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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although thankfully the death of a bird is no longer obligatory, and distribution of its feathers for luck has been superseded by coloured ribbons.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. 

The Irish song Come Out Ye Black And Tans by the Wolfe Tones has topped the iTunes charts in the UK and Ireland, following the condemnation of a planned commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and the Dublin Metropolitan Police. The present Irish Government deferred the event that was to take place to acknowledge the role of the RIC and DMP in Irish history. The event has been widely criticised by the public and politicians.

The planet on which we live, Earth, is the third planet from the sun. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Earth is the only place in the known universe confirmed to host life and is the fifth largest planet in our solar system. The history of Earth includes several major ice ages, an ice age being a long period of reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers.

The long-standing concert Mollag Ghennal, offering a fantastic evening of local entertainment took place at the Manx Legion Club in Douglas; with a packed house enjoying a range of musical acts, as well as a revival of the celebrated White Boys.

There was also an opportunity to take part in a local quiz and sample supper from the Mollag Band kitchens.

It was a shock to many people in Ireland when the Fine Gael government  in Ireland announced there was to be an official state ceremony in Dublin Castle on January the 17th to honour those Irish and British men who lost their lives while serving with the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police during the War of Independence. By seeking to have a state commemoration of the forces recruited by Britain to fight against Irish freedom, the present Fine Gael government have put themselves in a bizarre position.

Robert Burns was born in the Scottish village of  Alloway (Scottish Gaelic Allmhaigh) on January 25, 1759. Throughout his life he was a practising poet and wrote many poems, lyrics and other pieces. Including those based on folk songs and traditions of his local area and those he had collected from throughout Scotland. He died at the age of 37 on 21 July 1796 and his Mausoleum is at St Michael’s churchyard in Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris).  Recognised as the national poet of Scotland, Burns Day and Burns Night on 25th January is celebrated in Scotland and worldwide.