Blogs

Retiring Sinn Féin party president Gerry Adams is scheduled to be formally replaced by Mary Lou McDonald at a special Ard Fheis (party conference) on February 10, 2018. She is a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency. Michelle O'Neill, leader of Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland Assembly and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Mid Ulster will become the new deputy leader of Sinn Féin.

The annual Oie'll Verree, which can still be found in a number of rural settings, takes the form of a concert and remains at the forefront of Manx life as a community event, but the occasion at Kirk Michael was tinged with sadness after the news of the sudden death of Roy Kennaugh, who was one of its most dedicated proponents and organisers.

A 435 million-year-old starfish fossil discovered in Connemara, Co Galway by an Irish geologist, Dr Eamon Doyle, in the late 1980's, has now been confirmed as a new species and the oldest of its type in Ireland. Dr Doyle has been given the the honour of it being named after him. According to the latest issue of the Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, published by the Royal Irish Academy, it has been given the Latin name Crepidosoma Doyleii by international palaeontologists. 

Manx group Biskee Brisht recently won the local competition to choose a song to go forward for the annual Pan-Celtic Song Contest, which will take place in Ireland later this year.

This is the second time in succession that Biskee Brisht has won the local heat of Arrane son Mannin (Song for Mann), which was held at the Masonic Hall in Peel and interspersed with a rich selection of musical entertainment.

Construction work being undertaken in Quay Street, Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) in the West of Ireland  has revealed the remains of a castle. Archaeologists believe it to be part of the oldest-known stone building in Galway city and that the two metre thick stone walls formed part of Dún na Gaillimhe, a castle built by the De Burgo family in 1232. The fortification was built along the then shoreline of the river Corrib. It was preceded by a wooden structure on the same site, which is mentioned in the annals of 1124.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) (Scottish Gaelic: Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba), is the agency that oversees over 300 sites of national importance. They include Scotland’s most noted Neolithic structures, castles, abbeys, and ruins. Now, for the first time, HES has issued red warnings for almost a fifth of its sites placing amber, high risk warnings against another 70%. 

Keep the Sunrise cancer treatment centre staff in Cornwall

With one voice, a firm NO to this theft of what is rightfully ours!

Cornish people raised huge sums of money to create this wonderful facility for the people of Cornwall. Many gave freely of their time and money.

Now the fight is on to keep its staff in Cornwall and to prevent it being taken away from us by NHS 'England'!

KMTU is joining the campaign launched by Laurence Reed and BBC Radio Cornwall!

Kan rag Kernow - A Song for Cornwall

Friday 19th January, 2018 at 8 PM - 11 PM

Lowenac Hotel, Basset Road, Camborne, Cornwall  TR14 8SL

Kernow Pan Celtic aims to promote Cornish language and culture, principally through participation in the Pan Celtic festival held annually in Ireland.

This event is to choose a song to enter into the Pan Celtic Song Competition at that Festival. All songs are performed in Cornish.

Burning the clavie is an ancient Scottish custom. It is held on 11th January, which is the old Scottish New Year (Hogmanay) by the Julian Calendar. The event is still observed at Burghead (Scottish Gaelic: Am Broch), a fishing village on the Moray Firth (An Cuan Moireach). The clavie is a half-cask filled with wood shavings and tar, which is then  set alight. The flaming clavie is carried through the village and finally to a headland upon which stands the ruins of an altar, called the Doorie.

Museum of the  Moon is a seven-metre circumference art installation. Created by artist Luke Jerram, an installation artist, who creates sculptures, large installations and live arts projects, the moon is a stunning 1:500,000 scale replica. NASA provided the high resolution images for the sphere.