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Tonight the Ellan Vannin Memorial Service took place in the Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St Maughold Catholic Church on South Promenade in Ramsey, Isle of Man (Manx: Rhumsaa, Mannin) at 6.30pm. The service remembered those who perished on this day, December 3rd, in 1909 when the Isle of Man Steam Packet ship SS Ellan Vannin sank in the Irish Sea. 

The Christmas lights are being turned on in ceremonies and celebrations in the Isle of Man (Manx Gaelic: Mannin) over recent days. The most recent being in the town of Peel (Manx: Purt ny h-Inshey) where people thronged the town streets and a fireworks display was held. The Isle of Man scrapped social distancing rules on 15th June, the first in the British and Irish Isles  to do so. A relaxation that has since allowed for the opening of restaurants, cafés and pubs, and the reopening of gyms.

St. Andrew's Day (Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Aindrea) is Scotland's official national day celebrated on 30th November. St Andrew has been the patron saint of Scotland from at least the mid tenth century and legend says long before. He was born in the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee in the early 1st century and is the brother of St Peter. According to the Gospel of St John, Andrew was a follower of the preacher John the Baptist and then became a disciple of Jesus who he recognised as the Messiah. The name Andrew is Greek in origin.

Wake up and smell the coffee! When the English refer to "Great Britain" they mean "Greater England". There has been some shock expressed over recent days that British Airways wished the England rugby team “good luck” in the rugby match against Wales today 28th November. But is it that much of a surprise?

From The Celtic Language News:

Standing on its original site in the churchyard of St Adamnan's Church in the Parish of Lonan (Manx Gaelic: Skyll Lonan) on the Isle of Man (Mannin) is a very beautiful Celtic Cross. It is one of a number of Celtic Crosses in the churchyard that date back to the 5th century. One of the early Keeils (a Manx Gaelic word for a church), St Adamnan's Church is on the site of an earlier keeill dating from the 5th century. Often simply referred to as "Lonan Old Church" it was originally known in Manx as Keeill ny-Traie, or "the chapel by the shore" and is on the eastern side of the Island.

Media release from Culture Vannin:

Illustrator receives Londeyr award for her work to promote the Manx language

Jeebin, the Manx Language Network, was delighted to present illustrator Vicky Webb with the annual Londeyr award, at the Cooish Manx Language Festival 2020 earlier this month.

Staffa (Scottish Gaelic: Stafa) is an island of the Inner Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan a-staigh) off the west coast of Scotland. Now uninhabited there is evidence that humans inhabited the Island as long as 3,800 years ago. Some years ago archaeologists working with the National Trust for Scotland discovered evidence for human activity during the Bronze Age on Staffa. Research continues to try and determine whether Staffa was home to a permanent settlement or visited as a place of ritual. 

Work continues in exploring the history of Strata Florida Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Ystrad Fflur) and surrounding lands. The ruins of the former Cistercian abbey are situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The abbey was founded in 1164 and the name Strata Florida is a Latinisation of the Welsh Ystrad Fflur; 'Valley of Flowers'. The conserved ruins of the old Abbey church and part of the cloisters are in the care of Cadw (a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving"), which is the Welsh Government's heritage agency. 

From The Celtic Language News:

The rural housing crisis is threatening our future, claim activists from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man and Cornwall who have united in a cross-border plea over the survival of Celtic languages. They’ve drawn up a Celtic Charter that asserts a “right to a home” for speakers of these languages in their geographical heartlands. However, they say high costs and the proliferation of holiday lets in rural areas means the tongues themselves may soon be driven from those areas.