Emmett McIntyre's blog

In an article entitled "A Boost For the Welsh Speaking Heartland ",  the website "Click on Wales" reports on an announcement made by the Chair of a Welsh Government Policy Group on to increase the number of communities where Welsh is spoken as the main language. These recommenations along with the group's members are listed below.

Deep seated resentments towards the historical persecution of Scots Gaelic culture by the British Crown erupted over the past couple of weeks.  Multiple Canadian and Scottish media outlets have covered this story. The Toronto Globe and Mail in an article titled "Royal Designation Reignites Historical Tensions at Cape Breton Gaelic College" gives the following quote:

The website "Trinity News", the student newspaper of Trinity College in Dublin and the oldest student newspaper in Ireland, has reported on a protest demonstration by Irish speakers from the Dublin area joined by members of Trinity's Cumann Gaelach (Irish Society) over the issue of language rights.   The Vice President for Irish language for the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), Mr. Fedhlim Seoige, characterised the recent resignation of the Irish Language Commissioner as proof that the Irish Government is indifferent to preserving the language:

Battle lines are being drawn for the coming conflict to protect the Celtic tongue of Ireland from a government that has turned its back on it previous committments to restore the Irish language to its rightful place. There are numerous press reports over the past two days describing the dramatic announcement by Irish Language Commissioner, Sean O' Cuirreain, that he is resigning his post in protest over the governments increasing reluctance to support the tongue of Ireland.

Under the headline "Scottish Government Approves Funding For Gaelic Learning Exchanges", the website "Cape Breton Post" reports on the visit of Michael Rusell, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to Cape Breton University in the Canadian city of Sydney, Nova Scotia.  In making the announcement of the renewal of funding by the Scottish government for the exchange program Minister Russell stated: " Gaelic in Scotland has declined greatly over the past century, the last census shows the decline has stabilised.

The English newspaper "The Telegraph", the principal mouthpiece of the British establishment, reports under the headline "Real Danger of Scottish Independence Says Cabinet Minister" on increasing apprehension in Whitehall at the prospect of an independent Scotland. 

A proposal by the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) was in the news this month when it was reported that the Mr. Leo Varadkar, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport  announced his support for a scheme put forwad by the Gaelic League to introduce road signage that gives equal treatment to place names in Irish and English.  In actual fact the new design will give Irish precedence as the place name in Irish will continue to be placed above the place name in English but for the first time both will be in same text and in lettering of equal size.

The Irish Independent in an article on it's web page under the headline "The Number Of Children Learning Through Irish has Trebbled in Two Decades", report on a surge in demand for placement at Irish language medium schools (Gaelscoil).  This development is a pleasing sign of the steady progress being made in reclaiming for the language its rightful place.  It is those that are now children who will seize back all that was taken from Ireland, but first we must take back the tongue.

Alarm bells are sounding over fresh evidence of erosion of support by the Irish Government for the restoration of the Irish language.  Put together, the recent moves by Dublin policy makers, combined with eroding support by the government for Irish language instruction in public schools, lends support to claims by Irish language activists that Dublin is waging guerilla warfare against the ancient tongue of Ireland.

The Celtic League at its 2013 Annual General Meeting just concluded in Wales has called on the government of the United Kingdom to recognise the Celtic nation of Cornwall under the "Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities".  The quote from the Celtic League's web site is as follows:

This Annual General meeting reiterates it's call on the British Government for the  European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities to be applied to the Cornish people.