Blogs

We thank 'Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg' and 'The National' for coordinating the following information:

"The rural housing crisis is threatening our future, claim activists from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Cornwall who have united in a cross-border plea over the survival of Celtic languages.

In an appeal aimed at authorities in each of those countries and territories, culture groups say housing market pressures and public policy is putting their languages at stake.

These include Scots Gaelic, Irish, Welsh, Manx and Cornish.

Julian German, the Leader of the Cornwall Council, has condemned the British Government for slashing funding for Cornish Language initiatives. The latest move by London against the Cornish Language is in violation of the UK commitment to minority languages under the "Framework Convention for Minority Languages". 

The Gaelic Rights group Misneach have mounted a campaign to pressure the Scottish Government to classify discrimination against Gaelic and Gaelic Speakers as a “Hate Crime”.

The group submitted a response to the “Hate Crime and Public Order Bill, calling for the term “Minority Language” to be included in the text of the legislation.

The Gaelic Language group Misneachid is dedicated to the promotion of the use of Gaelic in all aspects of daily life.

The Welsh Governmnent have launched a survey to identify which groups are volunteering in the wake of the Coronavirus shutdowns and which are using the Welsh language in these efforts.

Eluned Morgan, Minister for the Welsh Language, said: "Volunteering through the medium of Welsh and the resulting opportunities to use Welsh in the community has been the backbone of the Welsh language and also play a vitally important role in promoting it."

From the Welsh Government's Web Page:

At a time when most other indoor and outdoor gatherings have been limited to six people, the decision to allow  an exemption for grouse shoots from Covid restrictions has come in for criticism. In Scotland, shoots are permitted provided guidance and laws to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are followed. Animal welfare campaigners including the Scottish charity OneKind said wildlife had "thrived" during the lockdown, but was now being "shot for fun".

Further threat to democracy in Cornwall

'Here we go again' has been the exasperated comment expressed by many people in Cornwall on hearing the latest proposals of back bench Conservative MP for South West Devon, Gary Streeter, an individual who apparently has too much time on his hands and can afford to dabble in places outside his own constituency.

We are pleased to note that the Council of Europe (please note, this is not the European Union) has been critical of the Westminster Government regarding support for the Cornish and indeed, other languages and has made a number of recommendations of note.

Focussing on Cornish, a report by the Council of Europe promulgated today informs:

Media release from Culture Vannin:

Brian Stowell stories in Manx released online

The anniversary of Brian Stowell’s birthday is being marked by a release of new audio recordings in Manx.

19 extracts from Brian’s autobiography have been voiced by Phil Gawne for Culture Vannin and released for free online to mark the anniversary of his birth in 1936.

A Munro is defined as such when it is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros and designated as a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 feet (914.4 m). There are 282 Munros in Scotland and probably the best known Munro is Ben Nevis (Scottish Gaelic; Beinn Nibheis), the highest Scottish mountain at 4,411 feet (1,345 metres). Munros are named after Scottish mountaineer Hugh Munro, (1856–1919), who produced the first list of such hills.

The Largs Viking Festival has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic this year. The event was due to run from 29th Aug 2020 – 6th Sep 2020 and would have been the 40th Anniversary of the festival. Nevertheless organisers are already making plans to "direct its efforts to planning and delivering the best possible Largs Viking Festival in 2021". This is scheduled for 28th August to 5th September 2021, with the spectacular Viking Festival of Fire taking place on Saturday 4th September 2021.