Blogs

Late March 2013 has seen the Isle of Man experiencing some of the heaviest snowfalls since the early 1960s. The cohesive Manx community have rallied around to support Manx farmers who are facing catastrophic livestock losses. The severe weather conditions have also hit the south of Scotland and north of Ireland.

As part of the effort to raise funds for the Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Trust, Manx Music Trio 'Barrule' are releasing a track early from their forthcoming album. The track is poignantly entitled 'Ny Kirree fo Niaghtey' (The Sheep Under The Snow).

Wales achieved a stunning 30 - 03 victory over England in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday 16th March and were crowned champions. Their successful championship defence was achieved after a staggering performance. A rampant Wales dominated the match to deny England a Grand Slam in the six nations rugby championship.

Association of Bretons in New York (BZH New York) have extended an invitation to their St. Patrick's Fest Noz on 13 March at Connelly's Times Square 121 45th Street. They have produced an attractive poster advertising the event. A Fest Noz is described as a festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional Breton dances, accompanied by singing or instrumental music.

From the Irish Independent:

"Irish rugby international Luke Fitzgerald has called for more money to be put into promoting wider use of the Irish language and helping people develop their Irish language skills.

"Speaking a day after Ireland's bruising encounter with France, the Leinster and Ireland winger said he would like to see 'a big revival of the Irish language'.

"A fluent Irish speaker himself, the 25-year-old Dubliner said that despite the tough economic circumstances it was still important to put money into the language as it gave people a sense of Irishness."

Message from the Grand Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd to mark St Piran's Day, 5th March 2013:

Dhe Gernowyon yn pub le, Dy’ Goel Sen Piran da dhywgh-hwi oll!

To Cornish people everywhere, a Happy Pirantide to you all! 

This year we have had many more requests than ever for the Grand Bard to support various activities, celebrating St. Piran throughout Kernow. This is wonderful news and good to see the events multiplying and being spread out over several days, so that I can travel the full length of Kernow. Even so, some events clash and we have sent out the past Grand Bards and the deputy Grand Bard to help and join in with these extra events. If we carry on growing, then St. Piran's Day MUST become a public holiday, a chance for everyone to celebrate! 

Michael Chappell has kindly sent us some photographs and a report on the St. Piran's Day celebrations that took place in Redruth, Cornwall on Saturday 2nd March 2013.

Saturday 2nd March, 2013 saw Redruth celebrate Cornwall's adopted Patron and the Patron Saint of Tinners, Piran in fine fashion.

St. Piran's Day is actually on the 5th March annually but the organising committee in Redruth, the World Capital of Cornish Tin Mining, set the celebration for the town on the preceding Saturday.

The day saw thousands take to the streets of the town waving the now familiar flag of Cornwall to commemorate the arrival of the Irish Saint in the Fifth Century bringing not only Christianity but also according to legend, discovering tin at the same time.

Councillors representing the Scottish Highlands have been publicly urged, at the behest of the Highland Council (Comhairle na Gailhealtachd) to learn Gaelic.  According to a recent article in the Lochaber News, less than 10% of the 80 Councillors representing Highlands’s districts can speak Gaelic. The call for Councillors to receive Gaelic instruction comes in connection with the introduction of a language plan required by statute.  The article quotes Hamish Fraser, Chair of the Highland Council Gaelic Implementation Group, who represents the 11th Ward on the Isle of Skye, as being hopeful that as many of his colleagues as possible would attend the training.

TG4, the Irish Language TV channel, continues to achieve success. The channel has been praised for its content. TG4 has recently started to broadcast an eight part drama series written by Colin Bateman about an Irish language newspaper  in Belfast. "Scúp" airs on TG4 on Wednesdays, and started on February 27, at 10pm, and on BBC Two from March 3 at 10pm.  There is also a further Irish language drama being filmed called "An Bronntanas". The series is set against the backdrop of a local independent lifeboat crew working off the coast of Connemara. It stars Irish/American actor and Irish language enthusiast John Finn. www.tg4.ie

This comes after the 2011 census results which recorded a 7.1% increase in those that spoke Irish in Ireland bringing the figure to some 1.77 million. 

The International Celtic Congress is a non-political cultural organisation that promotes the Celtic language in the six nations of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Ireland, Isle of Man and Cornwall. The annual meeting of the Congress in 2013 is being held in Bodmin, Cornwall from 1st to 6th April.

Agan Tavas announces the new Pewas Perghyryn Lyenyeth Kerneweck award for literature. The award, which was announced at the Agan Tavas AGM in Redruth, is in honour of Michael Palmer, who died in 2005 and who wrote short stories, novels and verse in the Cornish Language.  Agan Tavas is both a society for the protection and promotion of the Cornish language and a support group for the users of the Cornish language.

Agan Tavis Chairman Ray Chubb informed us that 'We are specifically looking for work that is publishable and therefore we want contributions of more than 2000 words.  It could be a piece of original prose e.g. short stories or a novel, or maybe a book of poems.  At the moment we are also considering the translation of literature into Cornish from other languages, a play in Cornish would also be acceptable.'