Blogs

Broad Haven (Welsh: Aber Llydan) is a village in the south east corner of St Bride's Bay (Welsh: Bae Sain Ffraid) in the south-west of Wales. It is an area of great beauty with the coast surrounding it forming a part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro). It draws visitors from far and wide and maybe from even further that we think.

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Chief of Clan Fraser lived from about 1667 to 9 April 1747. Beheaded in London as a supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie, his headless body is said to lie in a lead casket at Wardlaw Mausoleum at Kirkhill, near Inverness. A body, minus the head is in the casket but is it that of Simon Fraser? After he was beheaded, some say his body remained in England, others that it was taken to Scotland and ended up in Wardlaw Mausoleum.

There are few people in politics as disagreeable as Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster. Scowling her way through the very negative launch of her party's election campaign for the Northern Ireland Assembly election she said she would not be supporting the introduction of an Irish Language Act. No surprise there as hostility to Ireland’s indigenous ethnicity including the Gaelic language is deeply entrenched in her brand of political unionism. 

If there's one way of shaking off those winter blues, it's undoubtedly a visit to the hugely successful Scottish festival Celtic Connections, where musicians linked to the Manx music scene showed ticket holders just how vibrant the trad scene is on the Isle of Man.

Based in Glasgow, this annual folk, roots and world music festival attracts more than two thousand musicians from across the globe, for eighteen days of festival fusion and the pick of a staggering three hundred events.

The government of Catalonia has vowed to continue with its plans to secure its independence from Spain.  This come as ex-President of Catalonia Artur Mas is put on trial by Spain accused of criminal disobedience for holding a symbolic independence referendum in Catalonia in 2014. Artur Mas, who governed Catalonia from 2010 to 2016, will appear at the high court in Barcelona on Monday (06/02/17) along with former vice-president Joana Ortega and former education minister Irene Rigau. 

News from Mannin Branch of The Celtic League:

Following the retirement of the Deputy First Minister of the Stormont government the Manx Nationalist Party has written to him to acknowledge his role in bringing stability to the North of Ireland after the troubles.

Martin McGuinness was pivotal in ensuring the process was successful and also built an unlikely working relationship and friendship with the DUP’s Ian Paisley who was First Minister for many years.

The text of the Mec Vannin letter is set out below:

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

Was it Storm Doris or the Spriggans?

A judgement on the National Trust!

This is what the National Trust, aided and abetted by the planners who dutifully gave the consents, consider appropriate to uglify and vandalise an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Area of Great Historic Value, Heritage Coast, World Heritage Site and Site of Special Scientific Importance (yes, Levant is all of those).

It seems that the National Trust has now joined with "English" Heritage in its attitude towards care for Cornwall's heritage.

Recently an Angus cow, known as Jenny, believed to be the oldest in Ireland, passed away at the age of 33. Her owner was Finbarr Deasy who has a farm in Clonakilty, west Cork and Jenny had been with the Deasy family since she was a calf. 

A local charity, challenged with the task of establishing a new project in the village of Patrick, recently held a special candle-lit musical evening to help raise funds for their vision regarding the World War I internment camp previously based at Knockaloe Moar Farm.

Holy Trinity Church, at the heart of the village's community, became the venue for a concert of music performed by the local, early music group Hartes Ease, who delighted everyone with a range of songs and tunes.

This year the annual Reih Bleeaney Vanannan (Manannan's Choice of the Year), presented by Culture Vannin, has been awarded to the hard working Michael Players, who, during a period of more than sixty years have brought their unique presentation and promotion of Manx dialect theatre into the community.

The idea of reviving the tradition came after World War II when Miss Mary Cannell began producing plays for the Manx branch of the Celtic Congress. They were also produced by Mrs Edna Cooil and enjoyed occasional tours beyond the fringe of Kirk Michael, where they were based.