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

When the Queen of England paid a State visit to Ireland five years ago great emphasis was placed on the fact that the two States indeed all the British Isles people are ‘more than neighbours’

Here’s a snatch of what she said:

"Together we have much to celebrate: the ties between our people, the shared values, and the economic, business and cultural links that make us so much more than neighbours, that make us firm friends and equal partners.”