Celtic Recipes

St Andrew's Day and how he became Scotland's patron saint

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on November 29, 2018 - 1:26pm

St. Andrew's Day (Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Aindrea) is Scotland's official national day celebrated on 30th November. St Andrew has been the patron saint of Scotland from at least the mid tenth century and legend says long before. He was born in the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee in the early 1st century and is the brother of St Peter. According to the Gospel of St John, Andrew was a follower of the preacher John the Baptist and then became a disciple of Jesus who he recognised as the Messiah. The name Andrew is Greek in origin.

Isle of Man: Drama Increases with Publication of New Book Crescendo

Submitted by Valerie Caine on November 28, 2018 - 9:30pm

Those who treated themselves to Maria Darnoult's debut novel, Face The Music, will be delighted to know that the sequel, Crescendo, is now available.

Maria's latest book continues to follow the love story of William Waverley and Hannah Corlett which scandalised the inhabitants of Castletown at the turn of the twentieth century. William, an aging widower, headmaster, church organist, choir master and pillar of local society, raised more than a few eyebrows in the ancient capital when he fell under the spell of a shop girl almost thirty years his junior.

Calls for Sinn Féin to take seats in British parliament wrong

Submitted by Eibhlin O'Neill on November 28, 2018 - 2:25pm

It seems that there is a likelihood that the draft withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom will be defeated by a majority vote in the House of Commons (the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom). There are seven elected Sinn Féin (the Irish republican political party) members of the House of Commons from constituencies in the Six Counties in the north of Ireland. Quite rightly, Sinn Féin has always contested general elections in the north of Ireland on the basis of abstentionism.

Isle of Man: Manx Language Festival Kicks Off with Guest Speaker from Ireland

Submitted by Valerie Caine on November 27, 2018 - 10:57am

This year's Manx language festival Cooish kicked off with the annual Ned Maddrell Lecture given by the Irish Gaelic academic Tadhg Joseph Ó Ceallaigh, a lecturer in Limerick who explored language education.

He was speaking about the different methods used to teach Irish and how this was integrated into the education system, but revealed he was impressed with the work undertaken on the Island which has revitalised the Manx language.

Vikings invade Aberdeen - but only to switch on the Christmas lights!

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on November 26, 2018 - 6:05pm

Viking invasions brought cheer to Aberdeen last weekend. Maybe it was not always so, but this time around there were smiles all around. The Vikings were from Sandwick in Shetland. Shetland is where the annual fire festival of Up Helly Aa is held to celebrate the islands Norse heritage. They came to Aberdeen where crowds welcomed the Up Helly Aa crew with loud cheers. They took part in the parade, which this year had the theme of “fire and ice”, to switch on the Christmas lights.

Island community in Orkney awarded money to purchase 1,700 acres of land

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on November 26, 2018 - 12:46pm

Islanders in Orkney have been awarded £260,000 to purchase more than 1,700 acres of peatland and pasture. The Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust (REWDT) have welcomed the funding which they say will allow it to employ a project officer and ranger. They also hope to promote tourism on the island of Rousay and encourage people to make the island their home, which at present has 216 residents. The name of Rousay is derived from the Old Norse word Hrólfsey meaning Rolf's Island.

Manx Words: a new resource for learners of Manx

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on November 26, 2018 - 11:47am

Media release from Culture Vannin:

Manx Words: a new resource for learners of Manx

Culture Vannin is pleased to announce the release of a new publication for learners of Manx.

Entitled Manx Phrases this new resource is a fantastic addition to the growing material available for both learners and speakers of the language.

Ankou

Submitted by Dominique Corolleur on November 24, 2018 - 7:56pm

In the Celtic mythology of Brittany the figure of Ankou is associated with death. Tall and wearing a long dark coat, a wide brimmed hat and carrying a scythe over his shoulder, the skeletal Ankou is a collector of the souls of the dead. Ankou is sometimes said to have two skeleton helpers who assist in loading the souls of the dead into a rickety cart drawn by black horses. 

There are a number of tales about Ankou. One is recounted in the book of Breton myths, legends and music compiled and published in 1839 by Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, ‘Barzaz Breiz’.

It involves the story of three young drunken friends who when returning home one night met an elderly man dressed in black on an old cart. The man was Ankou. Two of the men started to taunt the old man and throwing stones broke the axel of his cart, they then ran away.

Irish Neolithic logboat discovered in River Boyne

Submitted by Eibhlin O'Neill on November 24, 2018 - 12:34pm

In June 2016 four anglers, Stephen Murphy, Kieran Mahar, William Gregory and David Johnston, found the remains of a prehistoric logboat in the River Boyne (An Bhóinn) in Ireland. A sample of the wood has now been radiocarbon dated to between 3,300-2,900BC.  This coincides with the construction of the Neolithic passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne including Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange in the Boyne Valley through which the river flows. The remains of the logboat consist of a 3m length of wood, which would have formed the base of the boat.

Celebration of Scottish author of Peter Pan and young people’s story-telling

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on November 23, 2018 - 11:49am

Dreams for the Future is a celebration of Scottish novelist and playwright J M Barrie (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) creator of Peter Pan, and also of young people’s story-telling. The Festival, being held in Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phris) from November 24 to December 2, will mark Scotland’s Year of Young People (Bliadhna na h-Òigridh) and feature events for all ages involving story-telling, music and theatre. Details of the Dreams for the Future Festival can be obtained from the Moat Brae website.

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