Celtic Recipes

RIP Tom Jago

Tom Jago, Camelford boy whose father was manager of Barclays Bank, Camelford has passed away aged 93 years.

Tom came up with the idea of mixing Irish whiskey with cream to create Baileys' Irish Cream which sells more than 87 million bottles each year around the world.

He also launched the wine brand Le Piat d’Or in 1978 and Johnny Walker Blue Label amongst others.

 

Mann: Cops urge road users to respect each other - 'Safe Pass'

‘When I find myself behind a cyclist on a tricky road it's best to wait and pass with caution. After all they are on a bike and comparatively exposed you have a car wrapped and strapped around you.’

Cycling! It brings back happy memories of narrow roads in the Connemara gaeltacht and glorious endless sunshine. Perhaps I should have stuck to two wheels and I might not be so corpulent. Cycling is the big thing these days in Mann we even have cycling Ministers and cycling lanes. We also have busy roads!

Mysterious Halloween in Ballantrae - A Scottish ghost story

Ardstinchar Castle

Ballantrae (Scottish Gaelic: Baile na Tràgha) is a village on the south-west coast of Scotland. It is in South Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas). Ballantrae is famous as the setting for the novel The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1889. In the distance can be seen the magnificent uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig. Formed from volcanic remains it is some ten miles from the Scottish coast and rises to a height of 1,110 feet (338m).

As Robbie walked from his home in the village he looked out across the sea towards the Ailsa Craig, but the mist had shrouded the small island. It felt strange not to see it looming in the distance so dominant is it on this part of the Scottish coastline. Robbie had finished work early today the 31st October. He had arranged to meet up with some friends in the evening to celebrate the night of Halloween. However, with time on his hands until then, he decided to use this opportunity to take some exercise and wander around the many paths that made this area such a ramblers paradise. Ballantrae is sometimes referred to as the gateway to Carrick. Carrick is a name derived from the Scottish Gaelic word Carraig meaning rock or rocky place. It is a district that was part of the old Kingdom of Galloway. This Kingdom is associated with the same Norse-Gael world of Isle of Man, Hebrides and Dublin. These old Norse colonies and the Vikings that had settled there had been subject to Gaelicisation. They had integrated into Gaelic society and adopted the language and customs of the Gaelic people who lived in these lands.

H BLOCKS reappear a world away!

The infamous H Block type prison has made a remarkable return in the Dabancheng Valley of the Uighur people in an area occupied by the Chinese government which has embarked on a severe programme of repression. A BBC in depth report published today focuses on detention centres in the country in which an estimated 130,000 Uyghur are imprisoned for what is euphemistically termed re-education:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/China_hidden_camps

'Prince Mo' and the Manx connection!

Prince Mohammed bin Salman seems pretty laid back for a guy who is in the eye of a storm. But I suppose when you can afford to splash out $300 million for a French Chateau you think you are pretty much untouchable.

That’s just what he did in 2015 and the attached Irish Times article says the purchase was concealed andl how platoons of lawyers, bankers and accountants in Germany, Bermuda and the Isle of Man helped facilitate this and other transactions:

Ireland: Jobs cut in switch from peat to renewables

While the IOM government and its DEFA prevaricate over climate change our neighbor to the West Ireland is taking action that will see peat harvesting by industrial means dramatically cut back and its use ended completely for energy production by 2028.

Peat production volumes hit a high of 6.5 million tonnes in 2013; Bord na Móna is planning to reduce that to 2 million tonnes in 2020 with 2028 as the deadline for an end to the use of peat for energy, two years earlier than originally planned.

Peat bogs are important ‘sinks’ for carbon dioxide as this report outlines:

Significant archaeological 6000 year old tools found in Scotland

The Tarradale Through Time project, is a North of Scotland Archaeology Society (NOSAS) led project that commenced in 2017. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland as well as private donors, it encourages community engagement with archaeology in the Highlands of Scotland. They have been investigating the history of continuous occupation from the very first settlers through to the end of subsistence agriculture in the Black Isle (Scottish Gaelic: an t-Eilean Dubh), a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands.

Shocking figures on Welsh poverty point to potential benefits of an independent Wales

There was a headline news item on BBC Wales yesterday (23 October) " 'Paupers' funerals' in Wales reach five-year high". The news item went on to report that the number of public health funerals in Wales in 2017-18 was the highest for at least five years. So-called paupers' funerals are held by public authorities and the figures show a rise of 62% since 2013-14.

Theresa, Howard and Corina...er who?

Manx Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK witters on incessantly about Brexit. Not surprising really as where economically the UK go and the uncertainties that pertain will impact us all.

Howard tends to be fairly upbeat and indeed, although it seems a long time ago now, back in May 2017 the Manx government averred:

Media bias against SNP exposed as ITV censured over inaccuracies in interview with Nicola Sturgeon

It has long been recognised that that there is a hostility towards Scottish independence by the mainstream media. Overwhelmingly the press has been hostile to the Scottish National Party (SNP). This is as obvious now as it was during the time of the referendum held on Scottish independence. This includes the broadcast media, and the BBC has often been criticised for its lack of balanced reporting on the issue. It is, of course not just the BBC.

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