Oxfam apologises after shop worker accused of telling Welsh-speaking family to 'stop speaking foreign language'

A charity shop worker allegedly told a Welsh-speaking family to get out of the shop and "stop speaking that bloody foreign language". The tweet garnered widespread attention online with 1,500 people liking the tweet and 1,100 people retweeting it. In response to the tweet, Oxfam Cymru apologised to Mr Williams and his family and said they were looking into the matter. Rachel Cable, head of Oxfam Cymru, said: "We are concerned...

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Grants approved for Scottish and Irish Gaelic joint projects and for drama companies

At the second meeting of 2019 on Friday 8 March in Belfast,  the Foras na Gaeilge board approved grants for Scottish and Irish Gaelic joint projects and for drama companies throughout the island. €32,522 worth of grants were approved under the Colmcille Grants Scheme, a scheme which fosters relations and strengthens the connection between the Scottish and Irish Gaelic language communities. The projects to be run during...

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"France does not respect its commitments"

Eighteen Breton MPs sent an open letter to the French Minister of Education asking him to enforce the commitments made by the State in terms of bilingual education. In a letter sent signed by eighteen Breton MPs to the Minister of National Education, the signatories alert Jean-Michel Blanquer on the non-compliance with the State-Region Convention signed in 2015. The latter provided that the the number of open positions...

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Record number sit Cornish language exams

A record number of people sat Cornish language exams last year — thanks to singer Gwenno Saunders’ latest album. The Cornish Language Board said 77 people took the tests, up 15 per cent. The language is designated "critically endangered" by the United Nations group Unesco and is recognised as a minority language by the Council of Europe. It comes after Saunders performed songs from her Cornish language concept album Le Kov on...

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Holiday park staff asked not to speak Welsh at work 'for purposes of guest safety'

Staff at a North Wales holiday park have been asked not to speak Welsh while they are at work. Greenacres Holiday Park in Morfa Bychan in Gwynedd has confirmed that they ask workers to speak English in certain parts of the kitchen "to prevent miscommunication". They were responding to claims that a meeting had been held to ask staff to speak English rather than Welsh "for the purposes of guest safety". However, a spokesman for...

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The Manx Bard: When it comes to a bonnag, it's all a matter of taste

Manx Gaelic teacher, musician and composer Annie Kissack is the fifth to hold the title of Manx Bard. Each month she shares one of her poems with us, and explains what led her to write it. Only in the Isle of Man would you find such an event as the World Bonnag Championship. Held in Dalby in February, it is one of the most popular events of the culinary year, as skillful bakers fight it out to make the world’s best bonnag....

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Yann-Fañch Kemener, figure of Breton music, dies

This figure of traditional Breton song and defender of the Breton language had been performing since the age of fifteen on stage. Yann-Fañch Kemener, figure of the traditional Breton song and defender of the Breton language, died today at the age of 61 years following an illness, said the mayor of the commune of Trémeven (Finistère...

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Cymdeithas protest against proposed cuts of £100,000 to language immersion centres by Gwynedd Council

Yesterday's protest organised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg against proposed cuts of £100,000 to language immersion centres by Gwynedd Council.Cymdeithas is calling on the council to re-think, saying that the cuts would be contrary to their own language policy. The centres "make a vital contribution to creating confident Welsh speakers...

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BAI publishes Irish Language Action Plan

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) published its Irish Language Action Plan on February 8th which sets out the planned activities in support of the promotion and stimulation of the development of Irish language programming and broadcasting services in the Irish audio-visual industry.  The Irish Language Action Plan is one of a number of initiatives designed to contribute to the achievement of the BAI’s strategic...

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Report reveals how many Gaelic speakers live in Fife

Fife Council has revealed that one in every 30 speakers of Scottish Gaelic are living in Fife. Kirsty Strachan, Gaelic Development Officer, brought forward a report to the council’s Community and Housing Services committee on Thursday, outlining the Gaelic Language Plan. Under the 2005 Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act, all local authorities are required to demonstrate how they support, develop and secure the equity of the...

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Seachtain na Gaeilge 2019

The Irish Language Week 2019 is an annual event which runs from 1st – 17th March. The festival, the aim of which is to encourage communities to organise events and activities which celebrate the Irish language, is organised at local level throughout the island of Ireland, and Derry City and Strabane District Council leads on the co-ordination of the programme in this Council area. A range of events are planned which not...

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'Use of Welsh language in Pembrokeshire County Council on the up'

Use of Welsh within County Hall is on the increase with a plan to take that further, councillors have been told. Cabinet member for the Welsh language Cllr Cris Tomos responded to a question from the public at Thursday’s full council meeting (February 21). Cllr Tomos, Cabinet member for Welsh language said a “Welsh language culture is definitely developing within the authority” as it pushes forward its five year strategy to...

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Prizioù, prizes of Breton, will be delivered today

The Prizioù (literally "Prizes"), prizes for the future of the Breton language created in 1997 by France 3 and from 2012 co-organized by the Office of the Breton language, will be presented on March 1 at Bruz (35 ). Associations, audio-visual creation, community, visit, sketch sung in Breton ... Several winners will be bitten at Bruz (35) during the ceremony aimed at highlighting the creations and initiatives related to Breton....

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