No. 151 Winter 2011/12 4.00 Stg£3...Celtic League 50th AGM 2011 Provost of Falkirk, Pat Reid,...

ALBA: AN COMANN CEILTEACH

BREIZH: AR C’HEVRE KELTIEK

CYMRU: YR UNDEB CELTAIDD

ÉIRE: AN CONRADH CEILTEACH

KERNOW: AN KESUNYANS KELTEK

MANNIN: YN COMMEEYS CELTIAGH

Ÿ Dè thachair ris an Çedilla?

Ÿ Sectarianism in Scotland

Ÿ The Rising of the Red Bonnetsin Breizh

Ÿ First Imprisonment in NewCampaign to Save S4C

Ÿ From Bad to Worse under theTroika

Ÿ Kernow - Not So DelectableDuchy !

Ÿ Manx Election: New ChiefMinister In Post

Ÿ Celtic League 50th AGMFalkirk

No. 151 Winter 2011/12 €4.00 Stg£3.00

Carn No 151 Jan 2012:Issue No 138 October 2007.qxd 12/01/2012 14:31

This year’s AGM was held in the TownChambers in Falkirk, Alba at the end ofOctober. The meeting marked the foundingof the League 50 years ago. It was held inFalkirk Town Chambers at the invitation ofAngus MacDonald, MSP, with the assistanceof Iain Ramsay of the Alba branch.

In addition to the general range of AGMbusiness including the election of officers forthe coming year there was a Public Session‘The Celtic Nations, 50 years of Progress’,with a number of talks and presentations tomark the event as well as an open forumconcluding it entitled `The Way Forward for the Celtic Nations and Inter Celtic Co-operation’.

The meeting opened with a welcomingspeech from the Provost of Falkirk, Pat Reid,who invited delegates into his office for adrinks reception before the meeting began.This was followed a brief address by the solesurviving member of the Celtic League,Scottish branch member, Seamus Filbin(sadly the only other surviving foundermember of the League, Breton Yann Fouére,passed away just two weeks before the AGMat the grand old age of 101). However hisson, Erwan Fouére, delivered a shortappreciation of his work and a minute’ssilence was held in tribute to Yann and otherdeceased members of the League. IainRamsay made a presentation on behalf of theAlba branch to Seamus.

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Celtic League 50th AGM 2011

Provost of Falkirk, Pat Reid, welcoming delegates to the Celtic League 50th AGM.

Professor Kenneth MacKinnon delivering Peter Berresford Ellis’s keynote address.

Seamus Filbin, sole surviving foundermember addressing the AGM.

Cathal Ó Luain (Convenor), Angus MacDonald, MSP (showing Alba branch membership card), Erwan Fouére and Rhisiart Tal-e-bot (Gen Sec.) at the ceilidh.

The keynote talk, written by respectedCelticist, historian and author PeterBeresford Ellis, entitled ‘The Celtic Nations– 1961 v 2011, a Sea Change? was deliveredby Professor Kenneth MacKinnon, in theabsence of Mr. Ellis who was unable toattend. In the speech Mr Berresford Ellisexplored some of the developments withinthe Celtic countries over the fifty year periodfrom when the League was first establishedin 1961 and outlined his opinion on whatprogress had been made, or not made. In hisconcluding remarks, Mr Berresford Elliswrote: “…our descendants still have much todo during the next fifty years if ever we canhope to see anything remotely looking likesea change that takes us significantly alongthe path to approaching the aims and idealsof this Celtic League. The text of this talk isavailable on the League web sitewww.celticleague.net with a link to a videoof the delivery of the speech. A specialthanks to Peter and Ken for this stimulatingtalk and presentation.

Professor MacKinnon then went on toprovide a comprehensive briefing on the‘Second National Plan for Gaelic’. This wasfollowed by a report by the GeneralSecretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, on theLeague’s activities and campaigns over itsfifty years of existence. The launch of the

CELTIC LEAGUE FLAG (a projectundertaken by the Breton branch) wasperformed by Gi Keltik, who outlined thebasis of the design. The flag was flownoutside the Town Chambers for theweekend. A report on the SNP electionvictory was given by David Alexander, SNPGroup leader in Falkirk. An interestingquestion and answer session then took place.On the Saturday night a ceildh, hosted byAngus MacDonald, MSP, with financial aidfrom the SNP to cover costs of the excellentGaelic group from Lewis, the NorrieMacIver Trio, took place in the Park Hotel. Itwas an excellent event.

Following a Sunday morning businesssession focusing on how the League shouldnow progress, which the Provost attended tosay farewell, delegates were taken on ahistorical and cultural tour. This wasundertaken by Les Mac an Ultaigh andNicky Sanderson who volunteered theirprofessional guide services. Delegates sawmany of the historic sites in the area,including Bannockburn, Stirling Castle andthe Wallace Memorial. All in all a verysuccessful 50th AGM and our deepappreciation to Angus Mac Donald, PatReid, David Alexander and others whowelcomed us to Falkirk and to all whoprepared presentations and delivered them.


Carn 3

Alba

Ciamar a chanas sibh diacritic? Tha iadgann sa Bheurla Shasannach, ged a bheil iadgu math cumanta sna cananan Ceilteach.Gheibhear srac is “fada” gu leòr anns a’Ghàidhlig is Gaeilge na h-Èireann, agus thaan circumflex (ad bheag?!) air a chleachdadhsa Chuimris. Ann a’ Bhrezhoneg, chì sinnrud caran Spainnteach, sin an tilde sa bhiosair an litir “n” bho àm gu àm.

Chan eil diacritics cumanta anns a’Chòrnais, neo Gàidhlig Mhanainn a-bharrachd. Mar a tha fios agaibh, gunteagamh, chaochail an dithis seo mòranbliadhnaichean air ais, agus fhuair iad seòrsa“aiseirigh” mar a bha Eabhra. Ach tha iadcaran “neo-mharbh” a-nis, coltach ri Dracula(Droch-Fhuil neo Droch-Fhiaclan?) sanuirsgeul is na filmichean ainmeil. Dè tha miciallachadh? Uill, ged a tha luchd-labhairtCòrnais is Gaelg ann, chan eil mòran dhaibhfileanta idir, agus cha d’ionnsaich iad aigglùn na mathar, ach ri taobh na buird neobhon leabhar a leugh iad. Chan eil dad ceàrrri sin, ach tha e uabhasach duilich mion-chànan ri ionnsachadh co-dhiu. Uime sin, matha rud sam bith ann, a tha freagarrach, agusnach eil a’ dèanamh cròn air a’ chànain, buchòir dhuinn ri chleachdadh.

B’àbhaist dha a bhith cedilla anns a’Ghaelg, ach dè thachair ris? Tha fhios agamnach eil cedilla cho furasta ri taidhpeadh, achnam bheachdsa, tha iad gu math feumail sachainnt Mhannaineach. ‘S ann do chànanFrangach a bhuineas an cedilla, agus saFhraingis fhèin, cleachdar mar soidhnesèimheachaidh – nuair a tha cedilla air anlitir “c”, caineamaid “s”, mar ann an abairt«ça va?» (“sà-bhà”) Ach tha doigh-chleachdaidh gu math eadar-dhealaichte aigna Manainnich.

Ann am Barriaght Phartee AshoonaghNalbin, a sgrìobh Brian Stowell (neoMacStoyll mar a b’àbhaist a bhith air) ann aniris mu dheireadh, is urrainn dhuinnleughabh stuth mar “Son y chied cheayrt”([air]son a’ chiad chuairt) agus “cooishynargidoil çheusthie” (cuisean airgeadail teubh[=taobh] a-staigh). Ach ann an rosgrann eile,sgrìobh e “Y ‘Cheer Ard’ as y ‘Cheer Injil’”,san àite “Y ‘Çheer Ard’ as y ‘Çheer Injil’”(a[n] ‘Tìr Àrd’ is a[n] ‘Tìr Io[n]sal’). Nambheachdsa, chan eil sin furasta ri leantainn,agus thuig mi e bhon droch-Ghàidhlig ath’agamsa. Mun robh mi nam neach-ionnsachaidh gun Gàidhlig/Gaeilge sambith, cha bithinn cinnteach (neo siocair?!)gur e “ch” neo “çh” a bh’ann. (Ann am

Dè thachair ris an Çedilla?

Brezhoneg tha dà sheòrsa “ch” cuideachd,ach nithear diofar soilleir eatorra, m.e.“gwelloc’h” (“guallach”) agus “duchenn”(“duisean”))

Tha diofar mòr mòr eadar an “ch” a chì sinnann an “loch”, agus am fear a chìtheas sinnann am facal “hatch”. Anns an litreachadhagainne, cluinnidh sinn am fear mudheireadh sna faclan mar “càite” agus “tìr”.Leis an fhirinn innse, cha tuiginn gur e “ch”neo “çh” ann seo gun a bhith criomag naGàidhlig bhriste agam. Nam bheachdsa,b’fheudar dhan cedilla a bhith ann fad na h-ùine, nuair a sgrìobhas fear sam bith GaelgVannin. Chan eil argamaid sam bith agamleis an obair sgoinneil a rinn MaighstirMacStoyll rè na bliadhnaichean, ach thaGaelg fhileanta aige, agus is dòcha nach eilcuimhne aige air an strì sa bhios aig anneach-ionnsachaidh nuair a tha esan neo isea’ tòiseachadh ri leughadh. Ach is math arinn e leis an artagail a sgrìobh e air neo-eiseimealachd na h-Alba, agus tha e soilleirgu bheil greim nas fheàrr air na connspaideana tha ceangailte ris. Greim fada nas fheàrr naBBC neo ITV co-dhiu! Ma tha sibh a’leughadh na pìos seo, a Bhriain chòir,cumaibh oirbh, ach tha mi’n dòchas guncleachd sibh an cedilla nas trice!

Summary

“The Case of the Missing Cedilla”: Manx isa revived language, most of whose speakersare adult learners, which exists in a highlyanglified environment. Therefore, anythingwhich helps learners to pick it up, is to bewelcomed. One of the most usefulinnovations of modern Manx has been thecedilla, which distinguishes between theguttural “ch” (aka “velar fricative”) and thesound “ch”, as found in the English word“watch”, which is represented by “çh”.Cyrillic differentiates between these twosounds as “Х” (kh) and “Ч” ((t) ch) e.g.Chekhov.However, in recent years, the Manx cedillahas often gone missing... which makes thelanguage more difficult for children, and forlearners. There is no apparent reason whythe cedilla has been dropped. The writerhopes that more Manx writers will see sense,and start using it again more regularly. It iseven more useful than the grave accent inGàidhlig.

Lewis MacKinnon

A link with the Gaelic speaking diasporawas brought to the 2011 Mod inStornoway as the distinguished “BardicCrown” was presented to Canadian LewisMacKinnon, with the award crossing theAtlantic for the first time.

Mr MacKinnon, a published poet andteacher is CEO of the Office of GaelicAffairs in Nova Scotia. The Gaelic version ofthe poet laureate is a major part of the Modcelebrations and is traditionally handed outduring the literature events.

John MacLeod, president of Modorganisers An Comunn Gaidhealach, said:“We’re delighted to bestow this prestigioushonour on Lewis MacKinnon. While thedistance between this year’s Mod in the‘heartland of Gaelic’ and his home in NovaScotia is considerable, it is really just a shortstep in linguistic terms across the wideocean that separates us and we hope thatour event will continue to reinforce theseclose links.

“In the words of the Canadian boat song:‘Mountains divide us and the waste of thesea, yet the blood is still strong.’”

The newly crowned bard of the Gaelicworld was born in Cape Breton, the districtwhere Gaels first landed after emigratingfrom the Highlands. He has written a bookof poetry in the Nova Scotian dialect.

In accepting the award Lewis MacKinnonsaid: “Acknowledging the importance thebard plays in events like the Mod I acceptreticently this role and I hope that in someway I may, through my work, reflect GaelicNova Scotia and how it is today, profoundlyaware that it has its origins, the words, theactions and historical events of the peoplesof Gaelic Scotland.”

An Comunn chief executive JohnMorrison said: “The ties between Gaels inScotland and Canada have always beenstrong. Lewis MacKinnon’s contribution tothe Gaelic language, music and literature isexceptional and makes him a worthyrecipient of this great honour. We lookforward to working with Lewis over theyears to come and wish him well in his newrole.”

Nova Scotian crownedas Bard at 2011 Mod


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The Scottish Parliament passed a landmarkanti-sectarian law in the early summer, justbefore the new football season. JackMcConnell, former first minister andScottish Labour leader long pushed for sucha law, and criticised the SNP for being softon sectarianism. However, he never passedsuch a law during his own years in power.Over 80% of the Scottish population believessectarianism is a problem in Scottishfootball. It is serious enough to lead toviolence, murder and harassment in somecases.

In Scotland, sectarianism has transmigratedinto football. Glasgow’s Rangers and Celtichave been more successful over the yearsthan their Scottish and Irish counterparts, andpicked up many “glory hunters” as a result.(By this I mean football fans that onlysupport successful teams– much like thelegions of Man U fans who’ve never lived inManchester.) These glory hunters comeincreasingly from other parts of Scotland,and Ireland. This spreads the problembeyond the heartlands. The transfer of thishatred to football leads, paradoxically, tochurchless sectarianism. It is a bizarresituation, lending a quasi-racial aspect to thequestion. How can someone who never wentto “kirk or chapel” be Protestant or RC? It’stime the media stops using the “tinyminority” cliché – in the case of Rangers, thesectarian “tiny minority” runs into hundreds,probably thousands of fans. I don’t believe,however, supporting a certain football teamautomatically makes anyone a sectarian. Asectarian is defined by the songs s/he sings,and by his/her attitudes. I have met Rangersfans who are republican, and somesupporting both Scottish and Irishindependence.

