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Oireachtas is the National Parliament of Ireland. A committee of the Oireachtas has been looking into the issue of water charges. Raising money from water charges was a condition imposed on Ireland by the EU-IMF-ECB troika as part of the country's bailout in 2010 after the economic crisis. The introduction of such charges as an austerity measure was very unpopular. It led to nationwide protests, the prevention of contractors installing water meters and the boycott of paying charges. The scale of opposition made it obvious that these charges could not be implemented.

A study by the World Economic Forum has ranked Ireland third out of 136 in the world for the effectiveness of its marketing and branding to attract tourists. The index forms part of the biennial Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report and shows that Ireland has moved from number five in the world, when the index was last compiled in 2015, to number three. Placing them ahead of countries including Spain, the UK, the US, Australia and France.

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

At the suggestion of the police, two members of the KMTU steering group, met with two representatives of the Devon & Cornwall force from 7.30pm Friday 7th April, 2017 in the organisation's meeting room in Redruth.

The main topic of discussion was racist and hate comments directed at members of the Cornish National Minority.

The Celtic Media Festival, is an annual three-day celebration of broadcasting and film from Alba (Scotland), Éire (Ireland), Cymru (Wales), Mannin (Isle of Man), Kernow (Cornwall) and Breizh (Brittany).  The festival aims to promote the languages and cultures of the Celtic nations in film, television, radio and new media. The festival has existed for nearly forty years and hosted in turn in different of the Celtic nations. This years event is being held on Mannin (Isle of Man) on the 3 - 5 May. The Torc Awards are presented to the winners in various categories.

Bannockburn House, which was built in the 17th century, has been said by some to retain the haunting presence of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Prince Charles Edward Stuart, (31 December 1720 – 31 January 1788) The Young Pretender, affectionately known as Bonnie Prince Charlie was the grandson of James VII of Scotland and had led the second Jacobite Uprising of 1745 to overthrow King George II. He spent time in Bannockburn House, near Stirling, in 1745 when gathering support for the Jacobite cause.

News from the Celtic League:

An analysis conducted by the Irish Language Commissioner has made scathing criticism of many Government departments, local authorities and State agencies for completely ignoring their obligations to the Irish language.

Report here in the Irish Times:

An Garda Síochána, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí is the police force of Ireland. For many years the Garda Síochána has faced allegations of corrupt and dishonest policing. There has been a history of the mishandling of investigations. This included the past failure of the Garda Síochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. Involving the church sexual abuse scandal in Ireland which revealed inappropriate relationships and contacts between Gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese.

Based on a blog posting of Septemebr 17, 2016:

I believe a case could be made for a form of union between the republic, an independent Northern Ireland and an independent Scotland, a union which could be of benefit to the approximately 12 million people concerned. - Retired Colonel Dorcha Lee

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has signed a joint agreement with the governor of California, Jerry Brown committing them to work together on climate change. They met for talks in Sacramento during a five-day visit to the United States that the First Minister is undertaking. World Wildlife Fund's US senior vice president of climate change and energy, Lou Leonard, said:

There is no shortage of superstitions on the Isle of Man. One of them is that if you are Manx, you do not use the word - RAT (I am touching wood as I write this)! People from the Isle of Man are deeply superstitious about using the three-letter "r" word for vermin. I am the same and like any self-respecting Manxman I use other terms, such as the native Gaelic word "roddan", or maybe "longtail" and "ringie". The origins of the superstition are not clear, but many think it began with fishermen and their loathing of the animal.