Blogs

News from the Celtic League:

There are ambitious plans out for consultation aimed at providing four new Marine Protected Areas off the Hebrides and in NE Scotland.

The largest Sea of the Hebrides site is especially important in providing a secure area for Basking Sharks, Minke Whales and other species.

Detail here with an opportunity to contribute your views:

https://www.baskingsharkmpa.co.uk/

Images: Proposed Marine Protected Areas

Bernard Moffatt
Celtic League

Hailing from Prince Edward Island, the smallest province of Canada, Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys have just finished their latest UK tour and appeared for the second time at the Centenary Centre in Peel, where a packed auditorium tapped their feet in unison with the unmistakable vitality of fiddle player and dancer Gordie MacKeeman.

In July 2016 we reported on the then latest salvo in the battle between language activists and Dublin’s malevolent attitude towards Gaelic. Ireland’s President Michael Higgins had condemned the failure of the government to honor its responsibility to the Irish language.  In an address to a group of language activists in Dublin, Higgins questioned the goodwill of the Irish Government and lashed out at its failure to meet the increased demand for for Gaelic Medium Secondary education.

In many countries throughout the world, wherever there are Scottish connections, Highland Games take place. There are about 100 Highland Games in Scotland between May and September every year. Most recently, on 28th July, a successful St Andrews Highland Games was held. This was the Scottish town of St Andrews (Scottish Gaelic: Cill Rìmhinn) 35th games, but the history of such events in Scotland go back much further. The story of the Scottish Highland Games date back many centuries. 

News release from Cornish Solidarity:

The entire Langarth saga was encapsulated in a remark made by a former Cornwall Council CEO to BBC Radio Cornwall that ‘’The Developers Own Us’’.

 Many Cornish people openly speak of the developer involved in Langarth as being ‘’dodgy’’ given that the developers track record thus far has done nothing to dispel that perception.

George Skene of Fintray (1619–1707) was a Scottish merchant who served as elected Provost (convener) of the city of Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain) from 1676 to 1685. George Skene is now probably most famous for his house, which is a tourist attraction in Aberdeen. Built in 1545, the house was bought by him in 1669. In 1953 it was opened to the public and is now a museum and free to the public. More information can be obtained from Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums website.

Botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh (RBGE) are trying to find out where three rare and endangered species of plants grow in Scotland. In doing so they have requested the help of climbers and hillwalkers to report the sightings so that they can be better studied. The Cicerbita alpina (alpine blue-sowthistle), Saxifraga cespitosa (tufted saxifrage) and Alectoria ochroleuca (alpine sulphur tresses) are under threat of extinction and protected by law.

These days there is much concentration on the issue of climate change. The main debate now is focused on the issue of Global Warming and the current warming of the Earth's climate being due to human activities. However, research of geological records going back millions of years, have indicated that there have been a large number of variations in the Earth’s climate. A variety of natural factors have caused this, including the Earth’s orbit, changes in the sun, volcanoes and CO2 levels.

Steven Lewis Simpson is an independent film and documentary filmmaker from Aberdeen, Scotland. In 2016 he released the film "Neither Wolf Nor Dog", which is an adaption of the award winning book, with the same name, by Kent Nerburn. Steven Lewis Simpson's film's film festival premiere was at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2016. He took the unusual step of releasing the film directly into US cinemas in 2017. It continues in first-run cinemas in 2019, making it the longest first-run theatrical release in the US in over ten years.

Now in its forty first year, the Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering is firmly established in its role as an annual celebration of music, song, dance, language and culture in Peel, and is recognised as one of the longest-running Celtic festivals in Europe - which later this month will present a packed programme of entertainment from both at home and abroad.