Other clubs with some sectarian issuesinclude Motherwell, Dundee & DundeeUnited, and Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) &Hibernian (Hibs) in Edinburgh/Leith. Hearts

Sectarianism in Scotland

and Hibs may seem to mirror Rangers andCeltic in Glasgow, but they tend to be morelukewarm towards sectarianism, and arederided by the Glasgow teams for this.Sectarian elements exist elsewhere, but Celticand Rangers, have siphoned off extreme fansfor years.

English football once had sectarian pairingse.g. Everton/Liverpool, and ManchesterCity/Manchester United, but the religiouselement is all but dead there. Why issectarianism dead in England and alive inScotland? The media focuses intensely onCeltic and Rangers at the expense of otherfootball teams, and other sports. Certainindustrialists divided Irish RCs and IrishProtestants into separate plannedcommunities. In Glasgow, such bosses would“use the Orange and Green to conquer theRed” (i.e. the trade unions and socialists).

Scottish sectarianism is unevenlydistributed. Strongest around GreaterGlasgow, North Lanarkshire, West Lothianand parts of Ayrshire & Stirlingshire, It canalso be found (although in a less virulentform) in Edinburgh and the rest of theLothians, Dundee, some parts of Fife, and therest of Ayrshire. It is largely absent (althoughnot unknown) in the Highlands, North East,the Borders, any of the islands, and most ofGalloway, bar Stranraer.

While most commentators realise it isstrongest in areas of heavy Irish immigration,they also fail to realise it is also a result of it.There is a tendency, somewhat sectarian initself, to equate Irish immigration withCatholic immigration. In actual fact, sinceScotland is near Ulster, many of those Irishimmigrants were Protestant, and so, a greatdeal of Scottish sectarianism actuallyoriginated over there. Ranger’s fans make useof the red hand, and refer to the UVF andUDA, all of which originate in the SixCounties. This is not to say indigenous Scotshave never engaged in anti-Irish Catholic

bigotry, only that existing sectarianism inScotland tends to take Six County forms.

Then there is the other kind. Genuine Irishrepublicans in Scotland usually sympathisewith the Scottish cause, but I’m afraid to saythe plastic variety is far more common inScotland, particularly when it comes toScotland. Sections of the Labour Party havelong exploited the fears of Scotland’s IrishCatholic community, and tried to portray theSNP as some kind of Protestant supremacistParty. Some Irish “republicans” in Scotlandare particularly anti-Scottish, especially wheninvolved with football, but this seems to belessening. Such people are often labelled“Green Brits”. This is an extremelycomplicated subject and the Celtic Leaguebelieves Irish and Scottish nationalists and/orrepublicans should support the independenceof each other’s countries, not just their own.Incidentally, the Orange Order and similargroups hold dozens more marches than theirIrish republican counterparts do. That said,there are certain people on the RomanCatholic side who hold bigoted attitudestowards Protestants.

The biggest controversy over the new anti-sectarian law involves free speech. Somepeople have become concerned because itwould clamp down on British anthems such as“God Save the Queen” and “Rule Britannia”.Most people agree singing “The Sash” orthose lyrics about being “up to our knees inFenian blood” are sectarian. Is ignorance adefence? Most Rangers fans believe theirsong about “the Billy Boys” is about Williamof Orange. Actually it isn’t, it’s about BillyFullerton, who led a Fascist/Blackshirt razorgang in 1930s Glasgow. Is “The Fields ofAthenry” a “sectarian song”? When doesopposition to religion become bigotry? Cansomeone be a vocal atheist, agnostic orsceptic without bigotry? Can someonecriticise the Vatican’s position onabortion/contraception, or discuss thedestruction of buildings and property whichoccurred during the Reformation? Can theyadvocate the separation of church and state?Are such criticisms sectarian?

But if a sectarian case went to court, woulda jury convict? Celtic FC’s Neil Lennon whowas recently blatantly attacked in front of TVcameras, and pictures appeared in mostnewspapers. Yet a jury found the case “notproven”. This came after a long series ofbomb threats and letters were sent to footballclubs, coincidentally peaking just before theScottish election. Few perpetrators werecaught. It is likely that the Britishestablishment can and will continue to usesectarianism against Scottish independence.

Ray Bell

Rangers fansmaking the“Red Hand”Salute in TelAviv.Naturally,these werenot wellreceived inthe Israelicity.


Breizh

Dalc’het ‘vo soñj e-pad pell amzer eusdevezh diwezhañ Tro Bro-Frañs 2011 e bed asportoù Enez-Vanav ! Deuet eo MarkCavendish, Manavad penn-kil-ha-troad davezañ un den brudet-kenañ en e vro en urlakaat da vat e grabanoù war ar «ChupennC’hlas» er sprint diwezhañ war ar “Champs-Elysées” e Pariz. Dre se eo deuet Mark davezañ ar c’hentañ Breizh-Veuriad o c’hounitan Tro Bro-Frañs gant ar renkadur dre boen-toù.

Ar sportour anavezetañ eo-eñ war anenezenn abaoe un nebeut bloavezhioù bre-mañ. Gounezet en deus ugent tennad-henteus ar pevar Tro-Frañs diwezhañ, lorc’h habrud a zispak er bed a-bezh. “The ManxMissile” e vez lesanvet du-hont. Diposubl eobezañ trec’h warnañ ma vez plaset mat evitan taol sprint diwezhañ. Bremañ emañ Marke 6vet renk war listenn an tennadoù-hentgounezet en Tro Bro-Frañs ha 14vet goudeEddie Mercks, ar Belgian mil-brudet.

Mark a zo bet atav prim da drugarekaat egamaraded eus skipailh HTC High-Road, arre o doa sikouret anezhañ da c’hounid.Dreist-holl Mark Renshaw (Tro Bro-Leon2006) hag a zo bet a-viskoazh an hinidiwezhañ da gas Mark war-zu ar sprint! Setuperak eo tristik klevet e vo disrannet arskipailh-se e fin ar bloaz-mañ ablamour daabegoù arc’hant. Emañ Mark Cavendish warar renk evit mont er skipailh SKY. Eno emañdija Peter Kennaugh, ur reder manavat all.

Mark a gemer perzh er rouedad Twitter.Padal ne oar ket kalz a dra diwar-benn ar ger-entiezh geltiek etre Enez-Vanav ha Breizh,setu perak en doa lavaret ar paotr Mark e-pade penn-kentañ Tro Bro-Frañs : “HentoùBreizh a laka ac’hanon d’en em soñjal emaoner gêr… diaes war an divesker, 0 km a hentplaen ha kompez, brav kenañ ar vro, hag avele-leizh !”

Ar wezh gentañ e vefe aet ar maout gantañe oa evit ur redadeg donemonea en diabarzh.Ar gentañ vedalenn aour bedel diwar div a oabet gounezet gantañ e redadeg “v-Madison” eLos Angeles er bloavezh 2005. Buan e oa betmerzhet e teufe-eñ da vezañ ur reder a liveetrevroadel.

Mark n’en deus ket roet kerse d’e genvroiza Enez-Vanav p’en deus dastumet ar gentañvedalenn aour e-doug C’hoarioù ar c’h-Commonwealth e Melbourne. Er bloaz 2007en doa loc’het gant an Tro Bro-Frañs mettapet gantañ meur a lamm diouzh renk ha

Carn 5

setu perak en doa dilezet ar redadeg en urdizhout an Alpoù.

Er bloaz 2008 en deus gounezet Mark pevartennad-hent all e Tro Bro-Frañs a-raokdilezel ar redadeg evit prientiñ ar C’hoarioùOlumpek e Beijing. Kerse en doa en dazontpeogwir e oa an hini nemetañ deuet en-drod’ar gêr hep medalenn ebet, neuze kevredetgant Bradley Wiggins hemañ skuizh-marvgoude bet paket div vedalenn aour erC’hoarioù-se. Echuet en deus goude-se arredadeg v-Madison en 9vet plas. War ar primen deus touet ne vefe ket mui o tont en-drowar ar redadeg donemonea du-hont, echuevitañ an «track-cycling»… Setu perak endeus lakaet e holl startijenn war ar redade-goù-hent adalek ar poent-se.

Gounezet en deus ur redadeg-hent hag a oaun taol-esa evit ar C’hoarioù OlumpekLondrez. Diskouez a ra en deus atav ul lagadwar ur vedalenn olumpek e-kreiz ar miz Eosttremenet, goude Tro Bro-Frañs. Piv a barioa-enep dezhañ ma vez plaset mat en daouc’hant metrad bennak a-raok al linenn…

Kontet eo bet Mark e-giz ur paotr gant re afiziañs ennañ ha re valc’h gant ar mediaoù.E-pad an Tro-Frañs p’eo bet goulennetdigantañ : “Daoust hag eñ ez out ar sprintergwellañ er bed a-bezh ?”, en doa respontet :“YA”. Padal pa ne vez ket goulennet digan-tañ traoù a seurt-se morse ne respont gantkement a lorc’h!

Evit gwir, kredet en deus atav e oa gouestda vont betek penn e-keñver e bal. Hep aryoul-se penaos e vefe tu dezhañ oberkement-all? Onest a-walc’h eo an den-mañwar an dachenn-se, a- benn ar fin. Ar pezh azo sklaer ivez eo : e startijenn, e garantez evitar velo ha bed ar marc’houarn hag evit anholl sportoù, a ra dezhañ ur c’hannadourmeur evit Enez Vanav. reder kentañ eusBreizh-Veur da bakañ ar «Chupenn C’hlas»en Tro-Frañs 2011. Echuet en deus gant antaol kaer-se war ar Champs-Elysées en urc’hounit 20 tennad-hent.

E-giz reder eus ar skipailh a-vicher HTCHigh-Road eo eñ an anavezetañ tout war arredadegoù-hent. Anavezet eo dre ar mediaoùe-giz ur penn kalet hag ur paotr balc’h, met evarregezh war ar sprint, e demz-korf hag edemz-spered a laka anezhañ da vezañ urskeudenn enoret hag ur skouer evit PoblEnez Vanav.

Bridget Kaneen.

In Central Brittany, the Red Bonnets aresymbolic and mythic figures. A few decadesago, this area was considered a poor country.An area mired in misery. There was noshining industry; only peasants, forage plantsand slaughterhouses.

A place condemned to intellectual poverty.The painters were in Pont-Aven, far from themountains of Are. Celebrities did not livehere. Here people endured the violence of thecold winter rain that blocked cars in bad rutson neglected roads. Diseases plagued thepopulation in the 19th century, when peopleconsumed with tuberculosis; syphilis ordeadly bacteria were transported from theharbour of Brest into Central-Brittany.Isolation was a cause or a consequence, but itmade misery still harder to endure.

This poor picture is now behind us, but itmust be said that the Red Bonnets helped thepopulation to survive. Deep inside theirminds l, the people of the Are Mountainskept the memory of heroes and martyrs of afailed Revolution.

Up to the 17th century, the Breton navy hadan organization of its own. The harbours, thecommercial fleet, warships for the protectionof the coasts, and the sea-convoys wereorganised by the Bretons themselves.

In 1626, Cardinal Richelieu, the influentialminister of the King of France, LOUIS XIII,became Admiral of France. In order to rulethe Bretons harbours, he was also namedgovernor of Brittany. Under his authorityBrest became a big French military harbour,and the French navy organisation supplantedthe Breton organisation. In the centre ofBrittany, forests were decimated to build thenew warships of the French Crown.

Under the successor of Louis XIII, it waseven worse. The reign of the great King ofFrance Louis XIV (1643-1715) was acalamity for Brittany. To finance thecontinual wars and the king’s appetite forluxury, heavier taxes were imposed. Facingthe hostility or the incapacity to pay, theauthority of the French administrationbecame more and more oppressive.

Until then, the prosperity of Brittany wasmainly due to its international commerce.The destruction of the independent Bretonnavy completely ruined the country and cut itoff from the source of its prosperity duringthe last centuries: the shipping tradingtradition was dramatically undermined by theedicts suppressing corporations’ liberties andthe freedom of trade.

In order to safeguard Breton privileges,which were considered a national rights, theStates of Brittany proposed to buy the edicts,

Mark CAVENDISH un rederbrudet e Breizh

The Rising of the

Red Bonnets


Channel. Seemingly, the rising was not amere spontaneous gathering. It must havebeen planned with political aims.

In September1675 ArBALP gathered atroop of 30,000 peasants near Carhaix. Hetried to convince his prisoner, the marquis ofTymeur, to lead the military operations. ButTymeur killed him, and the troops disbanded.

The Duke of Chaulmes, Governor ofBrittany, took advantage of the confusioncaused by ArBALP’s death. The repressionwas atrocious. Hundreds of peasants werehanged. Others were sent to become galleyslaves. French troops initiated terroreverywhere, with a series of killings, rapes,arson and torture. The main leaders of theRed Bonnets were, nevertheless, able toescape to the Glenan islands, south ofBrittany, where a ship from the Dutch fleetrescued them. Such a coonection could nothave be a coincidence. The insurgents werein contact with the enemies of France.

In Central Brittany, there are songs aboutpeasant risings. The scientists are able to givea date to each piece of our memory. They areable to locate them far in the past. But here,people sing these rebel songs and don’tbother if they are old or new. These songs tellstories of misery and death, mixed withcourage and freedom. In the music, we stillcan feel the heartbeats of our heroes. Weknow that their descendants are living amongus. We are the descendants of these people. Iremember a song about a revolt, whichhappened two centuries before the rising ofthe Red Bonnets. No matter…it broke out inPlouye, a village of the Black Mountains, 20miles from Carhaix. Plouye is a small villageof our small country. But the heart-rendingcry of the rebels is universal and can be heardthrough space and time.

