Blogs

An increase of the number of court cases conducted in Welsh is in the offing according to a report issued by Roger Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Citing an “increased awareness” of the impact of devolution in Wales the report suggests the way is being paved for a significant increase in the use of Welsh in the court room and in the “general administration of justice in Wales”.

At the time of Canadian Confederation, in 1867, Gaelic was the third most spoken language in Canada. As many as one hundred thousand Nova Scotians spoke Gaelic as their mother tongue in 1900. Today, estimates claim there are between 1000 and 2000 Gaelic speakers and learners in the province. The decline in Gaelic language is, in large part, due to educational policies…. In the early 1900’s many students began school as Gaelic speakers but were forced to learn English as that was the only language spoken in school.

News from the Celtic League. The General Secretary of the Celtic League has issued the following statement:

Outrageous Behaviour by Spanish Authorities

On the weekend before the National Day of Catalunya (11th September) it is disappointing , but not surprising that the Spanish authorities have started making overt attempts to disrupt the Catalan referendum on independence.

The decision by the head of An Garda Síochána (Ireland's police) Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan, to retire with immediate effect has been welcomed by many. Despite, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar telling the Dail in June that he and his government had confidence in the Garda commissioner, she had faced several opposition calls for her to stand down. The Garda has been mired in a number of controversies.

In this news item on Yn Commeeys Yn Celtiagh - Celtic News Mannin, the escalating tensions in Catalonia are dicussed ahead of next months Catalan referendum on independence from Spain. The Spanish government's hard line stance to prevent the Catalan people from exercising their democratic right to vote is set to see the biggest confrontation in Europe since the events in Ukraine:

TENSION GROWS AHEAD OF CATALAN REFERENDUM

Quite rightly Manx people are very cynical about their elected representatives. Not least because once elected they undertake actions for which they have no mandate and they fail to represent those that voted for them. Over the years there have been some notable exceptions, however, the feeling is that MHK's (members of the Manx parliament) are above all self serving rather than servants of the public. There have been so many examples of this over the years that thinking of them can induce nausea. 

Congratulations to BZH Ny Association of Bretons in New York who are celebrating their 10th anniversary this weekend. More information can be seen on the BZH New York website

On Saturday, September 9th they are holding the Annual Garden Pate Henaff Picnic in Central Park, W 86th St Entrance (Southwest of the Reservoir). It is from 12:00pm - 6:00pm, with a Magic Show for kids at 3:00pm. The event is FREE to attend, with Pate Henaff on sale for $5/box + bread.

With thanks to Gwyn Richards for drawing our attention to the City of London first film in the Welsh language (Dinas sy'n Ffynnu: Wyneb newidiol Dinas Llundain) on its Youtube channel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FkzBAbU060&t=16s

In this article by Allen Moore, Environmental Officer, for the Celtic League Mannin Branch, in Yn Commeeys Celtiagh - Celtic News Mannin points to a visit that he made to Sutherland and the monument to the dreadful Duke of Sutherland that sadly still stands on Beinn a' Bhragaidh. There are some in Scotland who think lessons could be drawn from the destruction of Nelson's Pillar in Dublin's O'Connell Street. This was destroyed in 1966 by direct action.

Today, a joint statement released by the Welsh Government and Flintshire town and county councils, said the plan to build an Iron Ring sculpture at Flint Castle will be scrapped. It is a major victory for campaigners who described the proposed Iron Ring as symbolising a system used to subjugate and oppress the Welsh people. Plaid Cymru's North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd, had described the sculpture, which celebrated the conquest of Wales by Edward I, as "inappropriate and insulting".