Eibhlin O'Neill's blog

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

“Isle of Man’s banking system still akin to that of a banana republic than a highly regulated offshore centre”.

The NAMA (Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency – see link) story has resurfaced to somewhat dent all those assertions last year that the Isle of Man had moved on was no longer a dodgy tax haven where dubious deals were done and had cleaned up its act.

With all but a handful of seats left to be declared the Irish electorate have made their views known in the Irish General Election 2016. While no party won the election outright, Fine Gael, the senior partner in Ireland’s present coalition government have most certainly lost it. The winners are Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit and some Independents. However, there is no overall majority for any Party. The seats declared at the present time for the three main Parties give Fine Gael 49 seats in Dáil Éireann, Fianna Fáil 43, Sinn Féin 22.

Early General Election tallies from across Ireland are pointing to a significant drop in support for the Fine Gael and Labour governing coalition with gains for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Independents. As news comes in from the 40 constituencies there are a number of Ministers in the present government who could lose their seats. Counting continues. 

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

DUBLIN AGM WILL MARK CENTENARY OF EASTER RISING

The Irish branch of the Celtic League (An Conradh Ceilteach) will host the Annual General Meeting of the Celtic League in Dublin on March 25 -26.

The venue is Conradh na Gaeilge, 6 Sráid Fhearchair (Harcourt St.) Baile Átha Cliath 2 / Dublin 2.

This year marks the centenary of the Easter Rising and a programme of events including a wreath laying at the Republican Plot at Glasnevin Cemetery have been arranged to coincide with the AGM.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

This week my outside left column in the Manx Independent deals with the campaign by the Celtic League over the environmental impact etc of look-out towers used by the British military in South Armagh, the campaign arose from the general monitoring of military activity and impact in all the Celtic countries including Brittany.

A very substantial quantity of files on this is deposited and accessible at the Manx Museum Library (MNH) and also at the National Library of Wales.

A new Manx-Irish dictionary has been compiled by Professor Kevin Scannell with a PDF version online. The focus of this work is for Irish speakers who want to learn Manx Gaelic.

The British press has been reporting this week that the infamous aristocrat Lord Lucan has been officially declared dead. This comes nearly 42 years after the playboy gambler disappeared following the murder of his children’s nanny in an unsolved mystery.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Well after saying we don’t often just link across here is another article verbatim from Lorna Siggins Marine correspondent at the Irish Times. It’s worth recycling because its message is stark!

Lorna Siggins is well known to the League we have cooperated with her over the Submarine threat to MFVs and more recently liaised over general marine matter. She has a reputation for extremely well researched and sourced material and this is no exception

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Our report on the film to be released this year (The Siege of Jadotville) on the Irish UN contribution to the Congo peace-keeping mission has provoked quite a bit of interest and an extremely good take up in terms of page reach.

It was the first of what was to be over fifty years of peace-keeping in which Ireland’s Defence Forces have gained a reputation for professionalism and even-handedness

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The United States Ambassador to Ireland recently visited Trinity College to view progress of a major project which will see four of the Library’s most important early medieval Irish manuscripts conserved, digitised and made available online to the public and world of scholarship for the first time.

The work is being funded by a US financial institution and it will undoubtedly through the interactivity associated with its roll out alongside other manuscripts ensure Trinity and Dublin becomes a focus for both education and research on this period.