Celtic Recipes

Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association Promotes the Irish Language

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 16, 2013 - 1:54pm

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which represents all counties in the Province of Ulster, have announced a collaboration with the University of Ulster. The GAA is an athletic association of the sports of Hurling, Gaelic Football, Camogie and Handball. 

Scottish Gaelic in Cape Breton - Reversing the Decline

Submitted by Niall McCarsten on July 14, 2013 - 11:20am

Dr. Emily McEwan-Fujita, a Research Associate at the Gosebrook Research Insitute for Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint May's University in Nova Scotia, has published a study on the history, current state and on-going efforts to reverse the decline of the Scots Gaelic language in the Candian Province of Nova Scotia. The article is entitled "Gaelic Revitalization Efforts in Nova Scotia: Reversing Language Shift in the 21st Century" and will appear in an upcoming publication "Celts in the America's", edited by Michael Newton. The article details the efforts under way to "revitalise" the Scottish tongue in Nova Scotia.

The Celtic Language of Brittany Suffers the Malign Indifference of the French Government

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 13, 2013 - 4:41pm

Breton, the Celtic language of Brittany, is the topic of an article on the language interest website "Freelang".  The article highlights the decades old campaign of discrimination against the Breton language by the French Government. Paris has refused to ratify the "The European Charter For Regional or Minority Languages" and by doing so deprive Breton speakers of the rights and priviledges protected by the Charter.

National Conference on the Future of the Welsh Language

Submitted by Niall McCarsten on July 11, 2013 - 6:21pm

A national conference was held at Aberystwyth on July 4 which focused on the future of the Welsh Language.  The conference was held in the historic county of Ceredigion (Cardigan) which was a fitting venue as there are concerns about the decline of the percentage of Welsh speakers in Ceredigion based on the most recent census data. More than 160 people attended the conference with focus groups meeting across Wales leading up to the conference and over 2500 participated on-line.   

Interview with Gaelic Storm's Steve Twigger

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 9, 2013 - 7:16pm

Gaelic Storm

In this exclusive interview, Transceltic's Emmett McIntyre speaks with Gaelic Storm's co-founder Steve Twigger. Gaelic Storm are arguably the most succesful Celtic Rock band performing today. They deftly mix modern musical taste with traditional Celtic music. 

1. Do you consider Gaelic Storm to be Ambassadors of Celtic Culture?

No, we never set out to do anything but enjoy our music.  We do try to put Gaelic word songs in our albums, but it was not our intent to be “Ambassadors” of anything. We just naturally mix traditional folk songs with contemporary music which reflects the background of the band.

2. What influence does the band’s Piper have on Gaelic Storm’s Celtic identity?

Pete Purvis, from Canada, is a Grade 1 Championship Piper.  The Pipes is a stirring instrument and although we have not always had a Piper, the presence of the Pipes has an impact on the band’s direction.  We jumped at the opportunity to welcome Pete Purvis to the band and we welcome the influence that the pipes give to the rhythm of our music, woven in to the detail of the composition of our music. The Pipes do not give much room for subtlety, it is “All Hands on Deck” when there is a Piper in the band.  The Pipes no doubt add drama and layering of harmonies.

New York Times slights Scotland by calling Scottish Wimbledon Champion English

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 9, 2013 - 1:26am

The London Daily Mail reports: "The New York Times sparked outrage on Twitter yesterday calling Murray an "English Tennis Player". The Mail continued: "..Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland) was accused of political opportunism after unfurling a Saltire (Tradional Scottish Flag of St. Andrew's Cross) behind David Cameron's head (British Prime Minister) in the wake of Andy Murray's historic Wimbledon victory. The move was politically sensitive because Scotland is planning to hold an Independence Referendum in Autumn 2014.

Gaelic Language Broadcasting in Scotland - Success To Success

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 8, 2013 - 3:16pm

As reported on the website "forArgyll.com", the BBC Alba Gaelic Broadcasting Channel have announced an increase in funding of 1 million pounds for the coming year.  The channel offers a wide selection of Gaelic language programming and has been widely hailed as a force in the preservation and renewed growth of Scottish Gaelic. The announcement also highlighted statistics showing an increase in viewership for its Gaelic Language programming.  

Isle of Man News - The Celtic League Report Manx Nationalist Unrest

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 6, 2013 - 4:32pm

The latest expression of Nationalist unrest on the Isle of Man (Ellen Vannin) is reported by the Celtic League News Service. Nationalist graffiti was sprayed on the residence of the Lieutenant Governor. The Celtic League's report includes the following: "The Governor is the last vestige of English Colonialism and despite calls over the years for a range of solutions to the 'Governor Problem', the anachronistic role continues."

Cornish Language in Major Advance - Truro City Council Adopt Cornish Language Policy

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Submitted by Emmett McIntyre on July 6, 2013 - 2:41pm

Councillor Dick Cole, Leader of the Party For Cornwall (Mebyon Kernow) has congratulated the Truro City Council on the adoption of a Progressive Language Policy.  

Truro is the administrative centre of Cornwall and thus the advancement of Cornish language rights in the city is a significant step forward for the Cornish tongue.

The Mebyon Kernow give us the following from their web page: "It is our belief that the historic nation of Cornwall, with its own distinct identity, language and heritage, has the same right to self determination as Scotland and Wales."

Future of Welsh Language In Education - Debate Rages on Proposal That a Third of State Funded Curriculum be Taught in Welsh

Submitted by Niall McCarsten on July 4, 2013 - 2:07pm

Reflecting the recent surge in support for the Welsh language, The Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas Yr Laith Gymraeg) have called for the status of Welsh in education to be upgraded to that of a language of instruction in various subjects rather than its current status of merely being taught as a second language.

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