“Cursed be the sun, the moon is cursed,cursed the dew that falls on the earth!Cursed be the land itself, the land of Plouye,which is the cause of a terrible strifeThe cause of a terrible strife between masterand slaveWhich spreads the trouble among the men ofthe countryside,Which let more than one uncomfortable,

6 Carn

i.e. to prevent their introduction into Brittanythrough the payment of a ransom. Colbert,minister of Louis XIV, agreed with thisproposition for the amount of 2,000,000pounds and the deal was signed onDecember 27, 1673.

Where were the Breton representatives tofind such a sum of money? Amongst thepoorest classes of society, which were themost numerous. The privileged of theprovince voted for taxes, which did notconcern them. The pressure of taxationdoubled for the Breton people at in a stroke.

At this juncture any incident could havestarted rebellion. It was Colbert himself whocreated it. He instituted new taxes onstamped paper, tobacco and dishes.Immediately, on April 18, 1675, theinhabitants of Rennes wrecked the TobaccoOffice and then the Control Office and theStamped Paper Office. There were fights inthe streets between the rioters and troops ofgentlemen. Thirty were killed or badlywounded.

On April 23rd, riots started in Nanteswhere the Tobacco Office and Tin Officeswere ransacked. The rebellion engulfed theentire city. The royal troops re-establishedpublic order using terror tactics and abattalion of 600 horsemen were stationed inthe town, at the expense of the inhabitants.

In June and July 1675 the rebellion spreadto all the towns of eastern Brittany. Therevolts, which erupted in western Brittany,were different. Here it was not the taxes,which were questioned, but the social orderitself.

In May and June 1675 bands of rebelsappeared in Guingamp, Chateaulin andBriec. Castels were burnt down andnoblemen killed. By July 18-20,000 rebelscontrolled southwest Brittany. Codes werewritten, with a social programme, under thelegitimacy of what they termed “ArmoricLiberty”… The “Peasant Code” called fordrastic changes:-Suppression of aristocratic rights toproperty,-Marriages between girls from thearistocracy and commoners,-Abolition of the taxes on the salt,-Limitation of the taxes on the wine,-Suppression of the clerical taxes; the priestsmust get a salary and nothing else,-Limitation of the hunting season,-Freedom for the people to choose the millwhere they could get flour from their wheat.

The rebels attacked the towns of Daoulas,Landerneau, Carhaix and Pontivy, andConcarneau were besieged by 4,000peasants. Within a few weeks 200 “noblehouses” were looted and wrecked by peoplewho became known as the Red Bonnets.

In the area of Carhaix, in the centre ofBrittany, the rebels led by SebastienArBALP planned to attack the harbour ofMorlaix. This plan coincided with themovement of the Dutch fleet of AmiralRuyter, which was then cruising in the

Which let more than one father without hisson,More than one wife becoming a widow,More than one boy or girl being an orphan;Throwing on the highways more than onecrying child following his mother;But cursed are, above all, the noble men ofthe cities that oppress the ploughmanThese new gentlemen, these FrenchadventurersWho are no more Bretons than the viper is adove,Even if it has been hatched in a dove nest.”

Courtesy Bro-Nevez:J.-P. LeMAT

Sketch courtesy ;http://www.revolte-papier-timbre.com/histoire/galerie-de-la-revolte-des-bonnets-rouges.html

The Breton Think Tank, the LokarnInstitute (L.I.), which endeavours to promotemore contact within Breizh. Last summer theDiaspora Economical from Breizh ( D.E.B.)which is a new section of the L.I. was set upto promote exchanges between Bretons fromall over the world. The connections comemainly from abroad to Breizh but there isalso a growth in connections from withinBreizh. Thanks to the Internet the diaspora isstarting to make more contact. In 2011, DEBhas more than 800 members in more than 50states. If Emails and webcam are efficient,businessmen need to meet each other at leastonce a year. For the third time the FestivalInter-Celtic of Lorient (F.I.L.) gave theactive members the opportunity to meet aswell as the new elected members of theETREVROADEL. Last year there were fouraward categories and this year a new awardwas created for young Bretons who hademigrated.

The first awards covers the best economicand cultural shows outside Breizh. Thesecond the “Ambassador” of Bretoneconomy. The third one concerns the bestachievement at the international level and thelast one is about businesses based in Breizhwith strong links abroad. Every yearETREVROADEL is growing. So it’s aMUST for more and more businessmen tobecome involved. It’s also a MUST for ourBreton economy because the French marketsare harder and harder for the agro-industry aswell as others sectors…

Lokarn-Institute’sETREVROADELand University

Seminars


Carn 7

ETREVROADEL started with his“mastermind” and speaker of the award2011, Gaëtan Bourge, followed by Then Pr.Jean-Pol Moisan, (IGNA-NAONED), thenDEB’s chairman and the guest of the day :Yannick Le Bourdonnec took to the stage.He is the leader of the Celtic-Diners in Paris.“The Breton Diaspora” was the subject ofthe day. It looks like that the success of theCeltic-Diners, over several centuries ismainly due to the contributions of the guestsas well as a friendly atmosphere. In order tokeep this sentiment alive it was veryimportant to avoid “Religion” and“Politics”…but business is a good subject tokeep the Diaspora continuing on in Paris.This first part finished with interestingexchanges between the “diasporants”...i.e.the members of the DEB.

The second part was dedicated toETREVROADEL’s awards, in associationwith “Products of Breizh” as well as thebusiness Club of the FIL. This year was aspecial year dedicated to “The Celtic-Diasporas”. Therefore, the special award foryoung Bretons was offered by ChristGilmore, from Scotland, to Gaëlle Minson(Bio-Breizh/ Senegal). Each person awardedgot a diploma as well as a lot of gifts fromBreizh. The Breizh-Box, of course but alsotrips, books, pottery and shirts’ Agalon(cf.:Carn-150). This small business alsooffered a pretty embroided key ring toeverybody. Anyway, the most importantthing is not the diploma but the opportunityfor them to speak about their challenges inorder to get more contacts and more help todevelop their activities. The fifteen“ambassadors” will develop this “Breizhattitude” all over the world. In terms ofCeltic-Diaspora I must mention two awardsfor NYC. BZH-NYC and the first BretonBagad (pipe band). Therefore, HerveOffredo (Barnet-Cie) the former“ambassador” for Breizh Economy was onstage to offer the award to ThibauldLeSeguillon, who was in Shangaï for fiveyears maintaining links to Breton Businessgroups.

The second show of the summer wasundertaken by the university (S.U). This yearthe young leaders of the Breton Think-Tankchose to embark on some experimentation inthe French state order to get out of thefinancial and economical crisis. In otherwords it focused in on Devolution. As usualthe speaker, Jakez A.Stephan, took animportant role in the organisation of the day.Joz Bihan, founder of Lokarn-Institute, andnew members of the Ermininig collar (2011)explained, to an audience of 150 people, thedifferent stages of the Think-Tank.Obviously, it was and is a wonderfulexperiment with new stages to come.

Jean-Pierre LeMAT explained“Experimentation” in principle. The frenchadministration is very important but veryslow. On the other hand because of the worldwide financial crisis there is a need to reactquickly and strongly. The public debt did not

give a lot of opportunity for the state to reactquickly. Therefore, Devolution is the bestway forward in order to try new ideas in theeconomic, social and environmental fields, inorder to make new profits for the region. Thegood thing about experimentation is the factthat if it works it can be developed and triedin others regions.

Alan Glon, L.I.’s president, outlined thechallenges Breizh has to cope with thiscentury. Last year, on a similar subject, hetold the audience that : “The Breton problemwas the French state” . He then went on toremark that the french centralizedadministration working hand in hand with thefrench big business was the cause of theproblem. One year later the situation is worsein Breizh, all over Europe, and all over theworld. A better world for the L.I. means:“Breizh, Beautiful, Rich, Open to the worldand with a strong sense of solidarity, in thecommunity.” In France, the political choicesare more and more oriented on security andmilitary decisions. Alan Glon proposed a“modulation” in order to have moredevolution and therefore help everybody totrain and do his very best in his job toimprove life in Breizh. The goal for the futureis still to dream of a new world. That is to saywe need to use more imagination andinnovation in social or working communitieswhere you share your life with the others. Onthe political field he defined four levels:State, Region, Economical and Social(associations, clubs). In this organisation themain problem for Breizh is the nationaleconomical leaders who work hand in handwith the centralized political power, sinceWWII. each sector has had their ownchampion. That is the case for energy (EDF),water (Veolia), telecommunications (F.T.-Orange), oil (Total), etc. So when there arenew opportunities regarding new energies,those leaders can control the new marketsbecause they can put pressure on theparliament and government to regulate andcontrol for them.

Also french businesses control anybusiness outside of the state. So, they do nothave to pay a lot of taxes in France.Therefore, the farmers or the regionalbusinesses involved in the productiondifferent kinds of energies cannot challengeto gain fair competition. Like in GermanyBreton farmers were expecting to get incomefrom the new energies. For the moment, theresults are very weak, and their fightingspirit is going down hill. Anyway the futurewill come, so they must do something forBreizh. Alan Glon said that we must “thinkout of the french limits without going out ofthe frame”. The debate with the stateadministrative leader, the Regional Préfet, inthe afternoon would give more information.

Then we were told of differentexperimentations in different fields. The firstbusinessman was a farmer, from Lokarn,who produces energy from his farm. Thetechnology is available in Germany, but thefrench administration and lobbies (EDF,agricultural chamber and co.) did not helphis business. He survived but did not wanthis son facing the same situation. Breizhneeds new farmers in order to keep andcreate jobs in the agricultural industry. So,What kind of future do we face? After J-Y.Louedec, another farmer, Jean Guegueniatspoke about the problems he had with thefrench administration, and local lobbies. In1996 he built a station in order to treat pigmanure. The administration gave him anagreement. In 1998, because of a newlegislation (ZES) they changed the rules andthe agreement. After the last local election hehad an agreement with the city hall in orderto treat most of the water of the village. In2010, a new public study started about thefarm production. He found taxpayers andPNMI (=Park Nuklear Miritime of HirWazh)against him. At the end of the day he got theofficial right to produce 900 sows likepreviously, but the french administrationdenied him the right to extend his farm,because of a nearby park!

Speakers at the ETREVROADEL Show


8 Carn

The next speaker, Alain Ridard, spokeabout “a citizen windmill farm”, next toRedon. They call it “Beganne” - a windmillfarm belonging to the neighbourhood. Oncemore, they found the technology in Germanyand Denmark. Again the french lobbies inthe Parliament changed the laws recently. Sothey have to build at least four windmills ona budget of about 3 million euros. In order tostudy their huge challenge they had alreadyinvested 400,000 €. Therefore, theyapproached a lot of citizens in forty financialclubs (Cicadas). They developed social,cultural and financial links around Beganne.The relations with the state administrationare also difficult and they needed a lot ofknowledge and explanations to get thedifferent licences. They already spent a lot ofenergy and expect to realize their long termgoal in about twenty years.

Gerard Higuinen took over an oldprogramme of top-level managementschools, like Fiontar at Trinity College. Atthe start, parents from bilingual schoolsthought that all lessons would be in theBreton language. Lokarn institute introduceda management approach. So, the studentswill have Breton lessons as well as history.Mainly the courses will be on themanagement of a business. The pedagogicalleader of this program is Carlos Brumat.Breizh needs new leaders coming out off thefrench universities and top-schools...

The afternoon session began with a shortfilm about the Products of Breizh. Themanager, Malo B. Dubourg, restated thegoals of this label gathering more than 250businesses. Philippe Poitevin from Henaff-S.A. (food-industry) and Germain LeDreaufrom SystemU (Distribution) explained whythey joined the label and how they workhand in hand with their competitors for thegood of Breizh. Therefore, they organisedcommon ads for Gouel Erwan as well as inParis’ tube where you could see, last summeradvertisement in Breton language: “Plijadurpenn da benn”. The results are good in termsof image and money. The years to come theyare willing to do the same all over Europe.That is to say, some optimism is possible ifthe different businesses can work togetherfrom time to time...

As usual the second part of the afternoonwas organised in four workshops at the sametime:1) Develop social links by financing local

programs (J.-P. Moisan);2) Farmers actors of sustainable activities

in Breizh (J.-P. Lemat);3) New businessmen for tomorrow

(A. Gallou);4) From Products of Breizh to Farmers of

Breizh(Y. Pelle).These debates gave the opportunity to tell

the Prefet Michel Cadot and the Council ofBreizh represented by Loïk C.Girard. Out ofthe political representatives, Jakez Bernardrepresented Products of Breizh, JacquesJaouen, the Agricultural chamber, Alan Glon

President of Lokarn-Institute, and JakezA.Stephan was the speaker. Going round thetable, Jakez Bernard put the good question onthe table. This summer we had hugecoverage in the media about the greenseaweeds. We cannot keep going like thatbecause every economic lobby must take intoaccount the customers and citizens. If westay on this path, we will not find any newfarmers in the future. So the idea ofDevolution emerged again. The Prefet told usthat he was not opposed to adapt the Frenchlaws at regional level. More Devolutionmight be good. He mainly insisted on theneed of an evaluation, framework andmethod.

