Blogs

Nuart Aberdeen is taking place this Easter weekend. Inspired by Nuart that has taken place in Stavangar, Norway since 2001, this major street art festival in Aberdeen is on from Friday 14 – Sunday 16 April. Developed in collaboration with Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, Nuart Aberdeen aims to provide a platform for local, national and international artists to showcase their work through a series of site-specific murals, installations, interventions, and temporary exhibitions. Large and small images have been appearing on city buildings in recent days.

News from Irish Branch of the Celtic League:

Members of the radical Irish language group MISNEACH occupied the Department of the Gaeltacht on Kildare Street, Dublin on 12th April. After figures published in the census last week revealed a dramatic fall in the number of daily speakers of Irish in the Gaeltacht between 2011-2016 the group is demanding a fundamental shift in the approach of the State to our national language.

Referring to the fall in numbers, a spokesperson for MISNEACH said:

News from the Celtic League:

‘Low flying military aircraft…does not just cause death or injury to the animals but also can lead to the deaths of horse riders’.

A number of horses had to be put down following an incident involving low flying United States Air Force jets in Cornwall (see link):

http://www.cornwalllive.com/…/story-30270897-det…/story.html

No matter what the temperature might be on the Isle of Man, things are hotting up for Manx music this month, with many singers and musicians heading for pastures old and new - together with a special weekend for harp players.

The first new set of Isle of Man (Mannin) coins for 13 years has been launched by the Manx Treasury. The Treasury (Manx: Yn Tashtey) of the Isle of Man is the finance department of the Isle of Man Government (Manx: Reiltys Ellan Vannin). The set of seven includes a new version of the five-pound coin, which was first introduced on the island in 1981.

Sinn Féin, the Irish republican political party has accused Fianna Fáil of a U-turn and shifting back to the Fine Gael position on the issue of water charges. A report by an Oireachtas committee on domestic water charges has made its final recommendations after a number of last minute changes were made. The last-minute alterations included re-introducing a measure to install meters in all new builds and the inclusion of “excess use” levies. 

The First Minister is the only domestic politician with a positive approval rating in Scotland, according to a new poll. The Scottish sample found that 53% of respondents viewed Nicola Sturgeon’s performance above the rating of 50 out of 100, giving the SNP leader an +11% net approval rating. The poll by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft asked respondents to rate politicians from one-100, with zero meaning “terrible” and 100 equalling “excellent”. Respondents north of the border placed Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson well below 50 out of 100 with a rating of -21%.

Josephine Kermode (18 September 1852 - 15 February 1937) was a Manx poet and playwright better known by the pen name "Cushag". Cushag was a name that she was known within her family. The Cushag, is the national flower of the Isle of Man and is also known as Ragwort. According to legend, King Orry who was the Norse-Gaelic ruler Godred Crovan (died 1095), chose as his emblem the cushag flower.

The Royal Coat of arms of Scotland was the official coat of arms of the King of Scots from its adoption in the 12th century. Two unicorns are featured on the coat of arms and in heraldry this legendary animal is best known as the symbol of Scotland. In Celtic mythology, the Unicorn of Scotland is said to symbolise bravery, innocence, purity, healing powers, pride, intelligence, joy and virility. 

News from the Celtic League:

I wrote about the Siege of Jadotville when an Irish Army UN Force of a few hundred men held of an attacking force of several thousand supported by aircraft in the Congo during the Defence Forces first (of many) UN peacekeeping deployments in 1961.

I came across this report recently which was written last year in the Derry Journal and gives a quite detailed account of the action and the involvement of a local man from the City, John MacAnaney