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Each year Redruth celebrates its most famous citizen, inventor William Murdoch (1754 – 1839) when the town is packed with events and entertainment throughout the day for the whole family. Murdoch, although not born in Cornwall, is revered locally as a mechanical genius who improved the efficiency of steam engines in Cornwall’s tin mines.

He was also a pioneer of gas lighting and famed for building Britain’s first working model of a steam carriage which he demonstrated in and around Redruth in 1784.

This week, in 1865, the converted tea clipper Mimosa set sail to establish a Welsh speaking colony called in Welsh ‘Y Wladfa’ (‘The Colony’), in the valley of the Chubut River in Patagonia in Argentina. The Mimosa, embarked from Liverpool on 28 May 1865 with 153 emigrants aboard. They sailed to the coast of Patagonia, an area of Argentina which had by this time declared its independence from Spain in 1810. In the 1880s, a further colony was established in the foothills of the Andes and this was called ‘Cwm Hyfryd’ (‘Pleasant Valley’).  

The Irish public have voted overwhelmingly in favour of abortion law reform in a referendum. The final result was 66.4% in favour and 33.6% against reform. At the present time in Ireland the Eighth Amendment grants an equal right to life to the mother and unborn and abortion is only allowed when a woman's life is at risk. The referendum has now given the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland) a strong mandate to introduce the legislation to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.

Now in its thirteenth year, Praying the Keeills Week (Goaill Padjer ec ny Shenn Chialteenyn) provided a week-long programme of events designed to celebrate the Isle of Man's Celtic heritage, with an opportunity to visit some of these ancient chapels which are located across the length and breadth of the Island.

An extensive programme offered a variety of walks together with a coach tour and an illustrated lecture, but this year there was also an opportunity to see examples from the Methodist Modern Art Collection, currently being exhibited on the Island.

Towns across the Scottish Borders are about to begin the annual season of Common Ridings and festivals. Common Riding is an annual event celebrated in Scottish Border towns and other locations. It is a tradition that dates back to the lawless times of the 13th and 14th centuries. Being on the border there was not only the continual land border wars with England to contend with, but the need for protection against other clans. It was necessary in those times for riders to protect the clan's boundaries, or "marches".

I noted with interest remarks on Daphne Caine MHKs Facebook page of the occasion of the birthday of Sophia Morrison (24th May 1859).

She was in turn commenting on another Facebook page which says:

“Sophia was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author. Through her own work and role in encouraging and enthusing others, she is considered to be one of the key figures of the Manx cultural revival”

Daphne says:

“I love the term cultural activist. Can I be one - who’s with me? “

The Isle of Man hasn’t got much of record when to comes to ‘the rights of the child’. As a country we retained birching until pressure from the Council of Europe and the United Kingdom made it untenable. More recently the Island which had avoided the child care scandals that have swept the British Isles finally started to confront its awful past - although how much of what the Tynwald Committee looking into this comes up with will determine if its a whitewash. We also infamously imprisoned children in the main prison while the rest of the UK if not the World looked on aghast.

Boat owners who sail too close to whales, dolphins and other cetaceans in the Moray Firth could face criminal charges and fines. The warning along with the launch of a poster campaign came after an increase in the number of incidents involving the mammals in the waters off Inverness. Reports of boats and kite surfers getting too close to whales and dolphins have been received. Police Scotland and partner agencies have urged people out in boats and enjoying other sporting activities to respect the marine wildlife off Scotland's coast. 

Is it ‘much ado about nothing’ or an affront to the authority of the President of Tynwald. Manx Radio reports that the Chief Minister summoned new legislative council (Legco) members to his Office and in a ‘meeting with the headmaster’ type meeting told them exactly where and when ‘not’ to overstep the mark.

If so as Kate Beecroft MHK avers its an affront to the President whose role it is to do the ‘herding of cats’ in Tynwald.

There have been calls for a enquiry into a killing three decades ago in Co Tyrone. The incident occurred at a border checkpoint in Co Tyrone at Aughnacloy. These major checkpoints ostensibly manned by the RUC were also staffed by regular British Army troops the one in question, that I passed through myself on foot while hiking in the 1970s, was heavily fortified.