At the end of the day he went back to theParliament and the way the MPs work.That’s to say, no change for Breizh. Theeconomic representative of Breizh Councilspoke about the need for dialogue betweenthe regional, national and European levels.The new farming alliance had been voted inlast June and will be used in the future for thedeals with the farmers and agro-industry, onthe new CAP(2014-2020). On the side of thefarmers organisations Jacques Jaouen isconfident in the administration and agro-industry. He believed that 90% of thepopulation agreed with French foods. Duringthe discussion he made it clear that theAgricultural Chamber was very opposed tothe Devolution of the state budget (6M°€) tothe Council of Breizh. Therefore, theregional power have only 600,000€ to dealwith. In other terms the chamber and hismain trade union (FNSEA) are clearlyopposed to Devolution. That’s to say, theyare working against the regional level andtherefore against the European one. As aconsequence, the price of the “ton of milk” inthe German Landers will stay under theFrench price, for a while!

Alan Glon, who retired last year from Glon-Sanders, told the Prefet that he was too old towait !!! He noticed the fact that the electedbodies are managing a bigger and bigger partof the economy. If most are ready forpolitics, only a very few are ready forbusiness!!! Once more he asked for the rightto have more experimentation, at the regionallevel. The farmers should be allowed toproduce energy and get money from it.Instead the “national champions” pick-up theregional markets. Prefet M.Cadot, stated thathe was in favour of some degree ofDevolution, as long as it was in the frame ofthe new laws voted in the Parliament. InParis, the Top-Administration will controlthe situation, as usual. Therefore it’s notsurprising that the common budget for mostRegional Councils is only about one billionEuros! At the end of the day we mustcongratulate Lokarn Think-Tank for puttingthe question on the table...wait and see if thedifferent political parties will put Devolutionon their agenda for next presidential election,in 2012 ???

It’s difficult to know what kinds ofimprovements are possible to expect from

the politicians. So, ETREVROADEL fromthe D.E.B should be more efficient todevelop a stronger economy and a real CelticDiaspora. At least, it depends on Bretonbusinessmen.

Y.-B. ArMAT

On the 20th October Brittany lost one ofits greatest defenders. Promoter and apos-tle of a federal Brittany in a federalEurope, indefatigable militant for Bretonliberties, brilliant writer and journalist, butBreton above all, Yann Fouéré was theprecursor. It was he in 1934 who createdthe first association for the teaching ofBreton in schools (Ar Brezhoneg er Skol).He also founded the first daily paper withBreton sensibilities, (“La Bretagne”) at atroubled time and created the BretonConsultative Committee. On his returnfrom exile in Wales and Ireland he was stillthe first to dare to proclaim from 1957 fora statute particular to Brittany. He was,after the purification at the end of thewar, the origin of renewal of the Bretonpolitical movement and launched the“Movement for the Organisation ofBrittany”, “Strollad ar Vro”, the PartiFédéraliste des États sans Nations, theCeltic League, the European Free Allianceand, in 1942, The Party for theOrganisation of a Free Brittany.Federalist rather than autonomist, region-alist rather than separatist, the Brittany oftoday owes him much. His friends in theP.O.B.L. and L’Avenir de Bretagne (Futureof Brittany) a journal founded in 1948salute this visionary pacifist who willremain a model and example to us all.About 400 people from all sides, left andright gave him solemn homage in the Ourlady of Good Help Basilica in Guincamp,led by Father Yann Talbot. The Bro Gozhin the guise of the final farewell, with aflutter of Breton and European flags salut-ed his ultimate battle. Yann rests in thecemetery of the Trinity in Guincamp.

For the Movement POBLFor L’Avenir de BretagnePadrig Delome.

DEATH OF YANN FOUÉRÉ


Carn 9

Atlas Breizh is one of those wonderful anduseful books everyone would like to havealongside with an encyclopaedia, Quid, andthe Guinness Book of Records. Unlike theAtlas on stateless nations in Europa, this onefocuses in on Breizh. Thanks to the websitegeobreizh.com, the author Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez includes a lot of different interestingmaps about Breizh. His professional skill asinfographiste helps the reader to understandquickly the clear and colourful maps. Theother good idea in producing this atlas was towork with Divi Kervella a very good Bretonspeaker. Those two specialists alreadyworked together on a previous book: Guidefor Bretons and Celts flags (=Guide desdrapeaux Bretons et celtes-Yoran Editeur).Working together these two partners, as wellas the editor Coop Breizh, ensured that therewas a strong celtic background in Bretonhistory. They provided the atlas with 180maps and figures about Breizh5.That is tosay with Loire-Atlantique) included inBreizh. Therefore Breton people can beproud to get accurate figures and analysis todeal with. It’s like books which provideinformation about Ireland, as a whole. Theprologues are done by a well known Bretonacademic, Jaen Ollivro (Roazhon-University) and Lena Louarn, Vice-President of Breizh Council, in charge ofBreton affairs. In linguistic terms the mapsand texts are monolingual.

It’s in French on the left hand page and inBreton on the right hand one. Comprised ofeight chapters: Universe and our planet;Geography; Culture; History; Territory;People; Social and Economics and one of the

most interesting based on the previous one:Perspectives. Carn readers will perhaps beinterested to focus on politics (p.:129) in thesocial and economic sections. Most of thesubjects covered only contain one map andone text. Politics and a few others subjectshave four maps in order to offer a better viewof the evolution over one century. It’s alsointeresting to read the comments on differentvoting patterns. For example Breizh5 votedto join the E.U. in 1992: 60%! This century,the people of Breizh vote less for theconservative parties and are more in favourof the Socialist and the Green Party.

Regional parties (UDB,SB and BWR) gotbetter results in the last elections.

Otherwise, fishing and farming areas arealso very important for Breizh. To mysurprise I

I discovered that there is a group of celticcows!!!. The map on tourism is anopportunity to show and share our culture.The book starts with a chapter on theUniverse and ends by looking at the future ofBreizh in Europe and the world…

GK.

Per Denez died last summer. P.M., Jean-Yves LeDrian said, He is part of Breizh history… ‘He did so muchfor our Breton language. As an academic at Roazhon University he succeeded to introduce a lot of new Bretondiplomas for graduated students. Therefore he kept some hope for the future of our language. Because of theopposition of the French state administration he did not succeed to get the right to organize those exams, in alogical row: Aotreegezh (1982); CAPES (1986); DEUG (1989)’.

Per Denez learned English at Roazhon and Aberdeen (1 year), later he learnt Kembraeg and Iwerzhoneg. So,as an academic he was a well known leader in interceltic studies. Last summer his colleagues gave tribute to hiscontributions during the international symposium of Celtic Studies in Maynooth (IRL.). Per Denez waspresident of the Breton-Branch of the I.C.C. (International Celtic Congress). Therefore, he organised andwelcomed the ICC to Breizh : Landreger (1962); Felger (1968) and Naoned (1974). For many years the ICC andthe Celtic League’s AGM were organised in the same cities, where a number of our members met him. Becauseof his standing in the interceltic circles, at the top level, he was able to gain a lot of successes against the Frenchstate.

Per Denez was a determined militant. He created a lot of organisations in order to meet many differentchallenges: Kened (literature); Hor Yezh (dictionary and publisher); Ar Vro (newspaper); Brezhoneg buan hagaes (lessons).

Otherwise, he promoted the Regional Cultural Charter (VGE-1978), as President of KSB (Kuzul SevenadurelBreizh) between 1980 and 1993. Since the beginning in Karaez (1999) he also did work for : Ofis ar Brezhoneg.

We are not going to list all his activities. Anyway, one will not be surprised that he was elected “Man of theyear-19xw” (Armor-Magazine) and got the Erminig-Collar award. (19xc).

Last century, Per Denez was the symbol of the Breton determined militant who was multilingual and thereforeable to understand and link and work with the celtic nations, against the French state’s goals.

GiK

Atlas Breizh

Polotique – Cantonales

Per Denez

KENAVO and Mersi-Bras Per DENEZ

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Cymru

Mae Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg yngwahodd pawb yng Nghymru igyfrannu at ffilm dorfol arbennig amyr iaith fel rhan o ddathliadau hannercant mlwyddiant y mudiad.

Mae’r mudiad iaith yn galw ar GymryCymraeg i greu ffilmiau munud o hyd –gyda’u ffonau symudol neu’u camerâu - ynportreadu’r profiad o siarad Cymraeg. Byddy ffilmiau yn cael eu golygu at ei gilydd igreu ffilm dorfol o’r enw ‘Munud i Ddathlu’,a fydd yn cael ei lansio i gyd-fynd â phen-blwydd hanner can mlynedd darlith Tyngedyr Iaith Saunders Lewis ym mis Chwefror yflwyddyn nesaf.

Dywedodd Lleucu Meinir,cyfarwyddwraig y prosiect “Byddai’n grêtpetai pawb yn dod yn rhan o’r dathlu trwywneud ffilm fer. Bydd croestoriad o ffilmiaugan groestoriad o bobl yn sicrhau darlungrêt o’r Cymry Cymraeg ar droad pen-blwydd y Gymdeithas yn 50. Does dim angenprofiad blaenorol o greu ffilmiau. Gellirdefnyddio ffôn symudol, camera fideo, neuluniau camera llonydd gyda cherddoriaeth igreu ffilm munud o hyd. Gallan nhw fod ynffilmiau dogfennol, celfyddydol, dramatig -mae’n gwbl agored.”

Cymru, y Gymraeg, a Chymdeithas yr Iaithydyw’r themâu ar gyfer y ffilm.Ychwanegodd Lleucu Meinir “Er enghraifft,gellid creu ffilm gelf yn dathlu tirweddCymru, drama fer am y profiad o fod ynsiaradwr Cymraeg, neu gyfweliadau gydabandiau am chwarae mewn gigsCymdeithas. Ar ôl golygu’r cyfan, bydd yffilm dorfol orffenedig yn cael ei dangos ardraws Ewrop trwy 2012 a 2013.”

Bydd angen i’r gwneuthurwyr ffilmlwytho’r ffilmiau gorffenedig i YouTubecyn diwedd 2011 gyda ‘munudiddathlu’ yny geiriau allweddol ac anfon e-bost [email protected] i ddweud bod yffilm wedi ei rhoi ar YouTube. Byddpumdeg o ffilmiau yn cael eu dewis i fodyn rhan o ffilm orffenedig ‘Munud iDdathlu’ a fydd yn cael ei lansio ynChwefror 2012.

Summary: Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the WelshLanguage Society), founded in 1962, willcelebrate their 50th birthday next year. Aspart of the commemoration a collectivefilm portraying the experience of speaking

Following the announcement thatCaerfyrddin/Carmarthen and Bangor areamong the 66 locations throughout thecountries of Britain where bids will beinvited to provide local television,Cymdeithas yr Iaith have demanded thatproper provision for Welsh languagebroadcasting should be written into thelicenses from the start.

Cymdeithas spokesman inCarmarthenshire, Sioned Elin said in August“We need to avoid the problems that werecaused in local radio such as RadioCarmarthenshire, where the authorities wereunable to insist upon an adequate level ofWelsh-language broadcasting. It must beunderstood from the very beginning in placeslike Caerfyrddin and Bangor that at leasthalf the the programmes should be inWelsh.”

Meanwhile Radio Ceredigion could infuture broadcast in English only after Ofcom,the broadcasting regulator, decided to put outits tender for licenses without any conditionsto broadcast through the medium of Welsh.

The decision follows a strong localcampaign in July to successfully oppose a

Munud i ddathlu: Ffilm Dorfol pen-blwydd 50 y Gymdeithas

10 Carn


request by Radio Ceredigion owners, Townand Country Broadcasting, to reduce thecurrent Welsh-medium output on the station.

In March 2010 the Welsh Language Boardrequested that the Welsh Governmentprevent Ofcom from providing broadcastinglicenses without any conditions involvingWelsh-medium provision. There has notbeen a decision from the government.Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg have written toLeighton Andrews AC (dubious attitude) asminister with responsibility for the Welshlanguage in the Assembly, to request that hemake a decision at once about the future ofthe Welsh language on local radio. BethanWilliams, Chairman of Cymdeithas yr Iaith,said: “Not only is Radio Ceredigionattempting to reduce its Welsh-mediumprovision but Real Radio now have a licenseto broadcast throughout Wales withoutbroadcasting a word of Welsh - there is nodoubt therefore that things are deterioratingsubstantially. The Welsh Government cantighten the rules and language policies ofOFCOM to ensure that there are no furthercutbacks - that needs to be done straightaway. Leighton Andrews must now follow theadvice given by the Welsh Language Board,and insist that OFCOM include a clause intheir language plan that would compel themto take into consideration the linguisticnature of an area when awarding local radiolicenses.

Language could beneglected in local

broadcasting in theBro Gymraeg


“Since Town and Country Broadcastingtook over Radio Ceredigion, the Welshlanguage has become more and moremarginal, and the service less representativeof the community with more emphasis onmaking profit. In an area where over half thepopulation speaks Welsh, Radio Ceredigionshould, like every local radio station inWales, reflect the demand rather than cuttingit. There has been an explosion in the rangeof stations which are available in English,while Welsh-language provision hasdeclined severely. This experiencestrengthens the case for devolvingresponsibility over broadcasting to Wales.”

Welsh is being compiled, and an appeal ismade for as many contributors as possible.


Carn 11

Powers over energy must be included theupcoming commission into devolution,Plaid’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MPsaid in September. Plaid has called for theUK Government’s “Calman-styleCommission” for Wales, which is expectedto begin in the next few months, to have awide ranging remit and to include energy,policing and broadcasting.

