Blogs

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA (International Federation of Association Football). It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. The final tournament will involve 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team, Russia. 

Metal detectorist Derek McLennan, from Ayrshire, discovered a haul of Viking treasure in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-Ghàidhealaibh) in 2014. The value of the treasure runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds. There is now a heated discussion taking place about where to house the the Viking treasure hoard involving Dumfries and Galloway Council and National Museums Scotland (NMS). The Council wants to house the artefacts in a new art gallery being built in Kirkcudbright (Gaelic: Cille Chuithbeirt) but NMS is also bidding for the hoard.

The annual World Bonnag Championships was a great opportunity to combine a talent for baking with an evening's entertainment, drawing competitors and onlookers from all parts of the Island.

The Manx bonnag is a simple, un-yeasted bread which once figured prominently upon many farmhouse kitchen tables, but remains a favourite at a number of social gatherings and in some Island households.

Sponsored by Shoprite, the winners were:

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

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National Trust actions at Levant
Following on from National Trust vandalism at Levant which resulted in direct action by unknown individuals, we are pleased to report that five representatives of several groups met with the National Trust officials at Levant with the following results:

PARKING CHARGES (Levant & Botallack): They're not giving way on this. HOWEVER, they admitted that they'll be employing no one to monitor or enforce.

Sinn Féin Leader and former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has died after short illness at Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital with his family by his side. A former deputy IRA commander who was a key figure in Irish politics for five decades, his death at 66, prompted tributes from allies and enemies alike. In 1972, at the age of 21, he was second-in-command of the IRA in Derry, at the time of Bloody Sunday, when 14 unarmed civil rights protesters were killed in the city by British soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment.

There's a fresh, new name on the festival calendar, but behind it a rich background of history and social enterprise.

Celtfest Isle of Man has been organised by Yn Chruinnaght (a group of like-minded individuals who love all things Celtic) and promises to invigorate mid-summer with a selection of new ideas and trusted favourites.

News from the Celtic League:

The events of the last few days and the loss of an Irish Coastguard helicopter with all crew members highlight that search and rescue is a vital but perilous task in the waters around these Islands.

In relation to both Ireland and the United Kingdom it was traditionally undertaken by the military although that situation changed in Ireland over a decade ago and in the UK more recently.

Media release from Culture Vannin

Kaneen Bursary scheme for young fluent speakers of Manx Gaelic

Culture Vannin is delighted to announce its 2017 bursary scheme for young fluent speakers of Manx between the ages of 18 and 25 that will enable them to attend a summer school in Irish language and culture run by Oideas Gael in Donegal this summer. Two bursaries will be available which will cover travel and accommodation costs to the selected summer school.

With the success of a local campaign to raise funds for a permanent gravestone at the burial site of one of the Island's unsung heroes, there was an opportunity for some of those involved with the project to view the finished stone before transportation to New York.

Trustees of the William Kennish Memorial Trust, Robert Stimpson and Roy Moore (a descendant of the Kennish family) invited those who had donated to this unique marker along to Manx Memorials in Peel, where Matthew Gregson, who worked on the stone, was on hand to answer questions, together with the trustees.

Peat, also called turf, is made from partly decomposed plant material and forms in waterlogged conditions. Lack of oxygen means the plants do not rot completely and peat is unique to natural areas of peatlands and bogs.  It takes thousands of years for peatlands to develop and there is an estimated 1.7 million hectares of peatland in Scotland. It's ecosystem is the most efficient carbon sink on earth and peatland plants capture the CO2 which is naturally released from the peat.