Blogs

In a disgraceful show of heavy handedness by the French state a number of Breton protestors were badly injured on Saturday in demonstrations against the French imposed “Ecotax” in Pont-de-Buis.  Due to come into effect in January 2014 the tax is supposed to encourage the use of environmentally friendly transport by adding a levy on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. However this completely ignores the specific situation in Brittany where the agricultural sector is a vital part of the Breton nation’s economy.

The National Savings & Investment  (NS&I) bank is the subject of an application for  Judicial Review filed by the Welsh Langauge Commissioner Meri Huws.  The suit is response to the NS&I decision to discontinue offering bank services in the Welsh language.

Press Release

Launch of Manx Gaelic version of 'Neen y Ghruffalo / the Gruffalo's Child

The continued growth in support and interest in the Manx Language will receive another boost shortly with the release of 'Neen y Ghruffalo/ the Gruffalo's Child.

 The Cape Breton Post has published a letter to the newspaper's editor under the headline "Gaelic Students Ask For Teachers Fluent in the Language".  This is a stunning example of the revival of the Gaelic language in Nova Scotia which was home to 100,000 Scots Gaelic speakers in the late 1800's.  A group of students who are passionately committed to the revival of the Gaelic tongue in Nova Scotia after decades of malign neglect at the hands of the Provincial government, have taken a stand. 

On 18th October in Kernow many were shocked to be informed of the untimely passing of Tony Piper.

'Pipes' as he was known to so many, was an 'Old Hill Boy' from Falmouth, Cornwall.

Pipes served as a police officer and he was always an outstanding Cornish patriot.

At the Scottish National Party Conference in Perthshire, Scotland, Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland spoke to a packed and enthusiastic conference hall. Outlining a clear programme of gain for the Scottish people within an independent Scotland, he outlined the benefits for Scotland if people voted Yes to Scottish Independence.

The Galway Advertiser, under the headline "Budget a Hammer Blow to Gaeltacht", reports outrage at  funding cuts announced by Dublin to programs that support the Gaeltacht (Irish Language Areas of Ireland). Senator Trevor O' Clochtartaigh, the spokesman for the Irish language and Gaeltacht for the political party of Sinn Fein, is quoted in the article citing the impact of the cuts on infrastructure supporting the Gaeltacht:  "another example of the lack of respect the Government has for the Irsih language and those who speak it."

Scotland's "Island News and Advertiser", which is linked below, reports that the Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the only college in the world which grants degrees entirely in the medium of Scots Gaelic, have graduated a record number of students. This is a significant milestone in the revitalisation of the Gaelic Tongue in Scotland.

Celebrating Cornwall’s Heritage and Celtic links. Lowender Peran has performances from Cornwall and the other Celtic Nations of Brittany, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. The festival takes place between 16 – 20 October 2013 at the Ponsmere Hotel, Perranporth, Cornwall.

See their website for details: www.lowenderperan.co.uk

The Welsh Government  have announced on their web site that local planning authorities in Wales will be required to consult with the office of the Welsh Language Commissioner (Meri Huws) when preparing local development plans.  This move is intended to mitigate disruption to Welsh speaking areas caused by property development.  The announcement was made on the Government's website under the following headline: "Housing and Regeneration Minister, Carl Sargeant, today published guidance on how the Welsh language should be considered in the planning system".