Celtic Recipes

'Orwellian' response to Freedom of Information Request made regarding Cornwall Council Planning Portal

Submitted by Kernow Matters to Us on June 18, 2020 - 8:59pm

George Orwell's dystopian novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel ' may have been set in times some 36 years ago now, but it appears that Cornwall Council planners have been reading it very carefully indeed for practical hints and tips in their employment of 'double speak'.

The reckless development of Cornwall which is placing our UNESCO World Heritage Status under real threat, is shocking but comes as no surprise when reading the results of a simple request made of the planners and submitted under the Freedom of Information Act.

Scottish Parliament votes to ban unlicensed mountain hare culling and make them a protected species

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on June 18, 2020 - 5:04pm

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; Scottish Gaelic: Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA)  have voted to ban the unlicensed culling of mountain hares and to make them a protected species. Mountain hares are Scotland's only native hare, where they could have existed since the last ice age. MSPs passed an amendment giving greater protection for mountain hares. It was proposed by Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone and now forms part of the new Animals and Wildlife Bill.

Manx border remains an "integral part of our defences" against coronavirus says Chief Minister

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on June 17, 2020 - 2:53pm

The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) border will remain closed because it is "not the moment to make significant changes", the Manx chief minister, Howard Quayle has said. The Isle of Man became the first place in the British and Irish Isles to live without lockdown and to end social distancing on Monday 15th June. Although it is now 27 days since the island last had an active case of coronavirus, Howard Quayle told Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), which is the legislature of the Isle of Man, that the border remained an "integral part of our defences" against the disease.

Cornish Rising: The Battle of Blackheath 17 June 1497

Submitted by Kernow Matters to Us on June 17, 2020 - 2:14pm

On this day, the 17 June 1497 at Blackheath in Kent, the Battle of Blackheath was fought between a Cornish army and the army of England’s King Henry VII.

The battle was the main conflict during the first Cornish rising of 1497.

The Cornish army badly frightened King Henry and caused panic in London.

King Henry VII had angered the Cornish people by closing their Stannary Parliament and taxing them to pay for his war with Scotland in which the Cornish wanted no part.

The Cornish decided they would march to London to demand an end to the taxes.

Capercaillie conservation effort gains significant funding

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on June 16, 2020 - 10:44pm

Major efforts are underway to boost numbers of one of Scotland's rarest birds. Capercaillie are the largest grouse species in the world and have been living in Scotland's pine forests since the last Ice Age. The Scottish Gaelic name for this species, capall-coille, means ‘horse of the forest.’ They are found in the pinewoods of northern Scotland and it is estimated there are fewer than 1,000. About 80% are found in Strathspey in the Cairngorms.  

Buccleuch land buyout by community in southern Scotland receives boost

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on June 15, 2020 - 4:51pm

Buccleuch, one of Scotland's biggest landowners, has been seeking to sell land in southern Scotland for some time. Now two bids to take moorland  into community ownership have secured significant support. The Langholm Initiative and Newcastleton and District Community Trust (NDCT) is being given £1.85m to purchase the Buccleuch-owned land. An award of £1m from the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) is going to the Langholm Initiative. They hope to buy more than 10,000 acres and plan to create a Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.

Isle of Man government further eases coronavirus restrictions and ends social distancing requirements

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on June 15, 2020 - 3:32pm

A series of changes to coronavirus restrictions came into force on the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin)  today, Monday 15th June. This follows 25 days without any new cases of Covid-19. The changes include Manx residents no longer being legally required to remain two metres apart. This was confirmed by the Chief Minister of the Manx government, Howard Quayle, who had contracted the virus earlier in the pandemic, but thankfully made a full recovery.  He has now confirmed social distancing is no longer deemed necessary to protect the community from coronavirus.

No new Coronavirus cases on Isle of Man for three weeks points to additional protection provided by border controls

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on June 10, 2020 - 10:17pm

It has been reported that there have now been no new Covid-19 cases on the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) for three weeks. The Isle of Man Government stopped all passenger arrivals to the Isle of Man by air and sea from the morning of 27 March 2020. The borders remain closed to all but essential workers and certain other specific categories. Along with other measures, including social distancing, it appears that the closure of Manx borders has been an important factor in preventing further spread of the virus.

Mysterious Remains Of The Pagan Lady Found In A Manx Castle

Alastair Kneale's picture
Submitted by Alastair Kneale on June 10, 2020 - 8:16pm

Freja

During excavations the remains of a 10th century woman was uncovered in a stone lined grave at Peel Castle (Manx: Cashtal Purt ny h-Inshey) on the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin). Buried with her was a stunning necklace, which retained the superb colours of glass, amber and jet. There were also other interesting and mysterious objects beside her. Amongst them was an ammonite fossil. Ammonites are creatures that lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. This could possibly have been a talisman. She also had a miniature mortar and pestle, a long iron rod down by her side covered in textile, feathers and seeds, and feathers from a goose wing were in the grave.

Scottish Pirate Captain Kidd And Legend Of His Buried Treasure

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on June 7, 2020 - 6:34pm

Captain Kidd burying treasure

The Scottish city of Dundee (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Dè or Dùn Dèagh) stands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Tatha) which feeds into the North Sea on Scotland’s eastern coast. There are many notable people who were born or associated with Dundee, but there are few who have so much myth and legend surrounding them than Captain William Kidd. This notorious Scottish pirate was born in Dundee in around 1655. He emigrated to New York and is thought to have become a seaman's apprentice and then by 1689, was a member of a French–English pirate crew sailing the Caribbean. On one such voyage William Kidd became a captain. In 1691 he met and married Sarah Bradley Cox Oort, a wealthy New York widow.

During the war between England and France in the 1690’s, Captain Kidd became a successful privateer in charge of the vessel Blessed William. He was part of a small fleet defending the small English island colony of Nevis and American and English trade routes with the West Indies. The English did not pay the sailors for their defensive services, telling them instead to gain their income  from the capture of enemy ships that had valuable cargo. These actions also included the attack and plunder of ports on French island colonies.

Pages