Blogs

Response from the campaign group 'Kernow Matters'

We note with some wry amusement the comments made by the organisation 'Campaign for an English Parliament'

Irish President Michael D Higgins has apologised to thousands of women forced to work in the country's Magdalene Laundries. The Magdalene Laundries were also known as Magdalene asylums. These institutions were usually run by Roman Catholic orders but were supported by the state. It has been estimated that over 10,000 were confined in these prison like institutions in Ireland. They housed so-called.  "fallen" women who were branded as both a mother and a criminal if they happened to have a child outside of marriage.

Edward Lhuyd

Edward Lhuyd was born in 1660 and was educated at Oswestry Grammar School before going to study law at Jesus College, Oxford in 1682. Lhuyd had a great interest in antiquities, botany and geology and shortly after going to college he turned his attention to the experimental scientific work that was conducted at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. He left the college before graduating and he was appointed as one of the vice-curators of the Museum in 1687 and then as curator in 1691.

In a joint effort between volunteers from Aberystwyth Friends of the Earth and Ceredigion County Council a programme of bee-friendly planting is being undertaken in the grounds of Aberystwyth Castle (Welsh: Castell Aberystwyth). As reported in the Welsh newspaper Cambrian News, Ceredigion council have provided the plants and equipment while Aberystwyth Friends of the Earth provided the volunteers. The plants chosen are specifically known to attract pollinating insects like bees.

Thousands of Scottish independence supporters marched through the streets of Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris) in south-west Scotland on Saturday. The event was one of a series being organised by All Under One Banner across the country. The demonstration had a police estimated 10,000 attending. The Dumfries event followed a similar march in Glasgow last month and further ones in different parts of Scotland are planned in the weeks to come.

Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has secured a debate in Parliament on the case for recognition of Cornish national identity in the 2021 census.

Coming up on Monday 11 June, the Adjournment Debate will look at Cornwall’s unique identity and the case for a tick box for people to identify as being ‘Cornish’ in the next national census.

Commenting, Steve said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have secured an Adjournment Debate on the Cornish national identity and the 2021 census.”

Thousands of people gathering last month at Herri Urrats (The People's Steps), the festival which Basque schools (Ikastolas) holds in the northern Basque Country every year. The Seaska ikastola federation's is urging the French government to provide more teachers for Basque schools and the mobilisation of the campaign was very much the main subject of conversation at this years event.

There is a report here from the ‘Argia’ website:

One of the great advantages of being in the Celtic equivalent of the waiting room for ‘Tír na nÓg’ is that media focus tends to drift away. Indeed the only query from Manx Radio of late was Howard Caine ringing up to ask if ‘I really had gone’!

Cooperation between (South) Australia and Brittany is the area of education, culture and economic matters is likely to be the result of a lengthy contract by the Royal Australian Navy to purchase up to 12 submarines from Breton based shipbuilder DCNS.

A delegation from Brittany has already travelled to (Adelaide) Australia to cement links as this report in 7 seizh indicates:

http://7seizh.info/2018/05/29/bretagne-australie-meridionale-la-region-d...

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE:

Spanish politics have featured a lot on the Celtic League Mannin Branch Facebook pages because there are a number of peoples in Spain with aspirations for independence, just like we in the Celtic nations ourselves. At the forefront of the nations aspiring for independence are the Catalans and the Basques.