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News from the Gaelic League - Dual Language Road Signs

RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), Ireland’s national public service broadcaster has announced it will make major programming changes to boost the profile of the Irish Language. RTÉ formally launched “Meáin Ghaeilge RTÉ, Action Plan 2015-2019”, the broadcaster’s new strategic action plan for the Irish language.  Rónán Mac Con Iomaire, Group Head Irish Language at RTÉ is quoted on the broadcaster’s web site: “This plan seeks to integrate the Irish language into everything we do in RTÉ.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

One of the things the Manx Government count on is that Manx people are too mild, restrained and timid to do much more than complain.

To a certain extent that’s true and nothing demonstrated that more than comment on another media site which labelled a graphic on the Mec Vannin (MV) web site about winter deaths as ‘over the top’. Well it would be a ‘funny old world’ if we all agreed the MV graphic is at this link so make your own mind up:

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.”

The Chief Minister of the Isle of Man has often cited the need for ‘social cohesion’ on the Island particularly as it goes through the change agenda that government adopted some years ago after the VAT return from the UK was downsized.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The Isle of Man Government AGENDA FOR CHANGE has got a three point plan:

1) Balance the budget
2) Protect the vulnerable
3) Grow the economy

The plan was cited to us by OFT when they responded to our concerns over the hike in Gas prices they said:

“One of the three key priorities of the current administration is to “Protect the Vulnerable” and the Council of Ministers and all Departments and Statutory Boards have this high on their agendas.”

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Peter Crellin, Mec Vannin’s resident statistics 'Guru' (that’s when he’s not analysing the bizarre utterances from the Chamber of Commerce) has been number crunching Isle of Man income figures on the Mec Vannin Facebook pages.

We urge everyone who reads our CL post to go over to the Mec Vannin Facebook site and have a look at the statistics which I hasten to add are all based on government figures (no denying this then Allan!).

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

Cracks have been found in graphite bricks which line the reactor core at the Hunterston B nuclear power station (picture) in Ayrshire.

EDF which operate the plant say the fault was detected during routine maintenance. They say:

"The level of cracking which is considered reasonable is far below anything which would affect the reactor's safe operation.

"It is accepted by our regulators and materials experts that cracks will occur in some of the bricks and that the core will lose some of its mass as part of the normal ageing process."

Significant gains are being made by the Irish Language in Ulster. The Tyrone Times is reporting that the advance of Gaelic medium education is continuing. Under the headline “The rise of Mid Ulster’s Gaelscoils is dramatically changing the face of local education, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education”, the article cites a 500% increase in the number of students enrolled in Irish language medium schools in some districts in County Tyrone over the past five years. This is the highest rate of increase in Northern Ireland.

In February of last year Transceltic reported on the significance of action taken by Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws to enforce the provisions of the “Welsh Language (Wales) Measure – 2011” as it applies to the private sector.