Blogs

Air traffic controllers working for Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) are being balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay.

Controllers who are members of the Prospect union rejected a 2% pay offer made last year.

The union said it was balloting its members because efforts to resolve the dispute had failed.

Hial, which operates 11 regional airports, said it was committed to continuing "constructive discussions".

Full report here at the BBC Scotland web site:

It's not just in the Isle of Man that Industrial action beckons. In Ireland Nurses, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), recently announced that the will strike for an additional two days bringing the total of actions plans to three events spread over three days (nine days in all). Indeed Irish Nurses will be out on the picket line on the same date as Manx postal workers, members of the CWU.

On Tuesday night (29th January) the 2019 festival of Up Helly Aa saw the skies of Lerwick in Shetland lit up with burning torches during Up Helly Aa. The event included a procession of about 1000 guizers celebrating their Norse heritage. There is a Guizer Jarl (Chief Guizer) who leads a Jarl Squad, which is one of the many Guizer squads participating in the event. Dressed in Viking clothing and marching through the town with battle axes and torches, they dragged with them a ceremonial Viking longboat. Thousands of spectators lined the route on Tuesday night.

Perth City Hall in the Scottish city of Perth (Scottish Gaelic: Peairt) is now to be converted into a new heritage and arts attraction. The B-listed building, constructed in 1911, had lain empty for 14 years. It had been under threat of demolition for some time. An outcome which according to campaigners would have been an  ‘act of civic vandalism’. Now funding has been secured to turn Perth City Hall into a major new museum attraction. Architect Mecanoo have been identified as the preferred designer for the redevelopment.

Relaxing in my local last night when out of the blue a pleasant surprise. A good friend from Dublin, Tom Hanley, walks in - on the Island for the funeral of Brian Stowell.

Tom, who is not a member of the Celtic League, gave me a whistle stop tour of all the republican sites in Dublin back in 2015 when I was over in the City for the AGM of the Celtic League held that year at the HQ of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League). He also recently helped me track down some video footage of the Mec Vannin party taken at the 1966 Easter commemoration in Dublin.

There is a big demo planned tomorrow at the Dail in Dublin against afforestation - report here from Green News ie:

https://greennews.ie/large-protest-held-state-conifer-plan…/

Its being spearheaded by a group from Co Leitrim one of the counties in Ireland worst affected by the introduction of non indigenous conifer plantations.

William Wallace was a hero of Scotland and a true patriot. He struck fear into the the tyrannical, evil, cruel and invading English King Edward I.  Standing on the hill of Abbey Craig overlooking Stirling in Scotland is The National Wallace Monument. Designed by the Edinburgh-born Glasgow architect J. T. Rochead (28 March 1814 – 7 April 1878) it was built between 1861 and 1869.  It is one of more than 20 Wallace Monuments which are located throughout Scotland. The National Wallace Monument is a 220 ft (67-metre) sandstone tower, built in the Victorian Gothic style.

Local six-piece band Clash Vooar (Big Groove) has been breaking new ground on the Manx music scene with their extraordinary powerful mix of songs, tunes and languages, which has been described as Manx Gaelic gypsy jazz blues, with their debut album hot off the press,