Emmett McIntyre's blog

Continuing our reprise of articles on Beltane - Originally posted April 27, 2014 by Emmett McIntyre. The 2015 Festival begins tonight, 30 April,  at 8:30 in Edinburgh :

Originally Posted to Transceltic on April 16, 2014, by Emmett McIntyre

The Celtic year is divided by the four annual Celtic Feast Days which are celebrated on the first of the month: the November Celtic New Year of Samhain (Halloween), Imbolg which was also the Feast Day of the Celtic Goddess Brigid in February, the May Spring Festival of Beltane and the August Harvest Festival of Lughnasa.

Reflecting the surge in Celtic identity in North America, the 5th Annual Tartan Day South Highland Games and Celtic Festival is being held this weekend at multiple venues in Cayce, South Carolina (See Link below for more details).  From the event web site is the following quote: “ Our event is a four day celebration of Celtic heritage in our area.

The 49th annual Dunedin Highland Games & Festival will be held this Saturday at Highlander Park in Dunedin, Florida.  In addition to competitive Highland Games, information booths set up by Clan organisations and a sheep herding exhibition, there will also be a blockbuster line-up of entertainment. Press reports have MacPhearson’s Rant, Mighty Fine Peppers, My Three Kilts, Searson and Off Kilter performing on the festival Grounds. In 2015 for the first time the Dunedin Tide Festival of Piping will be held in conjunction with the games

Last month Transceltic reported that in a poll commissioned by The Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaelige) majorities throughout Ireland showed deep respect and support for the Irish language. The polling disclosed close to 90% supporting the provision of state services in Gaelic on demand.

The 1937 Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na  hÉireann) proclaims under Article 8.1 “The Irish Language as the national language is the first official language”. Irish Gaelic received full status in the EU in 2007 but since that time, with the connivance of the Irish government, derogation has been in place. Derogation has the effect of exempting the institutions of the EU from providing full translation of official documents into Irish and providing translation services for the Celtic tongue as is required for all other official EU languages.

Dr Alasdair Allan, Scotland’s Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages attended an event in Stornoway Town Hall in Scotland’s Western Isles to inaugurate a program for the granting of Professional Graduate Diploma in Education for teachers at the secondary level.

The Stornoway Gazette, reporting on Dr. Allan’s visit described the launch of a secondary level teaching certificate for Gaelic medium instruction as follows: “The course is transformational as it provides a bridge between Gaelic Medium Primary Education and Gaelic University and College courses.”

The 5th Annual Saint Augustine Celtic Music and Heritage Festival is being held at the city's Francis Field March 13th through 15th.  The oldest city in the United States, Saint Augustine was founded in 1565 and repeatedly subject to rapine pillage as the British, French and Spanish Empires fought for control of the Caribbean.  It is a place where the past is palpable and spirits are just out of sight.  Surrounded by water, inlets, back bays and not far from the ocean, this place has an Otherworldly quality.

Earlier this month it was reported that Gaelic will become the language of instruction at approximately 25% of Primary schools in the Western Isles.  As recently as 1921 census figure shows 75% of the area’s populations were Gaelic speaking.  The Tongue has persisted in spite of the blow dealt by the vicious Education Act of 1872 that forbade the use of Scots Gaelic in the classroom.  This most recent strengthening of Gaelic medium education ensures that the language will continue its recover from the colonialist education polices typified by the 1872 law.

The Highlands Council is the largest government area in the United Kingdom and spans the linguistic heartland of Scottish Gaelic.  This press release (below) was posted on the Council’s website.