All four parties in the Welsh election inMay pledged to make the case for furtherdevolution of energy. However, last week,the coalition government in London(between the Tories and the LiberalDemocrats) revealed it had no intention ofcarrying forward these promises made to theWelsh electorate. Addressing Plaid’s annualconference in Llandudno in September ElfynLlwyd said

“The Welsh Government can only makedecisions over energy projects of up to50MW. Anything higher is up toWestminster so we have two conflictingenergy agendas at work. We are deprived ofthe ability to realise ambitious proposals forour nation. That must change and that is whywe will keep pushing for Wales to be able tomake its own decisions on power, on renew-able energy, and on developments in our ownland.”

A campaign for on-line banking services inWelsh was started by Cymdeithas yr Iaith onthe National Eisteddfod field in August, thisnear Wrecsam, with the help of Susan ElanJones, Labour (!) MP for Clwyd South in thesame part of Wales.

Over recent months, members ofCymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg have lobbiedthe HSBC bank to begin an on-line service,but the company have refused to changetheir policy. In an e-mail the bank has replied“...there are no plans to offer personal [on-line] banking through the medium of Welshat the moment, although your commentshave been noted...”

Speaking at the launch of the campaign,Ceri Phillips, Rights spokesman forCymdeithas yr Iaith, said: “Almost everyoneuses their bank on a day to day basis, but asmore local branches close and cheque booksare phased out, it’s becoming increasinglydifficult to access services in Welsh. In fact,it’s impossible to bank on-line in the

language. Not a single bank offers Welsh on-line banking, despite many websites that relyon volunteers offering a Welsh service.

“As services move on-line, manycompanies and organisations are ignoringWelsh. Since the sixties, Cymdeithas yr Iaithhave secured many services, but astechnology changes, some of those victorieshave been reversed. That’s why we’relaunching this campaign.”

Susan Elan Jones MP said at the launch:“More and more people are using on-linebanking, and I think the time has come forbanks to maintain the service in Welsh. I’dlike to thank Cymdeithas yr Iaith forlaunching this important campaign. I hopethat the new Language Commissioner caninvestigate banking services when she or heis appointed.”

Labour Leader launches online banking campaign in Welsh

Labour MP launchesonline banking

campaign in Welsh

The next stepstowards devolution

of energyThe UK state is slowly sinking under the enormous debts created above all by the Labour

government in power in London from 1997 to 2010. Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesperson, JonathanEdwards MP (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr), called in August for the ‘Calman Cymru’ Commission tocarry out its work swiftly and transfer financial powers to Wales promptly, as the Bank of Englandonce again lowered UK economic growth forecasts for 2011, from around 1.8% in May to about1.4%.

Mr Edwards argued that devolving greater financial and economic powers to the Welsh Assemblywould allow the Welsh Government to act in the best interests of Wales rather than relying onLondon to make decisions.

Plaid Cymru have proposed measures such as a reduction in corporation tax in Wales, investmentin infrastructure and jobs and a temporary cut in VAT to stimulate the economy.

Mr Edwards said “As a result of the policies of the Westminster Government, the UK’s economicgrowth forecasts have been cut yet again, with growth for 2011 now expected to be less than half itwas predicted this time last year.

“As all indicators show that Wales is recovering more slowly than the south-east of England, it isimperative that the Calman Cymru commission, which will be looking into financial powers andWelsh democracy, carries out its work swiftly and promptly.

“The events of 2008, when this economic crisis began, confirmed our belief that the WelshGovernment had too few powers to make a real difference to the Welsh economy.

“Plaid Cymru have set out a series of ideas for Wales which will stimulate economic growth andjobs here.

“We need to have powers over corporation tax in Wales, so that we can give our companies aneconomic advantage in the market-place.

“We should be able to borrow money to invest in our infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools,and create construction jobs – Plaid’s Build for Wales plan.

“In Westminster, we have suggested a temporary cut in VAT, back to the 17.5% it was last year,that would boost the economy right here, right now as well as helping hard-pressed families. We aredisappointed that the Labour party failed to support our amendment to this effect at this year’sFinance Bill.

“Working together, these policies would give support to Welsh companies and families who havebeen let down by London.

“As UK Chancellor, George Osborne has failed to set out a Plan B if his swingeing cuts fail, whichthese figures suggest may well happen.

“Putting all your eggs in one basket, as the UK did with the financial sector, is never a good plan,and I hope that he will soon admit his mistake and offer alternatives for growth.”

Financial powers must be transferred to Wales promptly


First Imprisonment in New Campaign to Save S4C

12 Carn

A member of Cymdeithas from MerthyrTudful was imprisoned for a week inAugust after taking part in a protest overthe future of Welsh language TV channelS4C. Jamie Bevan, 35 years old, is the firstlanguage activist to be imprisoned over thefuture of Welsh-language broadcasting foralmost 30 years (since the originalcampaign to have S4C set up). He wasconvicted of breaking into the office ofCardiff North MP Jonathan Evans(Conservative), and painting a slogan onthe wall of the building. The non-violentaction was part of the campaign against(London) government plans to cut theirgrant to S4C by 94% and merge thechannel with the BBC.

In a previous hearing, Jamie Bevan wasordered to be tagged and pay compensationof £1,020. He has refused to be tagged in aneffort to draw further attention to the threatto S4C, the only Welsh-language TVchannel in the world.

In a further sign of the peaceful nature ofthe protest, a Church Minister read amessage to a crowd of supporters as theygathered to hear the verdict. AddressingCardiff Magistrates Court, Jamie Bevansaid:

“The politicians in London continue toignore all the organisations and voices inWales over S4C, they continue to insult oursmall nation.

“I didn’t act for my own benefit. I didn’tignore the curfew for my own benefit. Andneither do I refuse to pay fines or costs formy own benefit. I protested, and continue toprotest, out of principle, without self-righteousness, completely confident that Iam doing the only thing I can under theundemocratic circumstances we face.

“In their first application to refuse bail, thepolice said that I was someone without anyrespect for law and order. May I say that Ilive the vast majority of my life legally andorderly, working full time, and more, aresponsible and loving father. But I don’trespect a system of law and order which

Jamie Bevan with supporters outside Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.

Plaid Cymru will select a new leader earlynext year following the resignation of IeuanWyn Jones AC after Plaid’s disappointingresults in the May general election. The newLeader of Plaid will be announced in time forthe party’s Spring Conference in March. MrJones signalled his intention to stand downas party leader in May but agreed to stay inpost while a review is conducted. Now thatthe review is well underway, Mr Jones saidhe is satisfied that a clearer timetable for theleadership contest can be set. Mr Jones saidin August “I’m grateful to the party’s NECfor the orderly way it has instigated ourparty’s review following the May elections.Under the co-ordination of Eurfyl ap Gwilym,the full review is now underway and will becompleted by the turn of the year.

Plaid CymruLeadership 2012

picks and chooses who they defend and whenthey act democratically orundemocratically.”

“No social injustice has ever changesthrough cowardly accepting rules imposedby the few who protect only their own selfishinterests. We must push against the system ifwe are to see real change which is for thebenefit of our communities.”

Bethan Williams, chairman of Cymdeithas,appealed to people to refuse to pay their TVlicence in support of Jamie Bevan’s sacrificefor the future of the language: “We’re askingpeople to refuse to pay their TV licence as asign of support for Jamie. If the Governmentdoesn’t listen to the united voice of people inWales - who oppose the savage cuts whichput S4C’s future in doubt - more and more ofour young people will face prison. That’s theresult of the ill-considered decision of theWestminster Government to make a 94% cutin their grant to the channel.

“It’s terrible that, after the struggle of the‘70s and ‘80s, we are in a situation where wehave to campaign again for something thatwas won decades ago. I hope theGovernment will take note of Jamie’ssacrifice for Wales’s unique language; atreasure for everyone who chooses to makeWales their home.”

People are refusing to pay the TV licenceuntil the Government ensures independencefor the channel and sufficient finance to runthe service. The society is asking people whosupport the campaign to [email protected].

Jamie was released on August 30th andimmediately joined members of Cymdeithasin picketing a meeting the (Westminster)Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, washolding in Casnewydd/Newport thatafternoon (about local television) in orderto tell him that S4C must be taken out of thePublic Bodies Bill. Jamie went straightfrom the prison in Gloucester to the picketand demanded a meeting with Jeremy Huntregarding the future of S4C.

“Under my leadership, Plaid Cymru hasemerged from a successful period ingovernment and has continued to push theagenda forward since the May elections. Wehave operated as a constructive and robustopposition to the new Labour governmentsince the election and highlighted their lackof ambition for Wales. We have also set outthe alternative vision we have as a party andwe will continue to do that under myleadership until it is time for me to hand overthe reins to a new leader.”

Plaid Cymru National Chair, Ellen apGwynn, added: “Following Ieuan’sannouncement the party’s NationalExecutive Committee will be asked to ratifyarrangements for a leadership election in itsnext meeting. I will be asking the NEC toapprove a timetable, which ensures a newleader is in place for the spring conference inMarch. The election process will thereforeofficially commence at the beginning ofJanuary 2012. Between now and the electionof the next leader we’re keen to ensure thatas many people as possible can play theirpart in moving our party forward. Thecoming months will be a great opportunityfor supporters, new and old, to get involvedin the process of renewing Plaid and to bepart of the election in the new year of Plaid’snew leader.

“I’m pleased that Ieuan will continue theimportant work of leading the party until thenext leader takes over next spring. Hiscontribution to the party and the nation hasbeen enormous and I’d like to thank himonce again for his continued leadership ofPlaid Cymru.”

Ieuan Wyn Jones AC


Carn 13

ÉireFilíocht i gCoirnis bheo bhríomhar

Ceann de na scéalta móra sna críochaCeilteacha le glúin anuas is ea an dul chuncinn atá déanta ag an gCoirnis. Nuair abunaíodh an Conradh Ceilteach leathchéadbliain ó shin ba bheag a bhí scríofa sa teangasin sa nua-aois agus ba bheag duine a bhíinniúil ar a scríobh ach anois tá litríocht ógnua-aimseartha ar an saol sa Choirnis. Táidir chaighdeán liteartha agus nua-aimsear-achas sonrach le brath sa chnuasachnuafhoilsithe ag Mick Paynter, A Worm’sFolly — Poems in Cornish (le haistriúcháinBhéarla).

Tá breis is cead dán sa chnuasach seo agustá réimse mór ábhar iontu — an tírghrá,impiriúlachas, faisisteachas, an grá, ancomhshaol, agus cion an údair ar na cait.Chaith Paynter cuid mhór dá shaol inacheardchumannach gníomhach agus ar anmbealach sin chuir sé aithne ar Royston agusBlanche Green a chuaigh i bhfeidhm go mórair. Ba chomhghleacaí oibre dá chuid, PhilRendlel, a thug air dianstaidéar a dhéanamhar an gCoirnis agus, níos déanaí thug TimSaunders an-spreagadh dó ó thaobh na scríb-hneoireachta de. Tá Mick Paynter ina Ard-Bhard ar Gorseth Kernow faoi láthair.

Cé gur scríobhadh an chuid is mó de nadánta seo le deich mbliain anuas tá gnédhírbheathaisnéisiúil sa chnuasach. Bhí an t-údar ina mhac léinn i Newcastle -upon-Tyneag deireadh na seascaidí agus chuir sé aithnear Brian O’Toole, péintéir agus cartúnaí, abhíodh ina ábhar sagairt tráth ach arbh é ansaothar ba mhó uaidh a raibh eolas air ag anam picitiúr den Chroí Ró-Naofa agus piontaina lámh aige. Tháinig an chéad chuid dedhán isteach in intinn Paynter agus é i láthairag sochraid O’Toole i Learpholl i 2002.

Pinta korev, wosa dha Soodh,gans an Arluth ...

(Pionta beorach, agus do Shaothar thart, inéindí leis an Tiarna ...)

Chaith sé cuid mhaith de bhlianta Thatcheri Londain agus tá roinnt de na dánta bunaithear an tréimhse sin. Níorbh fhada ann é nuaira bhí sé féin agus roinnt Cornach páirteach igceann de na mórléirsithe in aghaidhchogadh Vítneam. Bhí bratacha de gachsaghas ann:

Baner rudh ha baner du,po baner rudh ha du.Baner glas sterrennek a’nwerin Iwerdhon yw.

(Bratach dhearg agus bratach dhubh, nóbratach dhearg agus dhubh. Bratach ghormréaltógach de chuid choismhuintir na hÉire-ann.)

Mick Paynter, ag léamh a chuid filíochta(le cúirtéis Dew Vardh)

Chualathas beirt phóilín ag iarraidh adhéanamh amach céard a bhí i mbratach anChoirn agus sa deireadh shocraigh siad gurbhratach de chuid scata anarcaithe Críostaí abhí inti!

Is cuimhin le Paynter an stailc (an astelober) i státseirbhís Shasana i 1981, coimhlinta bhí ar cheann de na cathanna ba thúisce sachogaíocht a d’fhear Thatcher ar na ceard-chumainn. Cuireann sé an píosa breá fealsú-nachta seo romhainn:

Tenva y’n fas a gontrodianshag a genkians, mars yw drog po mas,res yw dhyn-ni kas rag y dreus’kynnans.

(Teannas in aghaidh na codarsnachta agusna conspóide, bíodh sé go dona nó go maith,tá troid uainn ar mhaithe lena tar-céimnitheacht.)

Ag tagairt do thrémhse níos déanaí atá dánag ceiliúradh teachtaireacht mhuintir Londando Blair:

... nyns eus dug ragon saw Ken

(Níl taoiseach uainn seachas Ken)

Taobh amuigh den pholaitíocht agus denfhealsúnacht tá neart grinn sa chnuasach:Sampla maith de sin an dán, Ple’ma’n dusvras agan Dombwelans? Seo an leaganBéarla:

There is no Ho Chymayne with us,no Rosell Luxulyan or Gwlas Ilych Lanyon,nor yet Fydhel Pasco, the People’s Beard,on our own river aboard some ship,some fine vessel, our very own “Granma”.Ernest Tregavarah where are you?

