Alastair Kneale's blog

News from Mannin Branch of the Celtic League:

Christopher Lewin has this report about a recent protest by the Scottish group Misneachd at the National Museum of Scotland:

“I was present at a protest outside the National Museum of Scotland last month concerning the lack of Gaelic in a new exhibition about the Jacobites.

The demonstration was organised by the group Misneachd, which is an offshoot of the Irish organisation which was the topic of my last article.

Tynwald Day (Manx: Laa Tinvaal), the National Day of the Isle of Man (Mannin) is held on the 5th of July. It is when the government for the Isle of Man go to Tynwald Hill to read a summary of the laws passed over the last year. The reading is given in Manx Gaelic and English. The artificial hill, which is thought to have started as a Bronze Age burial mound, is made up of four circular platforms. It is said to have been a meeting place for the Celtic midsummer assembly. Hence there is a large Celtic Cross on the site representing the sun god, Lugh.

Press release from Culture Vannin:

 Ned Maddrell Lecture 2017

This year's Ned Maddrell lecture will be held on Saturday afternoon, the 22nd July at Tynwald Mills Conference Centre at 2pm.

In an item on the Mannin Branch of the Celtic League facebook page Bernard Moffatt recounts a recent conversation he had with Allen Moore the League's Environment Officer about the book 'The Horse of Pride':

'Allan recalled a Breton book he had heard of at University and indeed he attended a talk given on it in French - no mean feat as a colleague sitting with him had to translate as the talk progressed.

Michael Dunlop rode to victory in yesterday afternoon’s (June 9th) Senior TT race on the Isle of Man. The Bennetts Suzuki rider took his 15th TT victory and a fastest lap of 132.903mph. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) was second and Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) third. The race was shortened to four laps following a restart after Ian Hutchinson crashed at the 27th milestone on lap two, which brought the race to a halt. He was taken by air ambulance to hospital and confirmed to have sustained a fractured femur.

Tragic news from this years Isle of Man TT. Jochem van den Hoek and Alan Bonner died yesterday. Davey Lambert passed away following an incident in the Superbike curtain raiser on Sunday.

Michael Rutter rode to victory in the Bennetts Lightweight Isle of Man TT yesterday (June 7th), setting a new lap record. This is his fifth in total TT win and gave the Italian Paton manufacturer their first ever win around the Mountain Course. He was joined on the podium by Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles Kawasaki) in second place and third was Peter Hickman (IEG KMR Kawasaki):

Result of Bennetts Lightweight TT

1. Michael Rutter – SC Project Paton 

2. Martin Jessopp – Riders Motorcycles Kawasaki 

The International Isle of Man TT continues. Today (5th June) Michael Dunlop, from Ballymoney in Ireland rode his MD Racing Carl Cox Yamaha to his 14th TT victory when he won the Supersport TT Race 1.  James Hillier came in second on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki with Peter Hickman securing third place riding the Smiths Trooper Triumph. 

The International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race is underway on the Isle of Man (Manx Gaelic: Mannin). The TT was first held on the Island in 1907 with the now world famous Snaefell  Mountain Course first used in 1911. The 37¾ mile course rises to 1,385ft (422 metres) above sea level at its highest. Yesterday June 4th) the Superbike race was won by Tyco BMW rider Ian Hutchinson, five seconds ahead of Peter Hickman, while Dean Harrison on a Kawasaki was third.

Interesting article here from Bernard Moffat, Public Relations Officer for Mannin Branch of the Celtic League. It follows the news that a group called Isle of Man Freethinkers are donating copies of a book called 'What is Humanism? How do you live without a god?' to schools on the Isle of Man:

‘Give Me A Child At An Impressionable Age'

As if life for Island schoolchildren isn’t confusing enough they are according to this article in the newspaper going to be gifted a tone or two by a body called Isle of Man Freethinkers.