Niall McCarsten's blog

The Following Plan put forward by the unassailable logic of Tomas Maoilseachlainn of the Donegal Gaeltacht, will guarantee the restoration of the Gaelic Tongue.  This fool proof proposal demands an immediate response from Dublin. Originally published in the Irish Times on July 4, 2015: 

After 93 years of self-government, it would appear that we can’t save the Irish language by formal education or appeals to patriotism or cultural pride.

Following on the April 2014 announcement on the finalisation of the Standard Written Form for the Cornish language comes another milestone in the brightening future for the restoration of the Celtic tongue of Cornwall.   The Cornish Language Partnership (MAGA) have announced a collaborative effort with Cornwall College and the Institute of Cornish Studies at Exeter University in the formation of the “Research Network for Cornish" 

Two institutions of higher learning in the forefront of the struggle to return the Celtic language of Scotland to its rightful place are in the news for demonstrating academic excellence and for advancing Gaelic medium education.

The website "The Press and Journal" under the headline "Bumper Line-Up For Provincial Mod" reports that the Inverness provincial Mod (a celebration of Scots Gaelic culture and language) has attracted a record number of participants. The event in Inverness is one of 21 Provincial Mods held throughout Scotland leading up to the National Mod held this year, also in Inverness, the second week of October, 2014.

In the words of The Sunday Times, there is an English army working against Scottish Independence and the celebrity author J.K. Rowling has declared herself a leader of this army.  There are multiple news reports this week covering Rowling’s statement on her opposition to a YES vote.  Her views are backed up by a £ 1,000,000 ($1.7 Million) donation to the forces urging a NO vote on independence.

History does repeat itself.  The London Times gleefully reported over the weekend that English residents of Scotland will nullify the will of a majority of the Celtic residents of Scotland in the upcoming vote on independence.  

Little can be added to the headline accompanying the Sunday Times article titled “English Army Scents Victory – The Future of Scotland in the Union Hangs on the Knife Edge – And the Nation’s 400,000 English Residents Have the Final Say”. 

" Only 28% of English - born voters say they will vote yes..."

The newly appointed Irish Language Commissioner, Rónán Ó Domhnaill, is a former political correspondent for Irish Television TG4 and Nuacht RTE.  Mr. Ó Domhnaill, aged 38, is a native Irish speaker from An Cheathru Rua, Connemara, in Ireland. Mr. Ó Domhnaill was named in February 2014 to replace outgoing Language Commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin.  Mr.

Deep seated resentments towards the historical persecution of Scots Gaelic culture by the British Crown erupted late last year in Canada's Nova Scotia. Estimates are that approximately 1200 Gaelic speakers currently reside in Nova Scotia, primarily in Cape Breton.  This is down from an estimated 100,000 Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia in 1900 and efforts to restore the language to health have intensified in recent  years. 

The Cornish Language Partnership (MAGA) have announced their annual conference.  In a gesture of Pan Celtic unity, MAGA have invited a representative of Scotland's Bord na Gaidhlig to share the Bord's learning's gained in their efforts to restore Scottish Gaelic to it's rightful place in Scotland.  MAGA defines itself as follows on thier web page: " The Partnership includes language organisations, local authorities and a number of other organisations who have come together with the aim of promoting Cornish and developing it further in Cornish life.