Emmett McIntyre's blog

Under the Druidical traditions of Celtic Ireland, Gaelic law was passed down orally and was first captured in writing beginning around 450 AD as the Christian scribes began their work. This collection of oral and written laws is known as the Brehon Laws. The Brehons were the jurists of Celtic culture and it took a lifetime of study to become a true proficient. Today the Brehon Law Academy seeks to preserve the ancient Celtic Laws.

North American Celtic Festivals kick off at the 4th Annual Florida Keys Celtic Festival held January 6th through 9th.   The festival will take place in Marathon situated half way between the mainland and Key West.  The 2017 Festival will include Celtic Rock and Traditional music, Irish & Scottish Dancing, Pipes and Drums and Highland Athletics.

The following editorial appeared in Ireland's Leinster Express.  Nothing can be added to this eloquent testimonial to the Celtic tongue of Ireland.

There has never been a period in the past thousand years or more when it has not been spoken and written. Even at the worst period of anglicisation and national catastrophe, before and after the famine of 1847, it remained the language of the great mass of the people outside the Pale.

The heart of the homeland of Scots Gaelic is receiving a welcome boost. Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, has been awarded funding for a Gaelic Cultural Centre.  The announcement was made by John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. Billed as an Arts Centre fostering Gaelic music, dance and Celtic cultural traditions, when completed the facility is expected to generate 40 jobs.

Census data shows almost 1.66 million people, aged three years and over, were able to speak Irish in 2006 compared with 1.57 million in 2002. According to Census 2011, the number of people who declared they can speak Irish increased by 7.1 per cent since 2006. - Irish Times

In the latest salvo in the battle aginst Dublin’s malevolent attitude towards Gaelic, Ireland’s President Michael Higgins has called on senior officials in the public service to uphold legislation guaranteeing the right of Irish speakers to interact with the State in their own language.

A new research report into the attitudes of the residents of Ireland towards the Gaelic tongue has disclosed a stunning level of support for the Celtic tongue.  The report, which is entitled “Céard é an Scéal? Public Opinions Towards the Irish-Language – Annual Analysis 2”, shows over 60% people in the South endorse the provision of all State Services in the Irish Language.

The poll also shows significant levels of support for Gaelic in Ulster with 41% endorsing increased opportunities for daily use of the Celtic tongue outside formal educational settings.

Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) is hailing the modest commitment to Irish Medium education in the Gaeltacht (Irish Speaking Areas) announced by Dublin. That said, this government has proven time and time again that it is no friend to Gaelic. A government which has mastered the art of benign neglect toward the ancient Celtic tongue of the land, Ireland’s most precious asset.

Earlier this year Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) flexed its electoral strategy skills in the run up to the elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly. The League supported candidates responsive to the concerns of the Irish language community and supporters of the Gaelic Language. 

First Published October 2012:

The ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain (Halloween) was the start of the Celtic New Year. This is when the Druids lit bonfires marking a period of great danger to mortal souls. The bonfires were a warning that the laws of nature were suspended and the barriers between the natural order of things and the Celtic Underworld were dissolved, when the Underworld became visible to the living and the Fairies and the Dead would come forth.