Douglas MacQueen's blog

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Major BBC Alba TV Six Part Series on - An Aghaidh an t-Srutha/Celtic Radicals

The successive episodes will cover the history of Celtic radicalism from a Scottish perspective and from the episode guide below seems pretty wide ranging in content.

It starts on BBC ALBA on Tues 23 Feb at 11pm

Episode titles:

The struggle for civil/social rights of Gaelic communities.

Land struggles in Scotland and Ireland, and the Easter Rising.

Land stuggles and Highland history after the Battle of Culloden.

Nearly 100 medieval skeletons have been found by archaeologists during renovations to Aberdeen Art Gallery. Dating back to the 13th century archaeologists believe the discovery is evidence of the location of the Dominican Black Friars Abbey, founded between 1222 and 1249. The Art Gallery is built on the site of the old friary.

The Massacre of Glencoe (Scottish Gaelic Mort Ghlinne Comhann) took place early in the morning of 13 February 1692. One of the most beautiful places in Scotland Glen Coe (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Comhann) takes its name from the River Coe that winds and tumbles its way through the glen. It is hard for those who visit this area of great beauty today to think that it was the site of such a treacherous act of murder and brutality against the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe.

Moat House in the Scottish town of Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris) is said to be the Georgian townhouse and garden that inspired novelist and playwright JM Barrie to write Peter Pan. Its future has now been secured after funding has been found to continue a restoration project that will see the creation of a centre for children’s literature and storytelling. Work is due to begin within months, that will see the creation of permanent and temporary exhibitions, a children’s library, education workshops, a cafe and a shop. A “Neverland Discovery Garden” will also be developed.

The Highland Council has unveiled the winning design for a new Caithness flag. Caithness (Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh)  is in the far northeast of the Scottish mainland with the Orkney Islands to the north. The Caith part of the name Caithness comes from Cait or Cat, which was a Pictish kingdom (25–871 AD) that was located in this area. The other part of the name -ness, comes from Old Norse which means "headland".

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Message From Kernow Matters To You:

Scottish nationalists have extended the hand of friendship to fellow Cornish patriots.

Members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) have indicated they anticipate with pleasure hearing the case for Cornish autonomy or indeed independence in Parliament.

The remarks by Calum Kerr MP (SNP) the member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, came during a Westminster Hall debate on farming led by Derek Thomas MP for St. Ives in Kernow .

Addressing Scotland's Parliament today, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We will use the powers we have as a government to the full. Of course, I believe today as strongly as I ever have that independence is the best future for our country. That’s why in the months to come we will also lead a renewed debate about how the enduring principle of that case, that decisions about Scotland are best taken by people who live here, is relevant to, demanded by, the circumstances of the world we live in today.

Shifting sand dunes have uncovered a major new Bronze Age settlement in Orkney. Archaeologists from the University of the Highlands and Islands made the discovery on Sanday, a small island to the north of the Orkney mainland. Stone walls belonging to 14 houses have been found, which experts now believe could be one of the largest Bronze Age settlements ever found in Scotland. However, the 4000-year-old complex is threatened by coastal erosion and work is underway to find out as much as possible before it is destroyed.