Agus tá dán ann ina ndéanann sé comóradhar scéal cailíní Rostrenen sa Bhriotáin ambíodh sé de cháil orthu go rachaidís ganbhrístíní le go mbeadh dóthain éadaigh lásaacu lena a gcuid coiffes cáiliúla áille adéanamh le cur ar a gcloigne:

Bydh war!Porth kov dhe’n myrhes Rostrenenow tiskudha’n tin nooth dhe gudha’gafenn.Porth kov dhen myhes Rostrenen.

(Bígí ar bhur n-aire! Cuimhnigí mar achoinnigh cailíní Rostrenen a dtóineachanocht ar mhaithe lena gcloigne a chlúdach.Cuimhnigí ar chailíní Rostrenen.)

Ach tríd an chnuasach ar fad tugann an fileómós dá thír dhúchais:

Kernow, agan broger ni, yma a drodh’enev ni; ynno.

(An Corn, ár dtír ionúin féin, atá thart tim-peall ar ár n-anam; istigh ann.)

Tá dornán aistriúchán leis an údar curthaleis an gcnuasach. Orthu siúd tá leaganCoirnise den Internationale:

A, sevewgh nownek dhiworth koska!Yn sol prisnoryon an esow!

Léiríonn an leabhar seo an dul chun cinnatá déanta i saol na Coirnise. Seo teanga bheobhríomhar. Níl dúil lucht labhartha na teangateoranta don traidisiún ach tá dúspéis acu satodhchaí; ní caomhnú atá in uachtar intinnecuid acu ach réabhlóid. Go bhfeicfear anfómhar!

Colm de Faoite

Paynter, Mick. A Worm’sFolly Poems inCornish(FrancisBoutlePublishers,London,2011).Stg£8.99 . Areview of thisbook whichshows theprogressmade in the life of the Cornishlanguage. This is a living vital language.Preservation is not the intent butrevolution. May we see the harvest!


14 Carn

The last Government bankrupted the statewhen they made the debts of the speculativebanks sovereign debt at the insistence of theECB. The present one despite all the promisesmade during the last election are littledifferent, ensuring that the ordinary personpays the price – not those institutions andtheir investors who knew the risks ofspeculation fuelled by historically low interestrates set for the benefit of the German andFrench economies. The Irish Governmentpaid almost three quarters of a billion euros tounsecured bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank in2011 when they should have defaulted. TheECB insisted on it. They ignored theprecedent set by Iceland who repudiated alloverseas debts of their banks when they failedand claimed that this kind of behaviour wasnecessary for the almighty markets anddemanded by the Troika (IMF/ ECB/EU).

Is it any surprise that Iceland is on the roadto recovery when the Irish State is mired inausterity programmes? Statements that this‘good behaviour’ would pay dividends ranghollow when there was clearly no intent norsignal on any will to reduce the punitiveinterest rate on the loans from the Troika. Itcertainly rang true to hear an IcelandicMinister (in a discussion programme onHealth Care) declare that the IMF were onlyinterested in property rights not human rights.

In the 2012 budget the vulnerable were themain targets with significant cuts in socialwelfare benefits including those for youngpeople with disabilities. This latter elementinvoked such outrage that the government hadto later backtrack on it. Value added tax wasraised to twenty three per cent. A householdtax of one hundred euro was introduced withdraconian measures for non-payment. LeftAlliance TDs and some Sinn Féin TDs havestated that they will not pay this tax and abroad campaign has been organised for non-payment. Measures to gain information toimplement this tax and source information oncitizens have been challenged by the DataProtection Commissioner. Severe cuts weremade in the Health services. The huge rise inthe cost of private health insurance, whichincreased by as much as 50% over the last twoyears is likely to be added to again as a resultof measures in the budget. 6,000 people areabandoning private health cover each month.The Irish Patients Association expressedgrave concern about the affect of this on analready overstretched public system andlikely further premium increases forremaining customers due to the exit of suchnumbers. The budget was criticised byOpposition parties and many commentators asone which only imposed cuts including largeproposed job losses in the Public Sector, andcontained no measures to promote growth and

increase jobs. Meanwhile the unemploymentrate has risen to 14.3% and emigration levelsfor Irish nationals have increased to 40,000 in2011 – up to the annual levels of the 50s and80s almost.

To cap it all we are now faced with theproposed new EU – 1 Fiscal Agreement thatwould copper fasten external fiscal controlvirtually indefinitely. There will be all sorts ofattempts to try to get Irish agreement on thiswithout a referendum as all can see that thereferendum, which absolutely should benecessary, is likely to be lost. On pastperformance of course even if a referendum islost, like Nice and Lisbon, they will probablyhave the audacity to run another one. A pressstatement issued by the People’s Movementsargues that the proposed ‘fiscal compact’would greatly increase outside interference inthe budget, taxation and public spendingcapacity of the Irish state.

http://www.people.ie. They also argue thatthe behavior of the government does not augurwell for its adherence to democratic andconstitutional probity on the upcomingintergovernmental treaty.

Gaeltacht, expect that the Government willchange its decision to merge the functions ofthe Language Commissioner with theOmbudsman Office in 2012 and are callingon the Government to make that changenow rather than dragging out the processand further damaging the effectiveness ofthe office.The language commissioner has been widelyrecognised as a highly efficient and dynamiccommissioner who has been praised not onlyfor his work in defending citizens’ rights butalso for being a proactive advocate of bestlanguage practice. A recent example of thiswould be the highly attractive module ongeneral language rights that his officerecently developed for use in transition yearat second level.

We now know that the decision, as admittedby the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht inthe Dáil on November 24th, could actuallycost the state money. The decision also didnot take in to account the fact that thecurrent language commissioner has beenreappointed until 2016 as an independentcommissioner and therefore could open theState to the risk of legal action which couldcost the State even more money. Indeed, AnBord Snip Nua when it looked at the officeidentified no efficiencies to be made andmade no recommendation to alter the statusof the office of the language commissioneras an independent office.All political parties and the Irish languageand Gaeltacht organisations have backed the20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language2012-2030. We acknowledge that fundingwill be a problem in the short term, but whyundermine the strategy and the goodwillbehind it with this decision that has beenacknowledged as having no savings to maketo the exchequer?We believe that the Government should lookat the economic arguments coupled with thewishes and the belief of the Irish languagecommunity both within and outside of theGaeltacht that the office of the languagecommissioner should be supported, that ithas our trust and that it has been a veryeffective service since been set up in 2004.Reversing their decision is therefore thelogical and correct thing to do and should bedone without delay.”

On budget day in early December outsidethe Dáil a protestor from the People’s

Movement poses as Angela Merkel.

From bad to worseunder the troika and

more yet to come

Proposals by the Irish Government to mergethe position of Irish Language Commissionerwith that of Ombudsman were greeted withincredulity when announced. In the contextof a proposed review of the OfficialLanguages Act in 2012 this was seen as anattack on progress made on the status ofIrish in the last decade.An open letter from international linguisticexperts condemned the move and morerecently a broad range of Irish languageactivists and those working in the Irishlanguage movement issued the followingstatement.“We, as members of the Irish languagecommunity both within and outside of the

Seán Ó Cuirreáin, An Coimisinéir Teanga

Attack on Irish LanguageCommissioner Opposed


Carn 15

Republican-Socialist party Éirígí held aday of commemorative talks on the HungerStrikes at the beginning of October last inDublin. With Liberty Hall the venue, thetalks were scheduled to coincide with the30th anniversary of the ending of the HungerStrikes on the 3rd of October 1981. Initiallya crowd of about fifty gathered in the lowerfloor theatre of Liberty Hall. However thisnumber swelled for the second of the day’stalks as a conflicting event, a marchdemanding the relase from Maghaberry ofinternee Marian Price, came to an close.

on a postive note, remarking that althoughthe years she spent in Armagh Prison weresome of toughest in her life, she also metfriends and comrades there that she will keepin touch with forever even if some of themhave taken divergent paths politcally.

At 4pm a discussion on the current situationin Maghaberry commenced. Speaking wasBreandán Mac Cionnaith of Éirígí andMandy Duffy of the ‘Families, Friends andex-POWs’ support group and a relation ofColin Duffy who is being subjected tointernment by remand in Maghaberry atpresent. Mac Cionnaith focused on thepolitical element of the current situation inMaghaberry and the way in which DavidFord was turning a blind eye to the brutalityand inhumane treatment being dished out toprisoners in Roe House. Mac Cionnaith alsonoted ruefully how what was granted in theaftermath of the 1981 Hunger Strikes hadevaporated. When questioned as to how thesituation would be resolved and if theProvisional Republican Movement mightplay a part in that, Mac Cionnaith remarkedthat when Sinn Féin agreed to acceptpolicing in the North in 2005 they alsoagreed to accept the entire judicial systemthat went with it and as such cannot be seento act too forcefully against thecriminalisation of current physical forceRepublicanism.

Mandy Duffy, sister in-law of Colin Duffy,who is being held without charge inconnection to the killing of two Britishsoldiers in Masserene in 2008, spoke afterMac Cionnaith. She gave a moving narrativeof her experiences supporting the politcalprisoners, some of whom have not beencharged with a single offence. She detailedher efforts to raise awareness as to the plightof the Republicans in Maghaberry amongstthe North’s body politic. One of the majorpoints of contention in the dispute betweenthe Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS)and Republican prisoners is the failure toimplement the agreement that would see theend of degrading strip searches as laid downin the August Agreement of 2010. Asettlement was reached whereby the NIPSagreed to introduce body scanners and thusnegate the need for strip searching, but thescanners are nowhere to be seen and so theinhuman treatment of prisoners goes on. Itseems that the intransigence of the staunchlyloyalist Prison Officers Association is onlyescalating matters. According to Duffy the‘screws’ are again to the fore in the violationof basic human rights and subjectingprisoners to vicious beatings just as they did30 years ago. In 2011 the prisoners began a‘no wash’ protest in opposition to thiscrueltly and Duffy noted how poignant andunfortunate it was to yet again see similar

images of long bearded and long haired menthree decades after the Blanket and DirtyProtests of the 1970s.

The day closed with lectures from TommyMcKearney, www.tommymckearney.comhimself a former Hunger Striker and authorof ‘The Provisional IRA: From Insurrectionto Parliament ‘, and academic F. Stuart Rossauthor of the recently published ‘Smashing HBlock’. McKearney detailed the practicalitiesof surviving in the H Blocks and gave athorough account of the day to day life of theprisoners, while Ross focused his attentionon the wider campaign outside the prisonwalls and the mobilisation of hundreds ofthousands of people in support of RepublicanPOWs in the the late 70s and early 80s. Bothwere optimistic that the possibility of such amass campaign occuring again with the aim

of real socialchange wasnot unlikely.McKearneynoted how theNorthernIreland stateletwas as normalas anywhere inthe 60s andthatRepublicanismwas at a lowpointfollowing thefailure of the

Border Campaign, but that within a decadenorthern communities were full of activistsdemanding an end to the Partition. Rosspointed to the necessity of organising at agrass roots level to eventually mobilise amass of people, which is what the RelativesAction Committees had done regarding theprisoners in the mid 1970s and hadculminated in more people marching in 1981than did during 1968 and 1969 demandingCivil Rights. All in all the day was wellorganised and the lectures inspiring. Despitethe naturally sombre and reflective nature ofcommemorative talks to mark the events ofthe summer of 1981, the consensus from thespeakers was that the ideal the HungerStrikers died for is still within our grasp.

Kerron Ó Luain

COMMEMORATIVE SEMINAR ON HUNGER STRIKES

Máire Drum

Tommy McKearney

First to speak at 2pm was Máire Drumm,an ex-POW who spent time in Armagh Jailduring the zenith of the battle for PoliticalStatus. Drumm gave an emotive account ofher imprisonment. Of particular note was thefact that both Drumm’s husband and motheralso found themselves the victims of theBritish penal system at the same time. Herhusband was held in Long Kesh and hermother of the same name and vice presidentof Sinn Féin and commander in Cumman namBan was held in a different wing inArmagh. Unlike her mother Drumm hadpolitical status as she was captured by thesecurity forces before it was revoked inMarch 1976. As part of the British policy of‘criminalisation’ political status was nolonger granted from the 1st of March whichled to the somewhat strange situation ofArmagh Prison being divided into twowings, one where IRA combatants had‘Special Category Status’ and one where anattempt was made to cast them as ordinarycriminals. Drumm and her mother thus foundthemselves on opposite wings in the jail.

During her talk Drumm went into vividdetail on the violence and harrasment sheand her comrades were subjected to in aneffort to break them. Particularly stirringhowever was Drumm’s account of themurder of her mother, who following herrelease, was assasinated by a loyalist deathsquad in Belfast’s Mater Hospital whilerecovering from ill-health brought about as aresult of continued harrassment from thesecurity forces. Despite this Drumm ended


KernowDoes Accent Matter?

16 Carn

Ertach An TavasErbyn Brkkys Ha

Lym Ha PryLying in bed this morning with the window

open and listening to the voices of some ofthe people in my street, going off to work, itstruck me as very depressing. Depressing inthe sense that I heard not a single Cornishaccent in the tiny cobbled street of the villageI live in, in West Penwith. Where once thestreets of the village would be ringingwith Cornish accents, they now grow fewerand fewer. What has happened? Wellobviously the influx of up-country people isin part to blame. Of the eleven houses in thebottom half of my street, only four houseCornish folk. Two, (the biggest) don’t houseanyone but for a few days a year. But it’smore than just that and it’s apparent all overCornwall.

That most fantastic of Cornish writers, thelate Nick Darke, once said, “A communitythat loses its past is in danger of losing itsway.” While a lot is happening in the Duchyto preserve our language, old customs etc.the one thing on the way out, it seems, is ourbeautiful accent. For years, any ‘rural’ accenthas denoted the speaker as ‘stupid’ andtherefore a disadvantage. So people havestarted to lose their accents to avoid beingtarred with that condescending brush. Todaywe are bombarded with southern accents; RPor home counties through television andradio. Things changed a little in the nineties,when more ‘regional’ accents were heard butthese tended to be a mix of north country,Scots and the ever present home counties.You can’t even hear a local accent on localradio or television anymore. I know ofschools in Cornwall whose pupils have beentold to stop speaking with a Cornish accentby the teacher. Little wonder then, some ofour young folk talk nothing like us.

Renowned Cornish film maker MarkJenkin:

“I haven’t got a Cornish accent becausewhen I went to school, it was thought theCornish accent was not a very good thing tohave. So you were kind of told, not directlybut it was certainly coaxed out of you, theCornish accent. People are beginning to beproud of their Cornish accents again now butwhen I was growing up it was a thing to beashamed of and that’s because of thesedepictions we have. If you want to have astupid character in a TV programme, givethem a Cornish accent. So what does that doto kids who are growing up? They sit downand watch ‘good-old, respectable BBC’ andthey show somebody who’s an idiot speakingthe way they speak. So what do they do? They

There have been many arguments thatCornwall is a mere county of England,challenged by a great many more, but what isCornwall’s true constitutional position?

Wales recognised by all today as a nation inits own right, was actually formally annexedto England for several centuries. Not soCornwall. There is not a scrap ofdocumentary legal evidence to show that theDuchy ever underwent a lawful or formalannexation. Still the most powerful evidenceof its true constitutional position is thesuccessful and legal submission of theDuchy’s Attorney General, ThomasPemberton-Leigh, to the Duchy v CrownForeshore Dispute of 1855-59, recentlyconfirmed by the legal researches of NotaryPublic John Kirkhope.

The true status of Cornwall today, and forcenturies past, is that of a CrownDependency, much like the Isle of Man and

The True Statusof Cornwall

Mark Jenkin

change the way they speak. And it’s abeautiful accent. We need somebody forCornish people to look up to, who’s Cornish,who’s got a Cornish accent, to startredressing that balance, so in my films,characters will have Cornish accents and thecooler the character, then the stronger theirfucking accent as far as I’m concerned!”

Luckily Mark’s not alone. Pockets ofyoung people all over the Duchy areproducing work that revels in being Cornish,having an accent and speaking Kernewek.Young people need to be proud of who theyare and hold on to precious things like theiraccents.

So does accent matter? Bleddy right itdoes! Dialect is vitally important as well.Without it we become drones. Borg-likenobodies. I don’t want to sound like peoplewho live hundreds of miles away, a peoplewith whom I have no connection. I want tosound like my Father, like my grandparentsand their parents did. Like the old boys Iwork with. Like a Cornishman! Accentunderpins who we are as a people, along withour dialect, our language and our history.

Mark Lanyon(Mark Lanyon is a Cornish speaker and

campaigner living in West Cornwall).

Yma moy dhe ertach ages brykkys halym ha pry.

Hem yu an reson an tavas Kernewek yumar vysy. Ran an bobel a wra leverel efo marrow mes yma ef ow encressya ynkerensa an bobel arta. Nys eth ha bosnefra marrow hag ef a wra bewa whathyn hynwyn a dylleryow ha tyluyow hagyn ranyeth ynweth.

Yn-tefry, ef o leverys, del hevel, yntyluyow ynweth.

Ef re be ran an bewnans yn Kernow ynpupteth-oll.

Mur summenow a vona yw spenys owscodhya drehevelyansow ystorek mesnebes le re be spenys war an tavasKernewek. Yn hevelepter taclow re begwres a brys ysel ages possybyl. Mes, antavas Kernewek yw an dheu hen yeth hatavas bew.

My a grys res yu dhodho bos scodhyesy’n kethvaner ages drehevelyansowcoth. Agan tavas a wra agan styrya. Ef yumelchann bew dhe’n vu ha dh’agancowethasow.

Cowethasow cref yw cowethasow da,cowethasow gwan awra omsewya yndyfygyans.

Hen yw prag an tavas Kernewek ywbysy. Ef yu agan ertach ha’gan termyn adhe. Ef a wra dyndyl mona gorrys dhewayn.

Yma yn-tefry moy dhe ertach agesbrykkys ha lym ha pry.

Yn whyr agan termyn a dhe yw ystory esan auctour John Angarrack re leverys !

Gans Mike Chappell

SummaryIn the aftermath of riots in the Englishcities, there is every importance inmaintaining strong communities with asense of belonging and ownership in theCeltic countries. That belonging includesownership of heritage and there is muchmore to heritage than just bricks andmortar. Language too must be included.


Carn 17

As to a prelude to “The knee-highTheaters” Asylum season which commencedon July 23rd 2011 one of their membersAnna Marie Murphy (writer of The RedShoes) set out on a three day workshop trekacross Cornwall. Her first journey saw herwalk from Polperro to Gorran Haven Barns,the second from Padstow to Launston and thelast From Mousehole to the Asylum. Lastyear to celebrate their 30th anniversary theknee High celebrated by erecting a 550 seattent at Backwater near Truro in which thetroupe re-enacted three of their most famousproduction. What is missing here by arguableone of Cornwall’s finest theatre companies is

from discarding areas such as St Austell andthe surrounding area the author of the play DrAlan Kent, who was born in St Austell in1967 links his theatre with his home town bybring theatre back to his roots. Kent’s CV isimpressive He is a prize-winning poet,novelist and dramatist and author and editorof a number of works on Cornish and Anglo-Cornish literature, including Looking at theMermaid, a Reader in Cornish Literature900–1900, two anthologies of Anglo-Cornish poetry, Voices from West Barbaryand The Dreamt Sea, and an acclaimedtranslation of the Cornish Mystery playcycle, The Ordinalia. Further plays Oogly esSin and The Tin Violin have also been wellreceived.

Kent’s fellow art director at BBBTC, DeanNolan is a celebrated actor of film radio andTV genres who attended the Hub TheatricalCollege at St Austell

©T. Kennedy

In the Shadow of White Pyramids

Cornish Theatre in and Around Clay Country

a call in to Saint Austell which wouldsuggest that the largest populated area in thecounty was not considered by the NHTC fora visit over the past two years. This in turn(tongue in cheek) would suggest that thepopulation of St Austell and the adjoiningChina Clay Country are dull and have nointerest in the arts, yet nothing could befurther from the truth.

During this summer the renowned Cornish“Bish Bash Bosh Theatre Company” inassociation with the “Iron Shoe Company“and their publisher Francis Boutle touredEngland with their production of SurfingTommies a production which has beengreeted with critical acclaim as reported forexample in the Guardian newspaper. Yet far

Programme cover

Dean Nolan and Molly Weaver

Alan Kent

the Channel Islands, although there are noexact equivalents because Cornwall has a defacto and de jure ruler who, uniquely in theUK, is not the English monarch. TheChannel Islands are ruled by that monarch,currently Elizabeth II, not in her role asQueen, but as Duke of Normandy.

Cornwall, for centuries a kingdom in itsown right was, from the Normanadministration, ruled by Earls who derivedtheir income from their south-western realm.The earliest series of these Earls were Celtic-speaking Bretons. From 1337, the Cornishrulers were Dukes, similarly deriving theirincome from Cornwall, and this remains thesituation today. It only changes when there isno Duke. The Duchy then reverts to theCrown, who hold it in trust, and rule onbehalf of the Duke (not in the Crown’s ownright), until such time that the next Duke isborn. The Crown is the absolute owner of thesoil throughout the entire UK – exceptCornwall, where this absolute owner is theDuke.

‘Duke of Cornwall’ is, in fact, a superiortitle to the holder’s other status as ‘Prince ofWales’; the latter being merely a ceremonialtitle with no attached power. As ‘Duke ofCornwall’, the holder is the absolute ruler ofthis small Celtic Duchy.

This entire situation is unique to Cornwalland quite unlike anything else in the entireUK. What it also means is that, under thissystem, the Cornish people have no realdemocratic rights. Whatever Westminsterimposes upon Cornwall is achieved onlywith the sanction of an unelectedgovernment - the Duchy Council.

Cornwall even has its own government (asdistinct from a Parliament) and this - theDuchy Council – is unelected. Current lawallows Cornwall to have its own electedParliament, too – the Stannary – this havingwide-ranging legislative powers includingthe right of veto over Acts and Statutes of theWestminster Parliament. However, thisParliament has to be convened by the Duke,no Duke of Cornwall has seen fit to exercisethat responsibility since the late 18thcentury. Nonetheless, the Duchy Councilensures the retention of its right to do so atany time by always having a duly appointedLord Warden of the Stannaries.Mere ‘county’ of England? Hardly.

Craig Weatherhill

Craig Weatherhill is an architect,archaeologist, historian and author of severalbooks written in Cornish and English, fictionand non fiction, based in and on Cornwall. Afluent speaker of Cornish, he campaigns forthe correct protection and recognition ofCornwall’s ancient sites.Pamphlet published in respect of the CornishConstitution, one part authored by the LateJudge Paul Laity, Tim Saunders Cornish poetand literary historian resident in Wales andDr. Alan M Kent lecturer in Celtic andCornish Studies, author, historian poet andaward winning playwright.


18 Carn

Not So Delectable Duchy…

Recently Dr Garry Tregidgia director ofthe Cornish Audio Visual Archive, (CAVA)University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus,chaired a historical symposium atKresenn Kernow, Alma Place, Redruth,Cornwall. The daylong event saw agathering of principal Cornish Writers,Academics, Musicians and CelticLinguists who were treated todiscussions and lectures provided byluminaries from several Universitiesacross the South and West.

The theme of the day’s events centredon the English Civil War and its effects onCornwall and the South West. Seb Averillof Exeter University conductedprocedures and introduced the firstpresenter, the academic and author MarkStole of South University who openedwith a presentation on “CornishParticularism” and The Cornish Civil War,when he edified the gathering with themorals of Royalist Cornish Regiments.

Up next came Andrew Hopper of theUniversity of Leicester who in an amusingdiscussion gave particulars of theTurncoats of Cornwall and the history ofthe term as applied to the Civil War. Aftera short interlude Steph Haxton of theCornish Education Authority gave aninteresting presentation relating to theEnglish Civil War’s Influence onCotemporary Cornish Literature. Much ofwhich centred about the of topics andlocalities utilised by Dame Daphne duMaurier in her novels

The any questions period after herpresentation was joined by members ofthe knowledgeable packed audiencewhich provided for a further invigoratingdiscussion. Mike O’Connor therenowned musical historian stepped upnext and in an extended lecture providedaspects of “Old and New”: the ChangingSoundscape of 17th Century Cornwall. Inhis discussion he tested Puritanicalintolerance and its effects on the cultureof the time. During lunch interlude Mikein duets with the accomplished BarbaraGriggs played tasteful period selectionsoften on instruments fashioned from thetime of the Civil War. In addition prior toeach air Mike provided informationrelating to the authenticity of each piece.Amongst the composer mentioned wereWilliam Polewheel (1594 – c.1661) andWilliam Brade (c.1560-1630).

T. Kennedy

The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337by a Royal Charter of Edward III. TheCharter confirmed the status of Cornwall asbeing extra-territorial to England. Todaythere is much controversy about theimportance of the Duchy. Is it just a ‘quirk’of ancient history that has no purpose otherthan the purely ceremonial or is it theconstitutional and legal basis of a Cornwallindependent of England? What can be said to be true is that the statusof the Duchy is a source of fierce debateamongst a small number of both ‘pro’ and‘anti’ Cornish nationalism antagonists. Atthe same time the subject elicits a range ofsentiments from endearing nostalgia tocomplete apathy from the ‘average person onthe street’. So what exactly does the Duchydo for the good of Cornwall?Amongst some Cornish nationalists it isthought that:“The Duchy is the constitutional foundationof every conceivable argument over Cornishrights and legitimises our link to ourhistory.” i

But is the Duchy really so vitally importantfor Cornish nationhood?Cornwall is legally, constitutionally andculturally separate to England – this is a plainand simple fact. Unfortunately, it is also a fact that has beenincrementally ignored ever since a unifiedEngland was conceived and born in the DarkAges.If the Duchy is the link to a history that isignored or, just as often, corrupted by peoplewho want to deny that history, does itactually serve any good purpose at all?The ‘official’ Duchy of Cornwall has beeninherited by the Duke of Cornwall. Exactlywhat benefit does the Duchy, through theauspices of the Duke of Cornwall, providefor Cornwall?A brief look at the official Duchy ofCornwall web site provides us with theinformation that “The Duchy of Cornwall isa private estate which funds the public,charitable and private activities of The Princeof Wales and his family.” ii Furtherexamination of the web pages reveals aplethora of misleading, factually inaccurateand distorted historical ‘factoids’ which arepresented to the browser in order to promotethis despoiled version of the Duchy ofCornwall. We are presented with aninstitution ‘created’ simply to provide anincome for the English monarch’s eldest son.All of this is taken as gospel truth because itis the ‘official’ site so it must be true mustn’tit? iii

In reality, this is establishment propaganda atits most insidious. The ancient Duchycharters confirmed and restored the status of

