Blogs

In a appointment that has led to accusations of "cronyism" and "contempt for democracy" a Conservative party donor, who failed to win election to Holyrood (Scottish Parliament), is to be made a Scotland Office minister. Malcolm Offord is to be made a minister in the Scotland Office by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This is despite him failing to win a seat in the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May of this year.

A century old rosewood walking stick with a silver collar and tip has been sold in Belfast, Ireland (Irish: Béal Feirste, Éire) for £52,000. The reason that the stick achieved a price five times higher than the auctioneers expected was that it once belonged to Irish republican leader Michael Collins. It was sold along with a letter of provenance. An institution in Ireland is understood to have bought the stick and it is likely to form part of a public display. Next year a number of plans are underway to commemorate the 100 years since Michael Collins' death in 1922.

The tallest mural in Ireland, about 41 metres (135ft) in height, has been painted on the side of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk, Ireland (Irish: Dún Dealgan, Éire).  It depicts the Celtic warrior god Lú. Lú (also known as Lug and Lugh) is one of the most prominent gods in Irish, as well as Scottish and Manx mythology  He has been described as god of arts, warriors, and sovereignty.  He is associated with the Tuatha Dé Danann who are Celtic pre-Christian gods with supernatural ability and were of great importance to Gaelic people.

A charity based in Moray (Scottish Gaelic: Moireibh), Trees for Life, is working with Rewilding Europe, 20 landowners and six other organisations on a project to rewild an area of more than 500,000 acres in the Highlands of Scotland. Trees for Life have the aim of Rewilding the Scottish Highlands (Scottish Gaelic:  Ath-fhiadhachadh na Gàidhealtachd).  They state their objective as "a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive".

The Castle of Old Wick is a ruined castle that stands on a narrow promontory above the North Sea near the town of Wick, Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ùige, Gallaibh, Alba). It is thought that a fortress was built here by Earl Harald Maddadson in the 1100s, although the ruins that can be seen today probably date to the 14th century. Harald Maddadsson (Old Norse: Haraldr Maddaðarson, Gaelic: Aralt mac Mataid) (c. 1134 – 1206) was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206.

Kernow

20 Mis Gwyngala 2021

'Kernow Matters' (KMTU) has received the following release from the Cornish patriots of 'Yes Kernow' who have been very active throughout Cornwall this Summer drawing huge support.

One of our 'Kernow Matters' team happen to be driving west on the A30 at Innis Downs near Bodmin at the time and we attach a photograph taken from her car.

We thank our comrades at 'Yes Kernow' for their sterling efforts and also in further strengthening ties with Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Brittany with whom we share similar ambitions.

The Manx General Election was held in the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) yesterday on 23 September 2021. The election is for members of the 'House of Keys' (MHK’s), which is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), the parliament of the Isle of Man. The Manx-language name of the House of Keys is 'Yn Kiare as Feed' meaning 'The Four and Twenty', as the House has 24 members. Most elected members do not represent a political party and stand as independents.

‘The financial impact of tourism in Cornwall: an assessment’

We are very pleased to enclose a link to a short on line paper prepared by that great Cornish academic, Doctor Bernard Deacon, who has, with others, been taking an objective look at some of the wilder claims made by those who financially benefit from tourism in Cornwall. 

As we all know, these claims are often picked up and run in the mainstream media who accept such assertions without proper investigation.

In 1965 a memorial chapel was built as a memorial to the drowned Welsh speaking village of Capel Celyn. Capel is Welsh for chapel, while celyn is Welsh for holly. The memorial chapel is now reopening after having conservation work undertaken. The work was carried out by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and began in July 2020. Capel Celyn was located to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, in the Afon Tryweryn valley in the north of Wales.

It has been reported in the Financial Times on Monday that the much derided idea of building a bridge between the north-east of Ireland and Scotland have been scrapped. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promoted the idea which had various estimates of cost varying from a minimum of £15 billion to £33 billion. The feasibility of the controversial idea had also been questioned with warnings about the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions which would cause problems for any crossing.