Blogs

I sometimes think Treasury Minister Alf Cannan - he of the military penchant - is disillusioned that he never made the SAS before exiting the service.

His attitude to the Legal profession and their opposition to the idea of a Public Defender System seems to have brought out the ‘Who Dares Win’ spirit in Alf.

The Isle of Man Law Society are put soundly in their place as Alf conjectures in this item from ‘the sound box on Douglas Head’ that they jolly well have a conflict of interest because of all the millions in Legal Aid they get from the State:

Stornoway (Scottish Gaelic: Steòrnabhagh) is the main settlement of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. Local newspaper, Stornoway Gazette, had a report today about a group of Islanders who travelled from Lewis and Harris to take part in the 14,000 strong march in support of independence last Saturday. The rally in Inverness was one of the largest demonstrations ever seen in the Highland capital. The article reported a spokesperson for the group who said: “Many of us had never been involved in such a large gathering and we had a great day. 

Over recent weeks there has been a spell of hot and dry weather over the British and Irish archipelago. This has caused water shortage concerns and has again raised the contentious issue of water from Wales going to England. Last week BBC Wales had an item on: "How much water does Wales pump to England?". The article points out that: 'Ever since a Snowdonia village was flooded in 1965 to supply Liverpool with water, the issue of pumping water from Wales to England has stirred strong emotions.'

The Government does very little to support the Cornish language and much is done by language activists and volunteers.

There is a call to support the development of Pellwolok an Gernewegva - Cornish Language TV. But funding is needed and a Crowdfunding project organised with the hope to raise £6000.

You can learn more about the project, and make a pledge, here:

Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas has won the 2018 Tour de France. The annual Tour de France is the world's premier cycling race. The race was first organised in 1903 and has been held every year since then, except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. This year's 2,082 mile  (3,351 km) race started from Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in the Vendée department, on 7 July and finished with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris, today on 29 July.

Image: Geraint Thomas when winning Gold at Commonwealth Games.

In one of a series of events organised by All Under One Banner, thousands of people took part in a march and rally at Inverness today. Similar events have already been held in Dumfries, Glasgow and Bannockburn. Further marches are planned later in 2018. All Under One Banner (AUOB) state that: 

In the Celtic lands poems and stories are often carried in the minds of the people. Recently in the Welsh newspaper Cambrian News there was an item about a lost rhyme. The rare Welsh nursery rhyme was redicovered during an exhibition at Plasgwyn Care Home, near Criccieth, on the Llŷn Peninsula (Welsh: Penrhyn Llŷn) in Wales. It was recalled by 92-year-old resident Will Hughes from his childhood in Penrhyndeudraeth. He said: “It has just stuck in my mind all my life and it came back to me from when I was in school.”

With summer in full swing, one of the hot spots for family fun and entertainment is going to be Peel, including the town's annual carnival, a new exhibition commemorating internment and the perennial traditional boat weekend.

It will soon be August and Laa Luanys beckons. I toy with the idea of climbing to the top of South Barrule on the chance there will be a group of musicians (and a dog) there but in the end decide to celebrate by ordering the movie version of Brian Friel's Irish play set in Donegal ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’. In any case I feel sure Culture Vannin emerging from the July ‘month of culture’ will have something special in store.

Irish wildlife conservationists have welcomed the five new chicks of the endangered Barn Owl on private farmland near Lough Neagh (Irish: Loch nEachach).  It is the biggest brood of barn owls recorded in the north of Ireland. The nest site, located in an abandoned outbuilding, normally produces one to two chicks per year.