FilmG 2010

…de For Argyll:

And what a place to launch this year’s 3-5 minute short Gaelic films competitions for young people and for adults.

It was in Strontian – at Ardnamurchan High School in the Ardnamurchan peninsula, at the inward end of the long penetration of Loch Sunart from the Sound of Mull- literally a world of its own.

The launch saw BBC ALBA presenters, Fiona MacKenzie and Calum MacAulay, join pupils of Ardnamurchan and Mallaig High Schools in an afternoon of celebration. The Ardnamurchan pupils took the upper hand in FilmG 2009, winning the Best Film award in the Young People’s category.

The theme for the 2010 FilmG competition – the third since its inception – is The Upper Hand / Làmh an Uachdar. What you make of that will determine how you do in the contest...

"Malplimulto Lingvoj en la Unuiĝinta Reĝlando"

…de la Konsilio de Eŭropo:

The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has just made public the third report on the situation of minority languages in the UK. This report has been drawn up by a committee of independent experts which monitors the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

On the basis of the report, the Committee of Ministers calls on the UK to continue taking resolute action for the protection and promotion of Scottish Gaelic in all areas, in particular in education, through the training of teachers and the production of teaching and learning materials.

Furthermore, the UK authorities are encouraged to adopt and implement a comprehensive Irish language policy, preferably through the adoption of legislation.

The UK should also ensure that health and social care facilities offer services in Welsh.

Finally, the Committee of Ministers recommends the UK to adopt a strategy to enhance and develop Ulster Scots, in co-operation with the speakers.

The regional or minority languages protected under the Charter in the UK are Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Scots, Ulster Scots, Manx Gaelic and Cornish.

Glaschu

...de la Evening Telegraph:

Scotland's biggest city is launching its "vision" to boost the use of Gaelic in the community.

The three-year action plan for Glasgow includes the opening of a second Gaelic school in the city.

Wider use of Gaelic on council signs and in relevant council communications including forms, press releases and letters is also planned.

Local authorities now have a statutory obligation to prepare a Gaelic Language Plan under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.

Glasgow City Councillor Aileen Colleran said: "We have a vision for Gaelic in our city and this plan sets it out.

"By 2020, the place of Gaelic will be obvious to all. We'll see it around us - in our buildings, on our streets and in our shops - we'll hear it in conversations, in our schools and in the media.

Our young people will be speaking it in Buchanan Street without feeling self conscious about it and people will recognise the language as Gaelic."...

Interkelta Festo Noz

...de BZH Novjorko:

BZH New York has organized the first Interceltic Fest Noz which will take place in New York on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at Connolly’s Times Square.

The Fest Noz is a celebration of music, dance, and culture of Brittany, Galicia, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and will feature 40 musicians from the 5 Celtic nations, dance sets from the different Celtic cultures and a silent auction.

In addition, the evening will celebrate the Celtic festival of Imbolc. Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals celebrated among Celtic peoples, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring.

The current lineup of performers includes the following:

Bretagne: Duo Morgane Labbe and Francois Tiger - Bagad de New York - Marie Martin

Ireland: Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra Led - Tony DeMarco and Friends - Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance

Scotland: Wild Thistle featuring Mary Morrisson Abdill and Hannah Maire Marcus – Aodhagán - Capital Region Celtic Pipe Band,

Wales: Honey and Biscuits featuring Helen Ellis and Mary Morrisson

Galicia: Nosa Terra

Silent auction from 7pm to 10pm: Artists Capucine Bourcart and Christophe LeGris will auction 6 photographies with all proceeds going to Action Against Hunger and its Relief Efforts in Haiti...

“Bainigí sult as an oíche!”

…de la New York Times:

And working together, I have no doubt that our best days are still ahead.

Our best years are still ahead. Now, can we do it? Will you help me?

Will you help make the greatest city in the world even better?

Will the Yankees win Game 6? You better believe it. God bless. Enjoy the night.

Or, as we say in Gaelic [?], Disfruta la noche. Thank you, and God bless New York City.

* Níor thacaigh an blag seo le atoghchán an Mhéara. / Ĉi tiu blogo ne aprobis la Urbestro por reelektiĝo.

West Highland Free Press

…de la BBC:

Staff at the award-winning West Highland Free Press have taken the publication over from five shareholders who had owned it.

The weekly was founded in 1972 as a left-wing newspaper to campaign for the Gaelic language and against absentee landlords.

Among its founding shareholders was Brian Wilson, a former Labour government minister.
The newspaper will now be managed by a trust centred around the staff...

George Sorial

….de STV:

Donald Trump’s right hand man is learning Gaelic from a celebrated Scots singer through her Twitter page.

George Sorial, Managing Director of The Trump Organisation, has joined the army of people interested in the traditional Scottish language through the daily ‘Tweets’ from Gaelic singer Fiona J. Mackenzie.

Fiona has been posting several short lessons on her site (under the twitter name Gaelicsinger) every day that are read and learnt by over 700 people from all over the world.

Mr Sorial said: “Gaelicsinger’s daily Gaelic Tweets take me back to my childhood summers spent at my Grannie’s home on the Hebridean island of Lewis where I heard Gaelic every day.

“I don’t get to hear it very often in NYC so the Tweets are an ideal, quick way for me to keep in touch with the culture of my youth and it’s great to hear the accent – and the music - on the actual podcasts on her website.”...

Nelson McCausland

….de Nelson McCausland:

This afternoon I met representatives of the Irish language organisation Pobal. At the present time I am preparing a paper on a minority languages strategy for Northern Ireland and it was an opportunity to hear the views of Janet Muller and her colleagues.

We have two indigenous minority languages in Northern Ireland, Ulster-Scots and Irish, and I said to the folk from Pobal that the nearest situation to that in Northern Ireland was the situation in Scotland, where there are also two indigenous minority languages, Scots and Gaelic.

There are differences but there are also similarities, not least the fact that the two minority languages in Ulster are sister languages to the minority languages in Scotland. Scottish Gaelic developed from Irish Gaelic and Ulster-Scots is a variant of Scots.

I also explained that one of my priorities was to promote a shared and better future and that the minority languages strategy would reflect the core principles of that priority, which are equity, diversity and independence.

Gaelaj Menuoj

…de la Press & Journal:

Menus at an Inverness hotel have given new food for thought.

For the Royal Highland Hotel is one of the first in the city to have its menus in both English and Gaelic.

The hotel in Academy Street is also planning to introduce multi-lingual signs around the premises.

The new menus were introduced to help increase the popularity of the traditional Highland language and to link it to food.

Yesterday, a member of staff, who did not want to be named, said: “We found that most of the places we looked at don’t use Gaelic.

“It’s the traditional language of the Highlands, and we decided to use it to link it back to the country and with food.“Our customers seem to really appreciate it."...

La Brita Ministerio de Eksterlandaj Aferoj & Keltalingvoj

…de la BBC:

The NI Executive was warned by the Foreign Office that a failure to agree on minority languages was creating international difficulties for the UK.

The Executive failed to submit details of how it is fulfilling a commitment to promote Irish and Ulster Scots under the terms of a European charter.

As a result the UK had to submit a late and incomplete report to the Council of Europe, the only nation to do so.
This caused annoyance at the Foreign Office and other devolved governments.

The UK government is required to report to the Council of Europe every three years on its progress in protecting minority languages, such as Ulster Scots, Irish, Scots Gaelic and Welsh. …

…The BBC has seen a letter from April this year in which the then Europe minister Caroline Flint wrote to Stormont's then Culture Minister Gregory Campbell.

She stated she was "disappointed" that his department was still unable to provide its input.

She went on to state that following a formal request from the Council of Europe she could no longer delay.

She wrote: "I cannot ignore this request as there is now a real risk of the UK being censured for not meeting its international obligations."…

Blas Festo

...de la Press & Journal:

Ticket sales for a Highland festival celebrating culture through the Gaelic language were up by 25% this year, organisers have revealed.
More than 11,000 people attended the Blas Festival, with about half the 40 events selling out.
The festival, a key part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations, was staged between September 4 and 12 at more than 40 venues, including village halls, Eden Court Theatre in Inverness and Inverness Airport.

Blas, in partnership with Highland Council, also delivered a school and community programme for more than 4,000 young people.

Festival director Donna MacRae said: “We are absolutely delighted with these attendances for the fifth Blas Festival. It proves that the people of the Highlands and visitors from overseas want to experience Highland culture.

“Given these stricken economic times, it is a particularly impressive performance...

Dr-o Mark Turin kaj la Kornvalalingvo

…de la Western Morning News:

More resources should be devoted to preserving traditional British languages such as Cornish, a University of Cambridge anthropologist has said.

Dr Mark Turin, a research associate in social anthropology, is heading up the World Oral Literature Project, which aims to create lasting records of traditional languages.

The project, in association with Cambridge University's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, aims to capture the poetry, myths, stories and folk songs of ancient languages on a variety of media.

But although grants are being given to tribes and groups around the world, no money will be allocated to UK groups, although Dr Turin admits that along with Breton, Welsh and Gaelic, Cornish is a threatened language.

He said: "People often think it's often only tribal cultures that are under threat.

"But all over Europe there are pockets of traditional communities and speech forms that have become extinct.

"It is the domain of stronger nation states with better resources to look after their own indigenous tongues, through Welsh language TV and Breton literature.

"Given our small team, we are focusing on the indigenous people who do not have the funding to help themselves."…

Angus MacNeil

…de Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba:

Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP Angus MacNeil has hit out at "crackpot bureaucracy" after being contacted by a constituent who had a job offer withdrawn at the last moment when European Commission officials realised she spoke Scottish Gaelic rather than Irish Gaelic - despite not needing either language for the job.Mr MacNeil’s constituent, Anne-Margaret Stewart, was offered a traineeship as fisheries socio-economist with the European Commission Research Centre after demonstrating she could speak two languages, but was contacted just weeks before her start date when HR officials realised she was Scottish and not Irish.

The job offer was withdrawn – despite the fact that the post only required communication in English….

…"I will be in touch with my SNP colleagues in the European Parliament and the European and Irish authorities to see if there is a way through the current impasse that would help Ms Stewart take up the post she is eminently qualified for."

Departemento de Agrikulturo kaj Kampara Evoluigo

…de la News Letter:

An email from one of the Stormont Irish translators reveals that he did not understand what one of the Department of Agriculture's (DARD) top achievements meant.

The department had boasted that it was “Growing rural communities”.

But the translator said in an email: “I was unsure what exactly was meant by this phrase and, because of the urgency, had no time to enquire. I have, therefore, offered two translations:

“1. Pobail tuaithe atá ag méadú (Rural communities which are growing)

“2. Ag méadú pobal tuaithe. (Acting to expand rural communities).”

No official explanation has been offered for the decision not to proceed with the magazine...

Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis

…de la Inverness Courier:

Inverness’s Gaelic primary is bucking the national trend of falling school rolls and is planning for expansion just two years after opening its doors.

Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis at Inshes has started the new term with 126 pupils and expects to reach its 150 capacity next year.

Acting headteacher Kirsteen Wells believes its success is not just down to a growing interest in Gaelic culture and heritage.

"Even more so, parents are aware of the benefits of bilingualism and are very keen for their children to be fluent in two languages before heading to secondary school," she said...

Financoj por Skotgaela Edukado

…de STV:

Gaelic education in the Highlands received a massive boost today with the announcement that the Scottish Government is to invest £1.5million to increase provision in the area.

Minister for Gaelic Michael Russell was at the Gaelic primary school in Inverness this morning to make the announcement.

The school, which opened two years ago, is already facing expansion as demand for places is so high.

The area's local authority says its not just pupils who are interested in learning the language and the investment will also benefit other parts of the region.

Minister for Gaelic Michael Russell said: "Clearly it’s something that has tremendous resonance for parents and for children and equips children very well for the modern world.”...

Feis an Eilein

…de la Cape Breton Post:

Feis an Eilein, a six-day festival celebrating the traditions and culture of the Gaelic people and the songs, dance and milling frolics is in full swing, with most events taking place at the Christmas Island fire hall.

The Feis is an opportunity for local residents and visitors alike to develop skills in the Gaelic language and listen to traditional music on a wide range of instruments.

“We are getting excellent numbers for our classes with students of all ages,” said Debi MacNeil, co-chair of this year’s event with Beth MacNeil. “We’re drawing good crowds for all our events.”

MacNeil said the combination of language and song is what makes the Feis work.

“It all revolves around having fun, that’s why we’ve been here for 19 years,” she said. “We have instructors who started off coming to day camps and are now teaching at the Feis. Instructor Meagan O’Handley will be teaching Gaelic at our local school. They’re proof that Gaelic is alive and well in Cape Breton.”...

Ne Diru al Glenn Beck!

…de la Aberdeen Press & Journal:

NHS Highland was accused yesterday of trying to bring in a bilingual policy by the back door.
According to far north Highland councillor John Rosie the health authority’s newly-launched consultation on proposals for the promotion of Gaelic is a sham.

He has hit out at the cost as a misuse of public funds which would otherwise be spent on patient care.

NHS Highland has been given until the end of the year by Bord na Gaidhlig to prepare a Gaelic language plan.

The draft plan envisages bilingual signs erected outside and inside hospitals and community health centres and the language being promoted in stationary, vehicle livery and advertising and at public meetings hosted by the board.

Staff would be encouraged to learn Gaelic and those who already have the language would wear badges to advertise the fact.

Mr Rosie, a former long-serving member of the health board, claimed yesterday the new policy was unnecessary and unwanted...

Konferenco ĉe la NovJorka Irlanda Centro

…de la la NovJorka Irlanda Centro:

Much to our delight, we hosted a wonderful three day conference of Celtic Language speaking Teachers and Students from all over the US, Canada, Scotland, & Ireland.

We also had people speaking Cornish, Breton and Manx in the mix.

It was very interesting to hear the different dialects speaking together and to hear of the various styles of teaching that works in various settings.

We had a great write-up in the Irish Voice by the organizer who wrote a lovely letter to the Editor in the May 27th issue.

Each year the conference is held in a different country, mostly alternating between the US and Canada, but the fifth year the Association goes over to Europe.

We believe next year it may be held in Scotland. More information can be found at http://www.naaclt.org.

.

[Foto: Liam Ó Cuinneagáin kaj Séamus de Blaca.]

"Politika Armilo"?

…de la Times:

David Mitchell, the comic who has recently discovered a previously unknown Scottish ancestry, has condemned as “absurd” the amount of public money being spent on projects to promote the Gaelic language.

The star of the cult sitcom Peep Show and That Mitchell and Webb Look, who was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, learned of his Celtic lineage after taking part in the BBC’s genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?

With the help of researchers, he traced his paternal roots to Sutherland where his family were sheep farmers.

Now Mitchell has used his personal blog to claim that the language which his ancestors may have spoken is being used as a “political weapon” by politicians to whip up nationalist sentiment. He said he believed money being lavished on Gaelic would be better spent teaching other languages.

In a regular feature of his blog called Soapbox, he said: “I am uneasy about spending too much public money or time on a language which is not now far above the level of a private code...