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Thousands of people took part in a rally calling for independence for Wales in Swansea yesterday 20th May. Organisers Yes Cymru and AUOB (All Under One Banner) Cymru, estimated about 6,000 people took part in the march. The event in Swansea comes after an estimated 10,000 marched in Cardiff and 8,000 in Wrexham last year. This week also saw one of the highest ever levels of support for independence in a poll, 

Image: Courtesy of YesCymru Facebook page

Plans for a 5G mast that campaigners said would damage an iconic view of Edinburgh Castle have been scrapped. The proposed  56ft (17m) structure would have stood on Johnston Terrace, which passes below the castle. It is a popular place for visitors to capture the view looking up at the famous landmark. Objectors pointed out that it was unacceptable to erect the 5G (5th generation mobile network) mast where it would have such a detrimental impact. Historic Environment Scotland, which manages Edinburgh Castle, had also said it had not been consulted about the plans.

When the the polls in Northern Ireland's local elections closed on Thursday no one predicted the surge of support for Sinn Féin.  After a two-day count they took 144 seats across the 11 councils, an increase of 39 councillors. They have become the biggest party in Northern Ireland local government. Sinn Féin, which backs Irish unity, swept past the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) and became the first nationalist party to hold the most council seats. Delivering what some have described as  "a political and psychological blow to unionism".

British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has shed any green credentials he might once have held by vowing to give English councils more powers to allow developers to build on green belt land. In British town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth, the aim being to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land. Under current planning rules in England, new buildings can only be constructed on green belt land in exceptional circumstances. Keir Starmer would give councils more power to concrete over protected sites.

Seán Keane, fiddle player with The Chieftains, has died on 7 May 2023 at the age of 76. The Irish Traditional Music Archive described Mr Keane as "one of the greatest ever exponents of Irish traditional music". Amongst those paying tribute was the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. He said Seán Keane’s "incredible talent as a fiddle player brought so much joy to so many and was enjoyed and admired by audiences all over the world".

The ocean liner RMS Lusitania was built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland and was launched by Cunard in 1906. At one time it held the coveted Blue Riband, which is the accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. Lusitania  was also briefly the world's largest passenger ship. The ocean liner was travelling from New York to Liverpool in 1915 on its 202nd cross Atlantic trip, when on the afternoon of 7th May it was hit by a torpedo fired from a German U-boat.

TS Queen Mary is a Clyde steamer launched in 1933 at the William Denny shipyard, Dumbarton, for Williamson-Buchanan Steamers. In its heyday TS Queen Mary carried 13,000 passengers each week and was affectionately known as "The Glasgow Boat."  The steamer was eventually retired in 1977 and spent a number of years as a floating restaurant on the River Thames in London. In 2009 it was towed to Tilbury, on the Lower Thames, where it remained unused. After a funding campaign Friends of TS Queen Mary's bought the steamer in 2015 and in 2016 it was returned back home to Scotland.

A 2000 year old gold coin thought to be in circulation during the reign of legendary Celtic Queen Boudicca has been sold at auction. Boudicca or Boudica was a queen of the ancient Celtic Iceni tribe in the area of England now known as East Anglia. At the end of her reign in 60 or 61 AD the warrior Queen led a rebellion against the Roman annexation of her kingdom, killing 70,000 Romans and setting Colchester, St. Albans and London ablaze. Such was the initial success of the rebellion that Roman Emperor Nero considered withdrawing all his imperial forces from Britain.

The Brecon Beacons National Park is changing its name so that it is officially known by its Welsh name Bannau Brycheiniog. Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog is the Welsh name for the park. Bannau means 'peaks' and Brycheiniog refers to the old kingdom of Wales' fifth century ruler, Brychan. This reflects the park's commitment to Welsh culture, language and heritage.

Breton - Pask Seder

Cornish - Pask Lowen 

Irish - Cáisc Shona duit/Beannachtaí na Cásca ort

Manx - Caisht sonney dhyt

Scottish (Gaelic) - A' Chàisg sona

Welsh - Pasg Hapus