Alastair Kneale's blog

Tynwald Day (Manx: Laa Tinvaal), the National Day of the Isle of Man (Mannin) is held on the 5th of July. It is traditionally 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 Celtic god, Lugh.

Here we are in the year 2021 and the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) still has a Lieutenant Governor!  A representative of the British monarchy (head of state), styled as "His Excellency". A topic that is to the fore at the moment as the five year term of the present governor has come to its end. After advertising for a new one, their identity is due to be announced. A nice little number for a civil servant who will get an official residence, all expenses paid, at Government House and receive an annual salary of around £108,208.

The UEFA European Football Championship contended by the men's national teams are now underway. The Celtic national teams that have qualified for the tournament are Wales and Scotland. There are twenty-four teams now battling through the group stages of the competition. Wales had their first match on Saturday (12th June) with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland. Scotland play their first match against the Czech Republic this afternoon (14th June).  Although this tournament is being played in 2021, it was scheduled to take place last year but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian Celtic Festival is an annual event that celebrates the Celtic nations. Brittany (Breizh), Cornwall (Kernow), Ireland (Éire), Isle of Man (Mannin), Scotland (Alba) and Wales (Cymru) feature strongly in the Festival. There is also a recognition that other Nations have a Celtic history and so the Australian Celtic Festival continues to recognise all Celtic heritage  Each year up to twenty different Scottish Clans and representatives from the Celtic Nations turn out in force to hold their annual Celtic ceremonies and spectacles. The Festival also normaly draws large crowds.

There is no doubt that the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) is a beautiful place. A Celtic Island in the middle of the Irish Sea with a rich culture and heritage.  However, it is an Island under threat from within in the form of greed motivated interest groups and poor government decisions. Not least of which is the allowing of inappropriate building developments and plans to allow unfettered increases in population growth. So at the moment the Isle of Man government are putting out plans for so-called "consultation"  on an area plan for the north and west of the Island.

There needs to be a major international overhaul on how humans treat animals. This is a message that has to come from the present Covid-19 pandemic, but it is also a lesson that should have been learnt from previous disease outbreaks. Whilst there is at present an understandable and necessary global effort on improving treatment and developing vaccinations to tackle Covid-19. There is also a need to address the causes of this type of pandemic and lessen the risk of viruses that jump from animals to humans. Otherwise new such pandemics will emerge and spread.

Easter is a Christian festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. The Old Testament and the New Testament combine to make up the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is defined as a book believed by Christians to contain the revelations of God and is the guiding holy text of the Christian religion.

Thousands have now signed a petition calling for mountain hares on the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) to be classed as a protected species. Proposals in the Manx draft Animal Welfare Bill would see the species reclassified from vermin to game.

A new album that will celebrate the cultural and musical links between the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) and Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is to be recorded by a Scottish harpist and Manx Gaelic Singer. Scotland's Rachel Hair is seen as one of the world’s finest exponents of Scottish harp (clarsach) playing. She has performed internationally, released five critically-acclaimed albums and published four harp books. Ruth Keggin has released two critically-acclaimed solo albums in the Manx Gaelic language.

According to a report in the British Times newspaper today (18th March 2021) the United Kingdom (UK) is seriously looking at establishing centres abroad where asylum seekers could be sent for processing. The article also suggests that the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is under consideration by officials, as well as the Isle of Man and other islands close to the British coast.