'Dismissal' of Manx Gaelic on coastal path markers 'embarrassing'

The prominence of English on new markers for the Isle of Man's coastal footpath is "embarrassing", a Manx Gaelic language officer has said. Culture Vannin's Adrian Cain said the translation of the name Raad Ny Foillan "dismissed" the importance of Manx Gaelic to the island's heritage. Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly said the design would be "corrected" to make Manx Gaelic "dominant". The 100 mile (160km) trail around...

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Scottish Gaelic finally available on Duolingo, for free

It’s time to see Scotland in full colour. Scottish Gaelic is now available on Duolingo, for free. Download Duolingo for iOS or Android, or visit https://duolingo.com/enroll/gd/en/Learn-Scottish%20Gaelic Learn something new in just 5 minutes a day and share with your frien...

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Demonstration in Paris to defend the teaching of Breton and other lesser used languages

About a thousand people gathered yesterday Saturday, November 30, 2019, in Paris, in front the Ministry of Education. Coming from Brittany, Corsica, Occitania, Alsace, the Basque Country, Northern Catalonia ... The demonstration against the reform of high school and baccalaureate implemented last September by Minister Blanquer and who...

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Breton language movement win a huge victory: students can take two baccalaureate exams in Breton

While traveling in Finistère, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer announces that high school students can take two baccalaureate exams in Breton. This is particularly the case of math as claimed by the students of Diwan high school Karaez. "I answer them that there are two possible subjects in Breton, explains the Minister of Education,...

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Campaign to request Kernewek to be added in facebook

Facebook help system and found a link to where you can request a new language be added to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/106059432853074 Please consider clicking this link and requesting that "Kernewek" be added to Facebook. There is a little box to write a reason in which you might want to mention the growing community of speakers or the protected minority status of Cornwall or what have you. It may not do...

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Parents ‘being disenfranchised’ by new Irish language schools

The decision to designate two new primary schools in Dublin as Gaelscoileanna “disenfranchises parents” and “provides less choice,” the largest multidenominational patron body has said. The Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it was seeking expressions of interest from patron bodies to run four new primary schools opening over the next two years. The schools are Carrigaline in Co Cork; Donabate in north Dublin;...

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Rally in Paris to save lesser used languages in the French State

On November 30, the associations of defense and promotion of the regional languages ​​of France (Alsace, Brittany, Basque Country, Corsica, Occitania, Catalonia and abroad ...) organize a demonstration (peaceful) in front of the Ministry of the National education that, by means of a recent reform, endangers the teaching of these languages. In addition to the event that we invite you to participate, you can also sign the petition....

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A new Irish language project aims to enable Irish versions of Siri, Alexa and more by recording people speaking their native tongue

'Míle Glór’, a thousand voices, is an initiative from Irish Language technology project, ‘Abair.ie’, which is aiming to record 1,000 people speaking Irish. The recording, which will be taken from people of all ages and dialects, both in gaeltachts and outside of them, will be used to develop Irish language versions of services such as virtual assistants ‘Siri’ and ‘Alexa’. The project was launched at the Oireachtas na...

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A new online course to learn Manx Gaelic

Manx Gaelic is the latest online language course being launched by a team aiming to revolutionise the way we learn languages. Glossika, a team of linguists and polyglots based in Taiwan, is dedicated to achieving fluency in a new language through a ’natural immersion self-training method’. Adrian Cain, the Manx language development officer for Culture Vannin said: ’This is a fantastic addition to the already substantial...

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg meeting in support for Welsh-only name for National Assembly

A protest in support of a Welsh-only name for the Senedd has been held in Cardiff Bay. Assembly Members rejected the motion last month, voting to give Welsh Parliament a bilingual name, but the final vote will be held next week. Campaigners Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said giving the Senedd a Welsh-only name would "send a message about...

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Yeth an Werin ha Myttin coffi, Lowenac, Cambron

It’s that time again, when we will be meeting to speak Cornish and drink coffee together. Fluent speakers and learners are welcome alike. There will be cards and board games. We’ll be meeting from 10.30, in the morning of course! until 1.30 p.m. The room is free and unlimited coffee is £2.50 per person. The car park is free. And every second Saturday each month going forward. 9/11/19 Sewena dhywgh why oll / and success to...

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Cooish celebrates the Manx language

The Cooish Manx Language Festival sees a number of events over two day that enables people to enjoy and use Manx Gaelic. The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in interest towards the language and throughout the year there are events where both young and old can use some Manx. The Cooish provides an ideal opportunity for...

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1,000 bottles of cider for the Breton language schools

The Kuzul association has collected in the Aree Mountains a ton and a half of apples. The movement for the Breton language of Kommana will prepare a thousand bottles of cider to finance the language immersion schools in Brittany. Every bottle has a price of 2,5 €. ...

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Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg Rally: Welsh-only name for Senedd

12pm, Saturday, 9/11/19 The Senedd, Cardiff BayBethan Ruth Roberts, Jolyon Maugham QC and othersCome to call on our politicians to listen to the voice of the people who want a Welsh-only name for our Senedd ahead of a vote on changing the name. The name ‘Senedd’ is already used widely by people, whether they speak Welsh or not. This is a...

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Language app sees rise by a third in just a year

The number of users learning Welsh on one language app has risen by a third in just a year. Duolingo said about 38,600 people in the UK used its Welsh course in September, a 34% rise on 28,600 users in the same period in 2018. Another online tool, Say Something in Welsh, estimated it has up to 60,000 regular users of its website. The Welsh Language Commissioner said the apps "offer an alternative way of learning the language". The...

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Redadeg, race for the promotion of the Breton language, will take place from May 15 to 23, 2020

The Redadeg, race for the promotion of the Breton language, will take place from May 15 to 23, 2020, 2,020 km between Guingamp and Carhaix. This event which takes place every two years, passes in the five Breton departments, on more than three hundred communes. This race takes place in relay, with a passage of a witness, which symbolizes...

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More primary pupils than ever being taught through Irish

The number of pupils being taught through Irish at primary school reached record high levels in the recent academic year. New figures published by the Department of Education show that almost one in 12 schoolchildren at primary level is receiving their education through Irish. This has risen steadily from 6.4pc of primary pupils in 2000 to 8.1pc in 2018-19. A total of 45,278 students across 247 primary schools were taught through...

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Welsh Language Society meeting in Ceredigion to highlight housing issue

Campaigners from Cornwall, Wales and Scotland will meet in Ceredigion next month to discuss tackling the house price crisis, with special attention given to how holiday homes threaten the Welsh language. In Ceredigion, house prices are more than seven times average wages. Last year, 39% of the homes sold in nearby Gwynedd were either...

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A unique Manx recording from 1974 emerges from an attic in the Netherlands

‘The Mona Douglas Manx Ceili’ is a very important recording of Manx music and song which has just been released online thanks to a Dutch visitor to the Island 45 years ago. The recordings were made in the home of Mona Douglas, one of the most important figures in the revival of Manx culture in the 20th Century. Culture Vannin have released the audio recordings to mark the anniversary of Mona Douglas’ birth on 18 September...

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Irish language library opens in east Belfast

The facility in the Skainos Centre on the Newtownards Road contains about 2,000 books. It has been opened due to the increasing number of people learning Irish at the centre. The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin's John Finucane, along with UUP and Progressive Unionist Party politicians, attended the opening of the library on Monday. The...

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BBC Gaeilge Irish language summer radio schedule

From new presenters to new music and analysing the big issues of the day, BBC Gaeilge is offering a diverse collection of Irish language programmes on BBC Radio Ulster last summer. From new presenters to new music and analysing the big issues of the day, BBC Gaeilge is offering a diverse collection of Irish language programmes on BBC Radio Ulster this summer. Starting on Monday 1 July at 7pm on BBC Radio Ulster, Fearghal...

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Gorsedh Kernow Cornish Language Board Presentation Ceremony

The Cornish Language Board Presentation Ceremony was held on 14th. September 2019. “Awards are being given to entries that express the Celtic spirit of Cornwall and demonstrate a deep understanding of Cornish culture,” said Grand Bard of Cornwall Elizabeth Carne, Melennek, “and as I only became Grand Bard last autumn I am really looking...

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Half a thousand people protest the Frenchification of Breton place-names

The Frenchification of Breton place-names was denounced by almost 600 people. Dozens of academics, musicians and writers as well as the Breton cultural movement mobilised on September 14th at Terrug/ Telgruc. The French post sistematically refuses the addresses written in its original, Breton, form. ...

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76 personalities Call to stop the denounce Frenchification of Breton place-names

On September 14th, at noon, a picnic event is organized on the beach of Traez-Beleg in Telgruc. 76 artists, writers, academics and other personalities from the Breton cultural world called on Kemper this morning to stop the Frenchization of toponymy in Brittany. The Breton toponymy is increasingly ignored by city councils, which are often...

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25 news schools to teach Breton Language

Of the total 17 new open sites they are in primary and 8 in the second degree. Of the first, a total of seventeen are on the public network. This expansion of the offer more than in the past is the result of a gradual institutionalization of the opening procedures: - creation of the OPLB (Public Office for the Breton Language) in 2010, -...

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New Bible translation released for Scots Gaelic speakers

New Bible resources have been produced for Scotland's Gaelic-speaking community, including an updated translation of the New Testament. The translation project spanned 10 years and brought together representatives from the Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church. New audio versions of the four...

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Rouedad ar brezhoneg network calls for a Breton language "Plan of Action"

The network Rouedad ar Brezhoneg is formed by fifty associations. The collective dennounced yesterday the lack of political will to keep afloat the teaching of the Breton language. And in the front line of their recriminations: the majority in the Regional Council of Brittany. The Regional Council of Brittany adopted on 14 December 2018...

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An Dream Dearg protest at Stormont

Harland and Wolff workers took part in a bi-lingual protest at Stormont as Boris Johnson arrived. Workers are calling for the shipyard to be renationalised after its parent company ran into severe financial problems. There were also protests from other groups over the Irish language, Brexit and legacy. Shipyard protestors joined with An...

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CIG Picket in KFC in Bangor To Defend the Right to Speak Welsh

Picket organised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg yesterday outside KFC in Bangor over allegations that a staff member was prohibited from speaking Welsh. Since 2011, it has been unlawful to interfere with the freedom of people in Wales to communicate in Welsh. ...

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Gorsedh Kernow Awards 2019 Announced

The Council of Gorsedh Kernow has announced the winners of their annual Adults Awards after careful adjudication of this year’s impressive range of entries. “Awards are being given to entries that express the Celtic spirit of Cornwall and demonstrate a deep understanding of Cornish culture,” said Grand Bard of Cornwall Elizabeth Carne,...

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Breton groups sent letter in support of the students who completed their bac in Breton

An open letter from Breton language NGOs to the Rector of the Rennes (Roazhon) Academy has been sent in support of the students who completed their bac in Breton. ...

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45 Galway schools to benefit from Irish language assistance scheme

45 schools in Galway are to benefit from almost 1.5 million euro in funding under the Irish Language Assistants Scheme. The new funding comes as part of a national support of 3.6 million euro for the Irish language. Galway’s Gaeltacht schools will split an allocation of over one and a half million euro with schools in Mayo and Meath. The scheme supports 113 language assistants nationwide, with the new funding allowing assistants...

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Cardiff's Tafwyl festival marks 70 years of Welsh-medium schools

In September 1949, 19 pupils began their first day in a single classroom at Ninian Park Boys' School. While the rest of the building was used for English-language lessons, this was Cardiff's first Welsh-medium school. Seventy years later, the city has 17 primary schools teaching in the language and three secondary schools, with plans for...

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14 candidates for the baccalaureate written their test in Breton in spite of French prohibition

Last year, they were 15. This year, they are 14 candidates for the baccalaureate of Diwan high school in Carhaix, Finistere, to have written their mathematics test in Breton this Friday morning. And this, against the advice of the rectorate. "Our claims are the same because nothing has changed," explains Sterenn Cueff. "Basque high school...

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World's first online Welsh language comedy platform launches

S4C has launched on June 11th what it claims is the world's only online Welsh language comedy platform. The broadcaster will use the platform to commission up-and-coming talent to create short-form content such as stand-up, satire, sketches, mini-sitcoms and musical numbers for YouTube and Facebook. Elen Rhys, S4C’s entertainment content commissioner said: ‘This...

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Brittany Choirs' championship 2019

Come and listen to the choirs of Brittany in a unique place, built especially to make the most of a cappella singing : St Thomas church, in Landerneau, during Kann al Loar festival. The choir championd 2019 will be asked to perform on the main stage of the festival at night, as first part group of the evening concert. From 3.00 pm, come...

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US academic Kevin Scannell to develop Irish language Siri during 6-month Gaeltacht stay

An American academic who has been awarded a scholarship to spend six months in Connemara has said he plans to help develop an Irish-language Siri or Alexa style virtual assistant during his stay. Prof Kevin Scannell from Saint Louis University in Missouri has been awarded the Fulbright Scholarship by the United States government and will spend the first half of 2020 in the Connemara Gaeltacht area of Carna. He will work with...

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Cornish Language Festival

Fest Kernewek 2019, this Saturday at Heartlands Cornwall. A one day festival celebrating Cornish language and culture.Music, poetry, family activities, language tasters, food, drink, & much more! Tickets in advance: £10 / £12 OTD Gelwys os ta! ...

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New booklet telling story of Irish language in east Belfast to be launched tomorrow

A new booklet which tells the story of the Irish language in east Belfast will be launched in the city tomorrow. The booklet has been put together by Gordon McCoy, Education Officer with east Belfast Irish language project Turas, who has gathered together scattered fragments of the story. The booklet, which details the tradition of Irish in the area, is due to be launched by Lord Lieutenant of Belfast Fionnuala Jay O'Boyle...

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Crymych housing scheme prompts fears for Welsh language

Plans to build 56 new houses in a Pembrokeshire village have been approved by county councillors despite local opposition. The houses and bungalows will be built on farmland in Crymych. Business group Menter Iaith Sir Benfro claimed it could threaten the Welsh-speaking nature of the village, while some residents fear extra traffic. Developers Tai Ceredigion said the scheme is aimed at local people, with a quarter of the homes...

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Breton Language Festival held in Langonedd

This iconic event, which was revived in 2017 in Langoned/Langonnet (Morbihan) after an absence since 1998, is completely unmissable for anyone involved with the Breton language. It wass the meeting of the year for all Brittophones – present and future – as well as Breton lovers, supporters, anyone curious and all your friends. But it...

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