Celtic Recipes

Remembrance Day and First World War

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on November 11, 2022 - 6:23pm

Remembrance day in many parts of the world is observed annually on 11the November to mark the end of hostilities at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The First World War (28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918) is one of the deadliest conflicts in history, it is estimated that it resulted in the death of over nine million combatants and seven million civilians.

Warning from the Isle of Man - Just Because You Vote For a Change Doesn't Mean You Get It!

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on November 8, 2022 - 12:00pm

Interesting article (below) from the Mannin (Isle of Man ) Branch of the Celtic League. Looking at the performance of the Manx government after the last election to the House of Keys (Manx: Yn Kiare as Feed), which is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. Should not come as too much of a surprise for those in Britain seeking a new government. Given that the present Labour Party opposition, under their leader, Kier Starmer, is indistinguishable from the present Tory Government.

'IT’S GOING WELL…

'Reih Bleeaney Vannin' Manx Cultural Award Nominations

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on October 28, 2022 - 1:52pm

Culture Vannin - Media Release

Nominate your cultural hero for the prestigious RBV Award

It’s time to think about who should be awarded the Isle of Man’s top cultural award, the ‘Reih Bleeaney Vanannan’, known as the RBV for short.

Support for Irish language protections passed in British Parliament

Submitted by Eibhlin O'Neill on October 28, 2022 - 1:40pm

MPs in the House of Commons have approved plans to bolster the official status of the Irish language in Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann). The proposed law aims to create new protections for the Irish language in the north of Ireland. The legislation will give the Irish language official status. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland. 

Calls for more support for Scottish Gaelic Broadcasting

Submitted by Douglas MacQueen on October 21, 2022 - 12:53pm

Former Scotland Office minister Iain Stewart has called for better support in UK government legislation for Gaelic broadcasting. He said the service in Scotland should enjoy the same public sector broadcast status as the Welsh language. At this time public broadcasting is a matter reserved to Westminster (British government). 

King Orry's Grave - Megalithic Tomb in Isle of Man

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on October 12, 2022 - 12:47pm

King Orry's Grave in Laxey, Isle of Man (Manx: Laksaa, Mannin) is approximately 6000 years old. There are two tombs on this site which at one time could have been connected.

Balladoole - Archaeological Site of Ancient Ritual Observance

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on October 1, 2022 - 12:18pm

Balladoole is clearly a remarkable historical and archaeological site. The hilltop overlooking the coast at Baie ny Carrickey southeast of Port St Mary, Isle of Man (Manx: Purt le Moirrey, Mannin) has been used for millennia as a place of ritual by peoples of many different beliefs. Excavations of the hilltop have uncovered Mesolithic remains; a Bronze Age cist; an Iron Age hill fort; a Christian keeill ( small chapel); a Christian burial ground, and a Viking Age boat burial.

London Manx Society to celebrate Mhelliah 2022 on Monday 3rd October

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on September 25, 2022 - 12:18pm

London Manx Society (Manx: Yn Cheshaght Manninagh Lunnin) will be holding their Mhelliah Service at St Bride's Church in London's Fleet Street on Monday 3rd October 2022. A Mhelliah is a traditional Celtic harvest festival that remains popular on the Isle of Man, and is celebrated annually by London Manx Society. In his novel 'The Manxman', a 1894 novel by the Manx writer Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), he describes the Mhelliah festival:

The Deliberate Repression of the Celtic Languages

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on September 21, 2022 - 4:12pm

There are only six Celtic languages spoken in the world today: Breton, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Manx and Welsh. For centuries there has been a systematic campaign to destroy the native languages of the Celtic lands. The use of these languages was banned in schools and work places by brutal means in Alba (Scotland), Breizh (Brittany), Cymru (Wales), Éire (Ireland), Kernow (Cornwall) and Mannin (Isle of Man). 

Niamh Cinn-Óir and the Land of Tír na nÓg

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Submitted by Alastair Kneale on August 25, 2022 - 8:25am

Niamh, illustrated by Beatrice Elvery in Heroes of the Dawn (1914)

The Fenian Cycle or Fianna Cycle (Irish: an Fhiannaíocht) in early Irish literature focuses on the exploits of the band of warriors known as the Fianna and their leader Fionn mac Cumhaill. Fionn mac Cumhaill is a hero in Irish as well as Scottish and Manx mythology. Much of the Fianna Cycle or Fenian Cycle is narrated by Fionn's son, the poet Oisín. The Fenian cycle remains an important part of Irish folklore passed down in oral tradition over many centuries.

A well known story from the Fenian Cycle is The Interrogation of the Old Men (Irish Agallamh Na Seanórach) probably compiled and written from older sources and oral tradition by a single author in about 1200. Other earlier tales were recorded in manuscripts and include The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100) and The Book of Leinster (c. 1160). The Fenian cycle is a key part of Irish folklore and contains many popular folk tales. Over the years a number of variations of the stories have been told and written.

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