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The annual National Famine Commemoration took place today at Glasnevin Cemetery, in Ireland's capital Dublin. Irish President Michael D Higgins unveiled a Celtic cross memorial to Ireland's one million Famine dead following the failure of the potato crop. At the height of the Famine more than 60 funerals a day were taking place at the cemetery. Glasnevin was one of Ireland's largest Famine burial sites.

The Swedish folk dance group Sunnerbogillet recently completed an exchange visit as guests of their long-term friends in the Manx Folk Dance Society, with time in their schedule for joint displays at the Quarter Deck in Port Erin and Laxey Square.

Members of the Manx Folk Dance Society travelled to Ljungby in southern Sweden during 2015, where they visited the Europeade Folk Dance Festival in the town of Helsingborg, on the Baltic coast.

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

Introduction

One of our steering group members, Tony Leamon, has released the following letter to the local press and media. It has also been sent for the attention of Sam Hartley at the Boundaries Commission, an unelected Civil Servant who apparently feels that in publicly declaring 'Devonwall' as being inevitable, has completely ignored the wishes of our people, our Cornwall Council and elected Councillors, our Cornish Gorsedh as well as over ruled our elected MPs, Parliament, House of Lords and democratic process. 

The damage done to Scots Gaelic culture by the Highland Clearances in the 1700’s and the efforts to reclaim what has been lost continues into modern times. Part of this renewal is a revival of traditional Scottish Step Dancing.

A protest, organised by the Irish language rights group Misneach, took place outside the Flying Enterprise Bar & Restaurant in the Irish City of Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) this afternoon. This comes after reports that an Irish speaker, Cormac Ó Bruic, from an Fheothanach in Corca Dhuibhne had left his job as a barman in the pub after the owner had told him that he did not want him speaking Irish on the premises.

News from the Celtic League:

Here’s a story that tries to prove that as Europeans were setting out for North America and ‘discovering’ the ‘New World’ at least some of its inhabitants had ‘discovered’ us first.

These voyages have just completed a crossing to prove that indigenous Inuit people from North America could have made the transatlantic passage the other way and probably did (link):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/…/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-372952…

News from the Celtic League:

‘Four Naval Service crew who saved up to 100 lives on board a patrol ship that caught fire off the south coast have been given military honours – more than half a century after the event.

Cdr Pat O’Mahony (86), able stoker Bill Mynes (73) and chief engine room artificer Maurice “Mossie” Egan (84) had to wait 54 years for their actions to be recognised by the military authorities.’

News from Mannin Branch Celtic League:

Celtic League Mannin branch have written to the United Kingdom Office for Nuclear Regulation addressing several queries prompted by the recent BBC Panorama programme which highlighted safety issues at the Sellafield reprocessing plant.

Text below:

“Dr Richard Savage
Chief Nuclear Inspector
and Director, Nuclear Directorate
4N.2 Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
L20 7HS

9th September 2016

Dear Sir,

News from the Celtic League:

The Celtic League has supported the campaign by the Chagos Islanders to return to their homelands for almost two decades.

The Islanders were summarily evicted from their homes in a secret deal between the UK and US to establish a military base at Diego Garcia on the isolated Indian Ocean archipelago.

There has been a broad range of International protest about the injustice inflicted on these people who were displaced many hundreds of miles to the island of Mauritius.

News from the Mannin Branch of the Celtic League:

Mannin branch environmental officer (Allen Moore) has reacted sharply to the controversy earlier this week about the shooting of seals off Scotland.

He says local fishermen are using seals as scapegoats and it is actually the predatory action of huge super trawlers from the EU and China that is destroying indigenous fishing communities globally.

Here is his statement: