Blogs

The Picts were a Celtic society of farmers and hunters. The remains of Pictish art, language and society can be found throughout north and eastern Scotland. Their carved stones are both mysterious and beautiful. One such is the Maiden Stone, also known as the Drumdurno Stone close to the village of Chapel of Garioch near Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Uraidh) in Aberdeenshire. This beautiful Pictish cross slab, carved in pink granite, is thought to date from the late 8th or 9th century AD.

Knock (Irish: Cnoc Mhuire) is the village in County Mayo, Ireland where it is said that the Virgin Mary, together with Saint Joseph and John the Evangelist, appeared on 21 August 1879. It was at about 8 o'clock in the evening when fifteen people, whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five witnessed what they stated was an apparition at the south gable end of the local small parish church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar upon which was a cross and a lamb with adoring angels.

Hartes Ease and The Tallis Consort are giving a joint Spring Concert of Early Music at St Ninian's Church in the Manx capital of Douglas (Manx: Doolish) on Friday 12th May. Hartes Ease is a group of musicians who give regular concerts throughout the Island. Their  performances include mainly renaissance music for recorders, viols and voices. The Tallis Consort is a group of singers specialising in a cappella music. The repertoire is mostly medieval and renaissance music, but also includes works by more modern composers.

The merry month of May heralds the popular National Mills Weekend across the length and breadth of the British Isles, and with it comes an annual opportunity for the public to experience the rich history of Kentraugh Mill in the south of the Island.

 News from BreizhEire - Bretons in Ireland:

Demat d'an holl/ Bonjour à tous / 

dia dhaoibh uilig / Hi everybody, 

Dear Friends and Brittany lovers, 

FETE DE LA BRETAGNE / NAOMH YVES / BRITTANY'S DAY/ GOUEL ERWAN 

BreizhEire is organising Brittany's day / Fête de la Bretagne 2017 in Dublin 

                       on the 13th of May at The Cobblestone Pub, from 18:00 until late 

                              77 King Street North, Smithfield, Dublin

Bass Rock is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe)  in the east of Scotland. It stands just over three miles from North Berwick (Bearaig a Tuathsits) and is the core of an old volcano. Bass Rock stands at 351 ft (107 metres) at its highest point and is just over a mile long. It is also home to the world’s largest colony of gannets. On the island are a lighthouse and the ruins of a castle and the old chapel known as St Baldred's Chapel. The chapel is said to be on the place where St Baldred (Balthere of Tyninghame) had a small and humble cell.

News From Breizh Amerika:

Breizh Amerika Collective, on the road again 
  
Trombones dream of scenes, the bomb sways, bass and battery resonate into the shaker: cocktail 2017 Breizh Amerika Collective is ready to spring. Warning from imminent tasting. 

The full results of last week's Scottish council election have been published. They show that the Scottish National Party (SNP) secured 610,454 first preference votes, an increase from the 503,233 it won in 2012. However, given a higher turnout this time the party's share of the vote was 32.3% in both elections. The SNP won 32% of the first preference votes, the Conservatives finished second overall on 25%, Labour finished with 20%. Scottish Labour saw its share of the first preference votes fall from 31.4% and its number of seats from 394 to 262.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM CULTURE VANNIN: 

New Guide to the Island’s historic sites published by Culture Vannin

A new book has just been published which, for the first time, provides a comprehensive guide to the Island’s archaeological sites.

Plaid Cymru - Party of Wales has won 202 seats across Wales in last weeks 2017 local elections, increasing its number of seats by 33. Their gains were spread across Wales, including breaking through into traditional Labour strongholds such as Aberavon, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Denbigh, Neath and Wrexham. Plaid Cymru achieved its best ever result in their key target seat of Ynys Mon whilst also becoming the largest party in Rhondda, which Plaid Cymru won from Labour in the 2016 Assembly election.