Blogs

It seems that there is a likelihood that the draft withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom will be defeated by a majority vote in the House of Commons (the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom). There are seven elected Sinn Féin (the Irish republican political party) members of the House of Commons from constituencies in the Six Counties in the north of Ireland. Quite rightly, Sinn Féin has always contested general elections in the north of Ireland on the basis of abstentionism.

This year's Manx language festival Cooish kicked off with the annual Ned Maddrell Lecture given by the Irish Gaelic academic Tadhg Joseph Ó Ceallaigh, a lecturer in Limerick who explored language education.

He was speaking about the different methods used to teach Irish and how this was integrated into the education system, but revealed he was impressed with the work undertaken on the Island which has revitalised the Manx language.

Viking invasions brought cheer to Aberdeen last weekend. Maybe it was not always so, but this time around there were smiles all around. The Vikings were from Sandwick in Shetland. Shetland is where the annual fire festival of Up Helly Aa is held to celebrate the islands Norse heritage. They came to Aberdeen where crowds welcomed the Up Helly Aa crew with loud cheers. They took part in the parade, which this year had the theme of “fire and ice”, to switch on the Christmas lights.

Islanders in Orkney have been awarded £260,000 to purchase more than 1,700 acres of peatland and pasture. The Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust (REWDT) have welcomed the funding which they say will allow it to employ a project officer and ranger. They also hope to promote tourism on the island of Rousay and encourage people to make the island their home, which at present has 216 residents. The name of Rousay is derived from the Old Norse word Hrólfsey meaning Rolf's Island.

Media release from Culture Vannin:

Manx Words: a new resource for learners of Manx

Culture Vannin is pleased to announce the release of a new publication for learners of Manx.

Entitled Manx Phrases this new resource is a fantastic addition to the growing material available for both learners and speakers of the language.

In June 2016 four anglers, Stephen Murphy, Kieran Mahar, William Gregory and David Johnston, found the remains of a prehistoric logboat in the River Boyne (An Bhóinn) in Ireland. A sample of the wood has now been radiocarbon dated to between 3,300-2,900BC.  This coincides with the construction of the Neolithic passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne including Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange in the Boyne Valley through which the river flows. The remains of the logboat consist of a 3m length of wood, which would have formed the base of the boat.

Dreams for the Future is a celebration of Scottish novelist and playwright J M Barrie (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) creator of Peter Pan, and also of young people’s story-telling. The Festival, being held in Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris) from November 24 to December 2, will mark Scotland’s Year of Young People (Bliadhna na h-Òigridh) and feature events for all ages involving story-telling, music and theatre. Details of the Dreams for the Future Festival can be obtained from the Moat Brae website.

A metal detectorist, Mike Smith, has discovered an ancient Celtic chariot burial in a yet to be disclosed site in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro) in the southwest of Wales. At first, when searching in February of this year, he thought he had found a medieval brooch, but he was later advised that it was a Celtic horse harness dating from around 600 BC. So he explored and found more pieces. This led to initial excavations and surveys being undertaken in June by Dyfed Archaeological Trust and National Museum Wales. Then the tops of a pair of chariot wheels were uncovered.

Despite poor weather conditions, crowds of onlookers and supporters headed for the Manx Electric Railway Station at Laxey, as part of an eight day extravaganza enjoyed by both local and visiting enthusiasts.

The day-long celebration included a variety of live entertainment, fairground rides, stalls, memorabilia and an opportunity to explore the Laxey Car Shed.

There's something new on the Christmas calendar this year with the introduction of a sparkling new event at the Gaiety Theatre under the title of Manannan's Winterfest - A Magical Manx Christmas!

Billed as a unique concert celebrating Manx Christmas traditions, the event will be a collaboration of the Island's finest exponents of classical, folk, brass and choral music - topped with local humour and drama.