Douglas MacQueen's blog

News from the Celtic League:

There has been a call from animal welfare groups for the culling of seals in Scotland to be ended.

A report in the Scottish Sunday Herald says:

“ANIMAL welfare groups are demanding an end to the mass shooting of seals around Scotland's coast.

“Hundreds of the seals which have been shot so far were pregnant, feeding their young or failed to die instantly, according to a major new scientific study.

News from the Celtic League:

Andrey A Pritsepov, Consul General of the Russian Federation for Scotland, has held a reception for veterans of Arctic Convoys which supplied Russia in WW 2

Mr Pritsepov said:

"Russia is indebted to the brave Scottish men who risked their lives in dangerous conditions to deliver vital aid and equipment to the eastern front.

"It was a journey against all odds. Many have never returned. Their sacrifice and heroism comprise a proud chapter in our shared history.

News from the Celtic League:

There is controversy surrounding Gaelic education however on this occasion the rancour is caused because of the popularity of Gaelic Language education and the need to expand accommodation for it (see link):

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/…/demand-for-gaelic-cons…/

New from the Celtic League:

Canadian broadcaster CBC has revealed that the Canadian Federal government is backing efforts to get the remains of two Indigenous people taken from a Newfoundland gravesite in 1828 that are now at a museum in Scotland.

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly has taken the unusual step of notifying the director of National Museums Scotland that Canada will make a formal demand.

It was on this day on 23 August 1305 that Scottish national hero William Wallace was brutally killed by his English captors. William Wallace (Scottish Gaelic: Uilleam Uallas; c.1270 - died 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight, patriot and national hero. He was one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Leading the Scottish rebellion against Edward I and along with Andrew Murray inflicted a famous defeat on the English army at Stirling Bridge. 

Around the Celtic world there are many stone monuments and carvings in rock made by people from prehistoric times. We are the direct descendants of those that constructed these monuments in the Celtic lands of north-west Europe. Ancient stones and tombs placed in a way that look to the stars and capture moments of astronomical importance. It is recognised that many stone monuments are aligned to the rising and setting of the sun and moon during the summer and winter equinoxes. Our ancestors clearly thought that the study of the stars could give them a clearer understanding of the world.

Next year's Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival (Breton: Gouelioù Etrekeltiek An Oriant) sees Scotland as the designated honoured country for the year 2017. Each summer, around 700,000 people from all over the world come to Lorient in the Celtic nation of Brittany for the Festival Interceltique de Lorient to celebrate Celtic music, song, dance, art and culture . Next years Festival, the year of Scotland, takes place from 4 to 13 August 2017.

News from the Celtic League:

The likelihood that Scotland will move to hold another independence referendum has been heightened by the news that the issue which pointedly was not on the SNP conference agenda last year will be included this time. The SNP hold there conference in October in Glasgow.

Meanwhile Party membership continues to grow and recently passed the 120,000 member mark (link):

News from the Celtic League:

A plan to tackle child poverty announced by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been broadly welcomed (link):

http://www.thenational.scot/…/sturgeon-is-committed-to-endi…

Poverty Alliance, a group involved in the End Child Poverty campaign, also welcomed the announcement, saying:

News from the Celtic League:

Politicians and local fishermen have reacted sharply to a decision by the UK Ministry of Defence to designate at area of the West of Scotland off-limits to fishermen to allow a larger area for submarine training.

Gail Ross the SNP MP for the area has lodged a strong protest saying: