Hunger strike for broadcast powers ends on Senedd steps

A young campaigner has brought his seven-day hunger strike to an end outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay today with an appeal for politicians to back the devolution of broadcasting powers to Wales.
Elfed Wyn Jones from Trawsfynydd has not eaten since last Tuesday as part of a campaign to transfer powers over broadcasting from Westminster to Wales.
The end of the fast came a day before a debate in the Assembly chamber on the matter, and the student presented a letter to the Welsh Government on the Senedd steps.
Speaking at the end of his seven-day stint without food, Elfed Wyn Jones said that the hunger strike “had not been easy” but that it was part of his “responsibility as a citizen of Wales”.
“I genuinely think that this is a crucial question for our democracy in Wales. If people don’t get the right facts about who is making decisions in their name, if they don’t understand how they’re governed, our young Welsh democracy is in serious danger.
“At the moment, fewer than half the population realises that the Senedd in Cardiff runs health, despite twenty years of devolution.
“Decisions about broadcasting in Wales have to be made in Wales if our politicians are to be held properly accountable for their actions.”
According to the results of a YouGov survey held last year, 65% of people in Wales support giving broadcasting powers to the Assembly while only 35% want politicians in Westminster to retain the power.
‘Inspire’
Heledd Gwyndaf, Chair of the campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said that Elfed Wyn Jones’ actions had “inspired a lot of people” and “kick-started a wider national debate”.
“A number of Assembly Members have also shown support over the years,” she said. “It’s time they now did something.
“As representatives of the people and as leaders of our country, they should take responsibility, pull their socks up and follow in Elfed’s brave footsteps and all those others who are prepared to break the law for this cause.
“Over fifty people are already refusing to pay their TV licenses as part of this campaign.”
An independent review of S4C is expected to be published soon. It is due to consider, among other issues, whether the responsibility for S4C should be devolved from Westminster to the Assembly.
A delay in publishing the conclusions of the inquiry, which were presented to the UK Government before Christmas, means the broadcaster does not know what its budget will be from April.
In 2013, the Silk Commission – a cross-party review commissioned by the UK Government – concluded that control over the government’s financial contribution to S4C should be transferred from Westminster to the Welsh Government.

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Conradh na Gaeilge Ard-Fheis

From 23th to 25th of February Conradh na Gaeilge's Ard-Fheis took place in Trá Lí, Co. Chiarraí. The League celebrated 125 years and supported an Irish language act for Northern Ireland and the March 3rd 'Gaeilge Bheo' activities under the motto 'Irish belongs to us all'.

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Stéphanie Stoll, Breton speaker of the year

Stéphanie Stoll hasbeen awarded "brittophone of the year". A prize that rewards the commitment of this resident of Louannec in favor of the Diwan network, which she chairs. "I accepted this recognition because it goes to the entire Diwan network, explains the one who has been in charge since 2015. Together we managed to preserve the 152 contracts helped in Diwan last September. But next year? "
Coming from a family where the use of Breton was eroded over time, the granddaughter of the publisher Éditions Jack (postcards) decided to tame the language at the age of 25 years. "As much as my stays abroad had allowed me to make incredible progress in Spanish and English, the learning of Breton has proved to be destabilizing: how to learn it when the opportunities to be immersed in it on a daily basis are non-existent? "

After Sciences Po and a master's degree, the young woman embarked on a 10-week training course, which she perfected to the rhythm of evening classes, rehearsals in a theater troupe in Breton, conversations with the old neighbor ... To these difficulties, this mother of 3 children opposes the virtues of immersion, "a real chance for young people today." This will be the starting point of his associative commitment: the creation of a Diwan school in his commune, in 2006. "At that time, my Breton was still wobbly! Laughs this child from Louannec, near Perros-Guirec. Approximately or not, Breton is mastered by only 20% of the parents of Diwan's 4,300 students.

"We do not need to speak the language to measure the strengths of Breton education," says Diwan network president. Driven by a constantly rising demand, it is still preparing for new openings (several schools, a college and a high school).

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CRBC Breton Summer School Programme 2018

Teaching activities and lectures take place from Monday through Saturday morning (Saturday afternoon is free). The days are divided into two parts with morning classes being devoted to Breton language instruction. Afternoons are reserved for lectures and field trips. In addition, a number of dinners and evening activities have been planned.

The language classes are organized in three levels. Level 1 is designed for complete beginners, level 2 for false beginners and level 3 for intermediate learners. Conversation classes for all levels are taught by teachers from the Mervent Breton language Association. They concentrate their teaching on the spoken language.

Levels 1 and 2 are taught by Mr. Tanguy Solliec (linguist and PhD researcher specializing in Breton dialectometry, University of Western Brittany, CRBC). Ms Myrzinn Boucher-Durand (MA, University of Western Brittany, CRBC / PhD researcher, Celtic Studies, Harvard University) teaches the level 3 group. She will be residing at the Résidence les Colverts and accompanying participants throughout the two-week course as well as the Breton typology workshop and the Celto-Slavica 9 Colloquium.


June 4 to June 16, 2018


MORNINGS


9:00 to 12:30 – Breton language classes



The language classes are organized in three levels. Level 1 is designed for complete beginners, level 2 for false beginners and level 3 for intermediate learners. While the spoken language is stressed, the entire course has supports in standard written Breton with grammatical explanations in English. The Breton language lecturers are also English speaking (for afternoon activities, see below).



12:30 to 13:30 – Lunch (at the University Restaurant)
AFTERNOONS


13:30 to 16:15 – Breton culture and society

Lectures


The afternoon lectures are delivered by leading scholars in their fields. All lecturers are members of the CRBC.


A broad range of talks are proposed dealing with a variety of subjects such as Breton history, the origins of the Breton language, Breton dialectology and sociolinguistics, ethnology (rural and maritime culture), oral Breton literature (sources of the Barzaz Breiz), onomastics, Breton-language literature (medieval and modern), Breton art…


New talks and activities are planned for those who attended the Summer School in 2017 including a newly designed, hands-on workshop in Breton dialectology in which participants will analyse CRBC field recordings of native Breton speakers. This activity is organized by specialists in Breton geolinguistics.

OUTINGS


• During the first week of your stay, a visit of medieval Quimper and its cathedral will be organized.
• A visit to Locronan and the study of the gwerz of Saint Ronan and the origins of the Troménie and its connection with the forest of Nevet (< nemeton).
• The Art Gallery of Pont Aven and the discovery of the fishing village of Doëlan and the fortified seaport town of Concarneau.
• The 5th century monastery of Landevennec in the Crozon peninsula and a lecture of the origins of the Breton saints.




EVENING ACTIVITIES


Several evening meals will be offered to participants in Quimper and in Doëlan. The well-known traditional singer, Brigitte Kloareg, will introduce participants to Breton and Celtic singing and dancing. Every year, a favorite evening activity is to meet for a drink at the Ceili, a popular pub where Breton beer and cider are on offer and Celtic music is the rule. Quimper is known for its excellent restaurants.

Breton typology workshop and the Celto-Slavica 9 Colloquium

During the week following the Summer School, two exceptionnal events will take place : a workshop en Breton linguistic typology (June 19 - 20) and the Celto-Slavica 9 Colloquium (June 21-23). Both workshop and Celto-Slavica Colloquium will host many of the world's leading authorities in Celtic Studies.

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Anger over vandalism to bilingual welcome sign in Tyrone

Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has condemned the deliberate damage to an Irish language road sign outside Caledon. The Fermanagh South MLA said: "The vandalism of this sign is indicative of the attitude of some in society who show a complete disregard and lack of respect for the Irish identity. "There is no excuse for this type of vandalism and it will not be tolerated.

"Anybody removing, destroying or vandalising bilingual signs is involved in criminal damage and should be reported to the PSNI.Occurrences like this bring into focus the need for protection of Irish Language rights through Acht na Gaeilge." Sinn Féin and SDLP councillors recently hit out at vandalism of a bilingual road sign at Glenone area of Portglenone in Mid Ulster district.

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Welsh hunger striker wants to take back the media

Elfed Wyn Jones is already more than a day into his week-long hunger strike when he speaks to i by phone. “I’m alright,” he says, by way of reassurance. The 20-year-old farmer and student’s cause is not one that most people outside of Wales will have given much thought to: he wants control over broadcasting devolved to Wales. But to Wyn Jones, it’s vitally important.

“We need a Welsh perspective to make democracy more transparent between the people of Wales and the Senedd,” he says. “For example, 50 per cent of the people of Wales think the NHS is run by London when it’s a fully devolved matter.

“That’s because of the confusion the media causes. People still think the Tories run the NHS here.” Wales is conspicuously behind other parts of the UK when it comes to media, with only one national newspaper (mainly sold in the south) compared to Northern Ireland, which has three despite having only 60 per cent of the population.

S4C, the Welsh-language version of Channel 4, is run out of Cardiff, but its budget is still set in London, and it has been cut by £50m between 2011 and 2018. A review announced last year is expected to be published soon – making it a key moment for its future direction. Westminster’s Department for Media Culture and Sport told the Daily Post that “it is right that the UK government retains responsibility for the sector”, so the prospect of a vast, devolutionary overhaul seems remote. “I believe we needed something to jolt it back into the media,” says Wyn Jones.

Wyn Jones’ is not the first hunger strike in the history of Welsh nationalism. Gwynfor Evans, a major figure in Plaid Cymru for decades, threatened his own if Margaret Thatcher reneged on a plan to set up S4C in the first place. Other students have mounted one-day strikes for the current cause, while Plaid’s Hywel Williams even launched his own one-day version to mark a hundred years of women’s suffrage earlier this month. But it’s not the resonance – either with Welsh history or Ireland or further afield – that inspired Wyn Jones.

“It was not because of historical reasons,” he said. “It’s purely practical, fast and kind of shocking too.” It’s an interesting juncture for Welsh nationalism at the moment, with Brexit closing down the “independence-in-Europe” option previously favoured by Plaid Cymru, and with arguments over whether Westminster or Cardiff get the powers repatriated from Brussels. “Especially with Brexit and the democratic processes between Westminster and the Senedd, this was the crucial time for us to have our own media so we can assess how all these political programmes will affect us here in Wales,” says Wyn Jones. “The only way we’ll do that is through our own media. I thought that by doing this protest, it will be a start.” For inspiration, he looks not to Scotland, with its more established media but weaker language programme, but to Catalonia and the Basque country, where regional languages have held their own against Castilian Spanish.

“It’s an inspiration what’s happened there since the 1980s when they had just one channel, like Wales,” he says. “If you look at Catalonia, they’ve got six TV channels and four radio stations in Catalan. It’s to do with every aspect, there’s something for everybody within that range of channels, for different age groups and different people within their society. “The Basque country also has six television channels. You’ve got two Basque channels, one for young people and one for everyone else, and then you’ve got a range of bilingual channels which introduce people to the Basque language. Those channels also give different perspectives and show the democratic processes clearly within those countries.”

Plaid Cymru, which has four MPs and 10 Assembly members, acknowledged the hunger strike and the issue behind it in a press release. “With broadcasting policy and funding all decided in Westminster, Welsh citizens are forced to watch domestic news that is almost solely focused on the domestic affairs of another country, and denied the public service for which they are paying,” said Liz Saville Roberts, the party’s Westminster leader. Plaid Cymru’s goal is independence, but Wyn Jones himself denies that his own action is part of a plan that eventually leads to Welsh independence.

“At the moment, it’s just to get better democracy to Wales,” he says. “We don’t want to think too far ahead. It’s better just to concentrate on devolution of Welsh broadcasting so we can get a clear understanding of our politics.” He also has the support of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society), which has been taking part in direct action since the 1960s, when it ripped down English-only road signs and delivered them to the authorities. It has been described as the largest protest group since the Suffragettes in terms of numbers sent to prison.

Wyn Jones saw the Welsh flag at the United Nations in the latest Marvel superhero film Black Panther – and he was a fan. “It puts a smile on every Welsh person’s face to see Y Draig Goch, the Red Dragon, in something like that,” he says. “I like things like that, because it puts things into perspective and makes people think more about the future of Wales within the United Kingdom and the role it plays in the world. “Although some people say it’s insignificant, it does spark the mind a little bit to think deeply about things.” Wyn Jones will be hoping his own surprise for Wales will help focus minds on broadcasting.

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‘Gaeilge le Chéile’ : Recognition of the Irish Language Speaking Communities outside of the Gaeltacht

For the first time in the history of Ireland official national recognition will be bestowed on communities outside of the Gaeltacht who support the daily use of the Irish Language in their community.
Five communities have been chosen: Belfast, Co. Antrim; Loughrea, Co. Galway; Carntogher, Co. Derry; Clondalkin, Co. Dublin; and Ennis, Co. Clare, to submit an application to the Minister to be officially recognised as an ‘Irish Language Network’ community/area.                     
The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will bestow the official recognition of an ‘Irish Language Network’ on the communities when an Irish Language Plan, a plan which will be implemented over 5-7 years, has been agreed with the Department for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and Foras na Gaeilge.
An imaginative public campaign has been created to inspire and encourage communities to use more Irish every day. ‘Gaeilge le Chéile’ –  Three easy steps: Use Irish every day, everywhere, with everyone.
“Simply what we hope to achieve is that more Irish will be heard and seen in our communities through creating and encouraging more opportunities to use Irish every day in our lives, starting with the easy step of using ‘Go raibh maith agat’ and ‘Slán’ every day, everywhere, with everyone.  Our communities will benefit from this planning process and future investment as a result”, Brian Ó Gáibhín, Clondalkin Líonra.
‘Gaeilge le Chéile’ and ‘the Irish Language Networks’ was officially launched on Thursday 22 February 2018 in Croke Park at 11.00 a.m. by special guest Bernard Dunne. Minister Joe McHugh TD was also be in attendance.

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Welsh language commissioner role 'facing axe by stealth'

The Welsh Government is trying to abolish the post of Welsh language commissioner "by stealth", campaigners have claimed.BBC Wales understands the commissioner Meri Huws has not had replies to letters to ministers reminding them that her term in office finishes in March 2019.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg warns there could be a period without a regulator.
Welsh Government said the process to replace her would begin "in good time".
Instead of a single figurehead, the Welsh Government launched proposals last summer to create a Welsh language commission to promote the language.
It is thought that the next commissioner to be appointed may be the last to take up the role.
Ms Huws is yet to receive a reply to her letter to First Minister Carwyn Jones in the autumn or the minister responsible for the Welsh language, Eluned Morgan, last month.
The lack of response, coupled with the fact that ministers are yet to state firmly what the future of the commissioner role is, prompted concern among campaigners.

"This is very concerning and very unusual," said Colin Nosworthy from Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.
"There could be a period without a Welsh language commissioner at all, regulating and defending our language rights.
"This looks like some stealthy means of getting rid of the Welsh language commissioner despite the fact that most people who replied to the Welsh Government consultation said they shouldn't get rid of the job."
Ms Huws previously said she wanted to see evidence that any change to the current structure would lead to the strengthening of the Welsh language.
Ms Huws said she "trusts that the process of appointing the next commissioner is under way".
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The minister has received a letter from the commissioner and is preparing a reply to explain that the work of preparing the process to recruit her successor is going ahead.
"The process will begin in good time to secure a new commissioner will be in his/her place by March 2019."

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Prizioù Dazont ar Brezhoneg 2018

The Breton Future Awards ceremony was held on Friday, February 16, 2018 in Karaez / Carhaix in the presence of Mrs. Lena Louarn, Vice President of the Regional Council for Languages of Brittany and President of the OPLB (Breton Language Public Office), M Christian Troadec, Mayor of Karaez and Mr. Mael Le Guennec, Director of France 3 Bretagne.

The ceremony, which gathered more than 350 spectators, was filmed by France 3 Bretagne at Espace Glenmor and was broadcasted on the program Bali Breizh.

Winners List

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40 years of Breton language school celebrated in Gwengamp

The anniversary of the 40th anniversary of Diwan school in Gwengamp / Guingamp school began on February 10th, with the schoolchildren, of course, but also with the singer brothers Morvan, Henri and Yvon, who came as neighbors of Saint-Nicodemus. The forum day, organized as part of the establishment's open house, continued with stands on associative schooling; board games in Breton; an exhibition on the history of Breton and the evolution of Celtic languages; a lecture around the language and its fragility, led by Fanny Chauffin, teacher at Karaez/Carhaix High School and author of the book "Diwan, 40 years old already". Speakers from Carhaix High School, the support committee or the Diwan network, as well as numerous associations will also be present (Breton Cultural Center, Redadeg, theater troupe, etc.).

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10th annual Gaelic Film ceremony

Scottish stars turned out in Glasgow on Friday, 9th February to present awards at the tenth annual National Gaelic Film ceremony. FilmG is MG ALBA’s (the Gaelic Media Service) prestigious Gaelic screen talent awards, which this year attracted a record number of entries and was streamed live to audiences around the world. The ceremony was held at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow and hosted by Fiona MacKenzie, face of BBC ALBA, and Niall Iain Macdonald, TV & radio presenter.

Present on the night were many students of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, who had been successful in reaching the short list in many of the categories. There were also a large number of SMO alumni working at the event, who had undertaken the College’s Diploma in Gaelic Media or BA in Gaelic Media, and
who are now employed professionally in the industry. Lana Beaton from the Isle of Skye, a previous student of SMO and now studying BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen at Edinburgh Napier University, had an exceptional evening winning 2 awards –Best Performance and Best Student Film
–for her film ‘Coig Puing a Trì’. She also made it onto three short lists and won the People’s Choice award as voted by the public on the FilmG website. Current SMO student, Peggy-May Chapple, also achieved a place on three short lists in the categories of Best Mobile Short, Most Promising New Director and Best Performance for her film ‘An Fhìrinn mu dheidhinn GERD’. Also successful in reaching the short list in the category for Best Mobile Short with his film, ‘Fàilte dhan Diungail: Beathaichean Gàidhlig’, was another student of SMO, Ross Christie. Ross, who comes from Argyll, is currently on his second year on the BA (Hons) Gaelic and Media Studies degree. Rachel Ellen Mackay, who last year graduated from the Diploma in Gaelic Media course, made it onto two short lists in the categories for Best Heritage Film and Best Industry Director with her film'Gin Galore!’. Rachel, who comes from the Isle of Lewis, is currently employed by independent tv company Solas Productions in Glasgow. Another graduate from Sabhal Mòr’s TV course who was also shortlisted for her film ‘Amas na Bliadhn’ Ùire’ in the category for Best Industry Director was Victoria Kilgour from Glasgow. Victoria has been working as an editor for Glasgow based Filtr/Beesnees Media since graduating.

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Dìleab an t-Siorraidh, Launch event held for new Gaelic project

People from throughout Lewis and Harris gathered at e-Sgoil on Wednesday afternoon 7
th February 2018, to hear about Dìleab an t-Siorraidh, a new project set up by Sheriff Colin Scott Mackenzie, as a testimony to his keen interest in Gaelic.Giving an address, the Sheriff, who is himself a Gaelic learner, said that in his youth he had been told that Gaelic wouldn’t survive for
much longer but that she was still alive and he hoped always would be.
“Every language in the world is valuable in its own way,” he said, “and Gaelic is a very special language to us.”
He told the audience that he had decided to use his own money to encourage the youth to
make use of their language skills. While this year it will be a pilot scheme in Lewis and Harris only, he is hopeful that Dìleab an t-Siorraidh will continue for a long time and can be extended across
the islands with other people’s financial support.
The project aims to encourage Gaelic-speaking pupils to use and improve their language skills through a competition for Primary 7 pupils from schools throughout Lewis and Harris.
They will have to prepare a short talk about a school-based topic or subject of personal interest as well as converse with two assessors. Making use of e-Sgoil technology, the assessors will be able to link into each school so that the pupils can remain in a familiar environment in which they are comfortable.
The pupil demonstrating the highest level of fluency will be awarded a prize of £50 and schools will receive a monetary reward for each pupil participating which can be used towards a ‘treat’ for their cohort. Evaluation sheets from the competition will allow schools to assess their pupils’ ability individually or as cohort, and can also form part of individual students’ Pupil Progress Report.
The project will be launched at e-Sgoil in February and the assessments will take place annually toward the end of school term 3.


Representatives from schools, churches and Gaelic organisations were present among others and were given the opportunity to ask questions before young musicians from Fèis Eilean an Fhraoich brought the event to a close.
It is hoped that children with the support of teachers and parents will now start preparing for the competition, with assessments scheduled to be held before the end of May.
For further information, please contact Mira Byrne on mbyrne1u@gnes.net or 01851 822 850.

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Obituary: Iain Macleoid, champion of Gaelic culture who was prominent in many organisations

John Maciver Macleod, known as Iain Macleoid. Former police inspector and president of An Commun Gàidhealach. Born: 28 April, 1951, in Carloway, Lewis. Died: 4 January, 2018, in Edinburgh, aged 66. When Iain Macleoid was named Sàr Ghàidheal, Outstanding Gael, just three months before his death it was public acknowledgement of a true Gaelic champion who had given decades of support to his native culture. Though, like many ­others, he had left the islands as a young man, he maintained his commitment to the Gaelic language, community and its traditions from a position of influence in the Scottish ­capital. He was involved in myriad projects and organisations, served as president of An ­Commun Gàidhealach for a decade, and featured in a ­Scottish Parliament exhibition as one of ten Scots who made a difference in a devolved ­Scotland. Born on the Isle of Lewis, to weaver Duncan Macleod and his wife Peggy, a herring girl, his parents named him Iain but were apparently not allowed to register a Gaelic name at that time. So, instead of using the English equivalent of Ian, he was registered as John, which translated as Iain. The only son and the youngest of four, including a baby sister who died in infancy, he was educated at Carloway ­Primary School before attending the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway where, in common with other pupils from outlying areas, he boarded at a ­hostel during the week. After completing his schooling, he joined Edinburgh City Police in 1970, leaving home with the words of his mother, who counselled him not to be out late at night, ringing in his ears. Little did she realise he would end up patrolling the then fairly notorious Lothian Road during his night shifts. He also regularly policed the city’s Hogmanay celebrations, walking home at 4am through the party detritus of litter, lost handbags and discarded high heels. Macleoid, who combined his police career with further and higher education, was awarded Napier College’s bronze medal for SHNC Police Studies in 1976 and went on to gain a law degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1984.

During that period he was a member of the Edinburgh-Caithness Association, serving two terms as president, once in the mid-1980s and then from 2001-2002. Meanwhile, his police career saw him progress to inspector and he regularly policed football matches and attended the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, both as a member and as the officer in charge of policing its ­annual Royal Highland Show. He retired from the force, which had by then become Lothian and Borders Police, in 2000 after completing 30 years’ service. He and his wife Christine, whom he married in Wick in 1977, had two children, Màiri and Calum, who were educated through the Gaelic ­medium in Edinburgh, and in 1994 their father became convenor of Comann nam Pàrant (Nàiseanta), the national Gaelic Parents’ Association. He was also the first chairperson of its Edinburgh group. In retirement he stepped up his involvement in the development of Gaelic. For many years he was Gaelic advisor on Edinburgh International Harp Festival and on the Clarsach Society’s finance and administration committees and since 2002 had been a member of Lothian Gaelic Choir, latterly serving as their Gaelic tutor.

A board member of the ­Gaelic language society Comunn na Gàidhlig and a member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Scotland’s principal ­public body for promoting Gaelic development, he worked ­diligently to maintain and raise awareness of the culture. His contribution to the ­Gaelic association An Comunn ­Gàidhealach, which he served as a board member for many years and as president from 2007 to 2017, was applauded by the organisation’s current president Allan Campbell, who described him as a true Gael and his death as an enormous blow. Macleoid, who received Royal visits from Princes Andrew and Charles and Anne, the Princess ­Royal during his tenure, was also president, since 2013, of Comunn Tir nam Beann an organisation that has been promoting traditional music for almost a century. His inclusion in the Scottish Parliament’s travelling ­exhibition, Moving Stories, which toured the length of the country up to Stornoway, resulted from his petitioning on Gaelic matters and his involvement in Gaelic culture in Edinburgh.

Despite all his years in the capital he remained ­inextricably attached to the Isle of Lewis: he was a ­member of the Carloway Choir and opened the Carloway Show last summer. It was only a few months later that he was awarded the Sàr Ghàidheal title by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Gaelic college based in Skye. A devout worshipper, he attended the Edinburgh Free Church and monthly Free Church Gaelic services, where he was precentor, and strictly adhered to Sabbath Observance, attending morning and evening services each week.

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Ai'ta dismantles dozens of French monolingual signs

The Breton language movement Ai'ta dennounced the violation against the fundamental rights of the Breton people to use their language. In recent months, the examples illustrating this situation are not lacking:

- The refusal to allow parents to give a Breton name to their child: first names Fañch and Derc'hen refused bt France
- Assisted jobs deleted putting in great difficulty many associations working for or in Breton language,
- Breton language still prohibited on the road signs roads operated by the State, despite what was planned at the signing in November 2015
- At the level of the whole of Brittany, only 3% of the pupils learn the language at school in the form of a bilingual education known as parity or immersion (Diwan) whereas this teaching should be generalized.
- Public television still broadcasts only 1:30 hours of programming in Breton per week
- For almost 20 years, the use of the Breton language in writing and orally is still not allowed in most public services ( public transport, hospitals, post office, administrative procedures, media, etc.)

Despite the threats and the ongoing complaint of the prefect of the region, and because Ai'ta knows the legitimacy of our fight, "we decided to take our responsibility and carry out a new symbolic action by dismantling dozens of signs scorning the language. Brittany, simultaneously on 10 sections of expressways in Brittany (sectors of Sant-Brieg, Gwengamp, Montroulé, Brest, Kreiz-Breizh, Kemper, Kemperle, An Oriant, An Alre, Gwened)" on February 3rd.

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Irish language pupils stage protest at Stormont

Pupils from Irish language schools demonstrated on February 1st at Stormont ahead of a meeting between campaigners and the Northern Ireland Secretary.
The colourful and noisy protest saw primary and secondary school children call for legislation to protect Gaelic speakers in the region.
An impasse over Sinn Fein’s demand for an Irish Language Act is at the heart of the powersharing crisis at Stormont, with the Democratic Unionists standing firm in their opposition to a stand-alone piece of legislation that does not incorporate other cultures, such as Ulster Scots.
Irish language activists will meet Secretary of State Karen Bradley at Stormont House on Thursday afternoon. It is their first such meeting with the UK Government in the year-long political stand-off.

 Irish language act campaigners, including pupils from Irish-medium schools across Northern Ireland, take part in a protest at Stormont parliament buildings in Belfast, ahead of a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley.
Katy-Rose Meade, an A-level student from Colaiste Feirste secondary school in Belfast, addressed the rally on the steps of Parliament Buildings.
“The community has organised and mobilised for over 12 months, and will continue to do so until our rights are delivered, as was promised more than 12 years ago (in the St Andrews Agreement),” she said
“I was six when that promise was made and during my lifetime I have witnessed obstacle after obstacle placed before the growth of our community-led revival.

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