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News From The Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith):

" A group of protestors occupied Cardiff Council offices today in a campaign for a Welsh-medium schools at the Plasdŵr development in the capital.The council leader had said in 2018 that a Welsh-medium school would be part of the new seven thousand home development in the north-west of the city.However, the council’s cabinet subsequently decided to consult on a proposal to establish a new bilingual primary school which would mean half the pupils going to an English-medium stream.

The bravery of the lifeboat crews who face danger on the seas surrounding the Celtic coasts, or indeed anywhere, to save lives can never be underestimated. Lifeboat crews put their lives at risk in often perilous conditions in their aim to prevent loss of life. Sadly over the years lifeboat crews have lost their lives during acts of outstanding bravery. One such event was on this date, 21st January, in 1970 when five Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers died in the Fraserburgh lifeboat disaster.

The Arrane son Mannin (Song for Mann) competition is an opportunity for the performance of new and original music written in Manx Gaelic, with the winner representing the Isle of Man at the annual Pan Celtic Festival in Carlow, Ireland, later this year.

Held in the Masonic Hall in Peel, judges at the event were challenged to find the best, original song composed in the Island's native tongue, which will go forward in competition with others from neighbouring Celtic nations, vying to clinch the top position in the festival's International Song Contest.

The annual Oie'll Verree, now a concert-based form of entertainment, was once a celebration centred against a more religious backdrop, and has been the subject of much transformation over the years.

Many of the outlying districts have abandoned this special celebration, but in Kirk Michael it's a much anticipated part of the calendar. Held in the local Ebenezer Hall, it's a great opportunity for the audience to enjoy a host of entertainment in a provincial setting.

When St Stephen's Day dawned, it was with trepidation that we opened our curtains to the sight of torrential rain, but this didn't deter many of those heading out to Hunt the Wren across the Island.

It's a long-held tradition, not unrecognisable in other Celtic nations, although thankfully the death of a bird is no longer obligatory, and distribution of its feathers for luck has been superseded by coloured ribbons.

The Scottish Government is to provide £2 million of capital support towards a fourth Gaelic primary school in Glasgow to meet growing demand, Deputy First Minister John Swinney recently announced.

The Celtic Connections festival starts today, 16th January, in Glasgow, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu, Alba). The Festival began in 1994 in Glasgow and has since been held annually every January. Celtic Connections celebrates Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe. It is on from 16 January – 2 February 2020, when 2,100 musicians from around the world will descend on Glasgow and for 18 days there will be concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, and free events.

From The Celtic Language News:

The River Teifi (Welsh: Afon Teifi) in Wales (Cymru) is nearly 73 miles (117km) long. Its source is Llyn Teifi which is the biggest of the famous Teifi Pools found north east of Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion. The countryside here is known for its beauty and the River Teifi flows through some stunning and unspoilt countryside. The river eventually reaches the Irish Sea at Cardigan Bay (Welsh: Bae Ceredigion). The Welsh name for the town of Cardigan, Aberteifi,refers to its position by the mouth (aber) of the River Teifi.