Cornwall as a crown dependency still distinctfrom England. Even from before the birth ofthe centralised English state in the ninthcentury, Cornwall was, and has always beensince, a separate land and has never beenincorporated within the territory of‘England’.iv The Duchy charters (which, overthe years, have been ‘disappeared’, ‘re-worked’ and ‘interpreted’v to reflect thefiction presented by the Duchy officials)confirmed that Cornwall and the Cornishpeople formed a distinct nation with its ownadministrative system and ruler. The chartersconfirmed this and, with the force of statute,set out in a legally constitutional format thatCornwall was not part of England, that it hadnever been so and that it never should be. Unfortunately all of this is denied by ourillustrious Duke of Cornwall, our sovereignleader. Instead the Duke prefers to insist thathe is simply responsible for managing aprivate estate which exists, not to leadCornwall into the twenty first century, but toprovide a colossal supplementary stream ofincome for the Windsor coffers. Whereas, intimes past, the monarchy needed little excuseto extract money from the people ofCornwall, now the Duchy is dressed in theclothing of a private estate in an attempt tolegitimise the exercise of privilege withoutresponsibility. I think it would be fair to saythat Cornwall isn’t best served by thisincarnation of the Duchy.Perhaps, given the wealth and power that theDuchy bestows on the Duke, CharlesWindsor’s private estate cannot be expectedto advance the cause of the Cornish nation.Mr Windsor’s Duchy, which seeks tomaximise profit and to sell Cornish heritageto the highest biddervi, is not the bestadministration to steer Cornwall into avibrant and confident future – but is the‘other’ Duchy any more fit for purpose? TheDuchy that pristinely shines from thenationalists’ pages of history as a beacon ofhope and legitimacy for the Cornish nation –surely this must be a better vehicle to takeCornwall forward – even if its officialsovereign has abdicated all responsibility andwould like to sell the crown jewels.The trouble with this is that, although it isabsolutely and unequivocally true to say thatthe Duchy of Cornwall is extra-terrestrial toEngland, it turns out that the concept of theDuchy, for the ordinary person, does notshine quite so pristinely as for the Cornishnationalist. In fact the constant and deliberatemuddying of the Duchy by the English

statevii has led to it becoming a battle groundchosen by the establishmentviii, where theestablishment holds the high groundix, wherethe establishment has superior firepowerx andwhere the establishment holds reserve forces

Celtic Conflict and theCommonwealth

Cornish AudioVisual Archive

Symposium


Carn 19

which dwarf anything yet deployed for theCornish nation.xi

Fighting for the Duchy to be reinstated as theadministrative government of Cornwall is abit like the Captains of the West marching tothe gates of Mordor and waging war withSauron (apologies if you haven’t read theLord of the Rings). In Tolkien’s trilogy thissuicidal act at least provided a distractionfrom the accomplishment of the only trulypossible method to end the tyranny of theevil overlord. In Cornwall any small victorygained would be pyrrhic and soon reversedas the full might of the establishment camecrashing down on the erstwhile victors –unless there is another plan – a method tocast the one ring of power into the fires of theearth in order to destroy it for ever.It is extremely difficult to inspire interestfrom the general public concerning thereasons and evidence as to why the Duchy ofCornwall is actually the true governmentalbody of Cornwall and why this means thatCornwall is not simply another county ofEngland. This difficulty arises because of thenature of historical constitutional law whichis almost universally considered to beunexciting and of no relevance to peopletoday. If you mention historical charters andVictorian law cases people will almostcertainly be more likely to want to go andwatch the X Factor than take part in thediscussion. For them the Duchy is purely anemblem of Cornish pride that distinguishesCornwall from “any other English county” –even if it isn’t understood why. This phenomenon of a nostalgic pride andbenign lack of understanding of the crucialimportance of the Duchy in many Cornishpeople is what makes it such a perfectconcept for the state to do battle withCornish nationalists. Even to try and discussthe Duchy, this emblem of Cornishpeculiarity, in political terms can get peopleannoyed. The state and the Duke control andmanipulate the evidence. Duchy records arekept hidden away and kept inaccessiblewhile other vital documentation isreinterpreted, misplaced or altered.Whenever there is a question to be asked thestate prevents it being asked, usinginjunctions in the Westminster parliament toprevent the truth being heardxii. In effect theestablishment prevents truth being told andencourages anyone attempting to bring thetruth into the open to be branded as fanaticsand as extremists who are damaging thegood name of the ceremonial andritualistically traditional (which is, of course,actually just a well-run private estate) Duchyof Cornwall. So what can be done? Is there a way to sendthe one ring of establishment power to theflames of the deep?“Even today Cornwall retains, bothsuperficially and hidden in the depths of herbeing, the marks of her distinct and separateorigin. Cornwall is not just another Englishcounty but a Celtic country in its own right.Its people retain, often sub-consciously their

own sense of nationality, their own attitudeto life, and the foundations of their nativeculture.”Cornwall remains a ‘land apart’. That is whynationalism is as alive here, as it has neverexisted in counties of England. Cornwall ishome to the nation of Cornwall, which nowencompasses all the people of Cornwall whochoose to identify with it regardless of theirethnicity. Cornwall must assert itsCornishness and be free to forge a modernand vibrant future rather than continue to bea leisure park for England and whose peopleconsistently struggle to identify their ownunique sense of worth. To do this we need to set our own agendawhich questions, rather than ignores, difficultconstitutional questions.The Duchy does Cornwall no practical goodat all. It has been hijacked by anestablishment seeking to protect a stream ofincome. Worse than this the Duchy hasbecome a source of division between peoplewho would see Cornwall stand on her ownfeet and meet the future under her ownsteam. The question of the importance of thestatus of the Duchy can cause as muchantagonism between Cornish nationalists asit elicits blank stares from anyone else - andyet there remains the simple fact that: “TheDuchy is the constitutional foundation ofevery conceivable argument over Cornishrights and legitimises our link to our history.”Perhaps now the time has come to leavebehind the past. Perhaps now the time hascome to discuss the future and how tomodernise the ancient constitutional bases ofhow Cornwall is governed. Perhaps now, thetime has come to simply assert that Cornwallis a nation. The people who feel this knowand understand why Cornwall is indeed anation - but they need to pass on thisknowledge in an inspirational andaspirational way. Cornwall has its ownlanguage, its own geographical area, its ownethnic group and its own culture andtraditions but in order to get the ‘criticalmass’ necessary to make an impact on theestablishment there has to be a large scalepopular reawakening and an increasedassertive self-confidence to make the visionof Cornish nationhood come to fruition. The establishment needs to be challenged tojustify the existence of the Duchy. What isthe purpose of this anachronistic institutionthat has far more privileges than thoseenjoyed by any normal ‘well-run privateestate’? Why should a private estate havesuch disproportionate powers to extractmoney from the pockets of Cornish people?In these times of cut backs to vital publicservices why should Mr Windsor avoidpaying tax? The status of the Duchy and how it can bemodernised (or replaced) to serve Cornwallbetter should be an issue thoroughly,officially and openly investigated. At a time when the politicians ofWestminster are treating Cornwall and itspeople as a political football, why shouldn’t

Cornwall take back its future from theestablishment that has done nothing to createthe conditions needed to create prosperityand social justice for one and all?While the Private Estate drains the life bloodfrom Cornwall the London based politicalparties do nothing to protect Cornwall’sunique heritage and culture. Instead theyprefer to devise new ways to assimilateCornwall into England and relegate theCornish nation to the status of a mere county,home to a money-making machine for theDuke and a holiday park for England.Cornwall can grow and prosper – but inorder to do this it needs to throw off thebonds that hold it down and it needs to lookforward. The Duchy of Cornwall is one ofthe bonds that hold Cornwall back. For thepeople of Cornwall, the Duchy is both asource of economic loss and a cause ofdivision. The exposure of the Duchy forwhat it really is would be a bitter pill forsome people to take but it is a pill that needsto be administered if Cornwall is to moveforward as a vibrant and autonomous nation.

Councillor Stephen Richardson

i TGG, 12/7/2010 C24 forumhttp://www.cornwall24.co.uk

ii http://www.duchyofcornwall.org/

iii For an excellent illustration as to why this isa ridiculous assertion see “The Duchy ofCornwall – A very peculiar ‘Private estate’”by J. Kirkhope

iv See http://www.kernowtgg.co.uk/

v “Our Future is History”, J. Angarrack,Independent Academic Press 2002

vi http://cornishzetetics.blogspot.com/2010/03/duchy-profits-from-concreting-cornwall.html

vii http://www.duchyofcornwall.org/

viii Royal Commission on the Constitution 1969 -1973, Volume I, Report (Cmnd 5460) (The“Kilbrandon Report”)

ix In July 1997 Andrew George MP attemptedto raise a question concerning the Duchy ofCornwall in the House of Commons but wasprevented from doing so by an injunctionthat disallows MPs raising any questions inParliament that are in any way related to theDuchy. The injunction prevents MPs askingquestions regarding the “role, rights, powersand privileges” of the Dukes of Cornwall inCornwall - reference Tamar Bridge Act 1998,s.41 and letter from the House of CommonsLibrary to Andrew George MP, dated 16 July1997

x Under UK law it’s not a crime for aGovernment Minister to lie to Parliament,even when delivering a prepared writtenstatement asserting knowingly falseinformation in his or her capacity as anexecutive officer of the government. (Seewww.duchyofcornwalleu/latest/?page_id=128)

xi ‘Things’ happen to prevent the ‘CornishQuestion’ from being debated in Englishcourts (see Scat t’Larrups? J. AngarrackIndependent Academic Press 2008)

xii See note 9 above

xiii “Cornwall the Hidden Land” - Richard andAnn Jenkin – West Country publications 1965


20 Carn

ManninJannoo faghid er ny Celtee

She Jonathan Edwards yn oltey jeh‘Kiare as Feed’ y Reeriaght Unnaneyssitson Caerfyrddin Hiar as Dinefwr. Reneshyn gaccan rish ny meoiryn-sheemychione ny reddyn va screeut ec ferenmyssit Roger Lewis mychione Bretnishayns y Daily Mail, Bible Hostyn Veanagh.She ughtar Mnr Lewis as v’eh jeeaghyn dynee eshyn screeu sy phabyr-naight shen dyrow Bretnish ‘ny chengey-apag atchimaghas neuvioyr, nagh vel un ennymockle noaeck neayr’s ny h-Eashyn Meanagh.’ VaMnr Edwards, oltey jeh Plaid Cymru,jeant cho corree ec y faghid shoh as dy reneh gaccan mychione eck rish ny meoiryn-shee, as rish Barrantys-plaiynt nyPabyryn-naight sy Reeriaght Unnaneyssit.

Va toshiaght currit da’n chooish shoh eclioar enmyssit ‘Bred of Heaven’ screeutliorish Jasper Rees, ta ny Hostnagh. Aynsy lioar aitt shoh, ta Mnr Rees geearreecheet dy ve ny ‘Vretnagh dooie’, erreishda v’er n’eddyn magh dy row yn shanerechey ny Vretnagh – nagh hoig Jasper dyvel ‘Rees’ ny ennmym Bretnagh? ScreeuRoger Lewis baght jeh’n lioar sy DailyMail, as she ayns y vaght shoh va’n faghider Bretnish. Screeu yn MP rish TheresaMay, y Scrudeyr Goaldagh, as eh gueeurree ish dy ‘scughey yn chingys shohmagh ass’. Agh shimmey peiagh pooaralas ard-ghooagh t’er hoie er JonathanEdwards boght, as ad gra dy vel eh gaccanfoddey ro niartal.

Ny mast’oc shen va noi JonathanEdwards va’n MP son Rhondda aynsBretyn Yiass, Chris Bryant. Dooyrt eshyndy nee ‘boghtynid’ y stoo va screeut ecRoger Lewis, agh cha row sleih laccalashoonaghys Bretnagh va gaccan car ytraa. Cha lhisagh Bretnee cur geill dacremeydys, as cha lhisagh ad roie gys nymeoiryn-shee son cooney, smooinee eh.As eear-MP, Lembit Opik, dooyrt eshyndy row kied ec peiagh erbee dy ghrareddyn eajee ayns ny pabyryn-naight –v’eh scanshoil dy phohlldal seyrsnys-baght ayns ny pabyryn-naight. As yn aghtshare dy chur Bretnish er e toshiaght, vashen dy chur troghyn jarrooagh er nyndoshiaght, heill eh. Dooyrt y dooinneyveih’n Daily Mail, Roger Lewis, dy roweh er n’eddyn ymmodee çhyrryssyn dyphohlldal veih Bretnee as Sostnee, goaillstiagh Stephen Fry , Carol Vorderman as

Gyles Brandreth (Lhig dooin padjer ygoaill!). Va Mnr Lewis gobbal dy rowkynneeaghys erbee sy stoo va screeutechey, as dooyrt eh dy row eshyn henelane Vretnagh. As bentyn da Bretnish myr‘chengey-apag atchimagh as neuvioyr,nagh vel un ennymockle noa eck neayr’sny h-Eashyn Meanagh’, dooyrt eh dydaink shen veih’n lioar ‘The Old Devils’,va screeut ec Kingsley Amis. Agh cre’n fahug Mnr Lewis shen stiagh syn art echey?

She cooish feer henn t’ayn, sleih jannoofaghid er ny Celtee, as ad lhiggey er dy neeaittys t’ayn – ‘Nagh vod ad jannoo lesh.spotch? Graih veen, ta crackan thanney oc,nagh vel!’ Agh smooinee er ny h-eiyrtyssyn haghyragh dy beagh reddyneajee clouit mychione Sostnee ayns ny h-ellanyn shoh, ny currit magh er y radio nyer y çhellveeish? Ec y traa t’ayn, erclaareyn aitt er y çhellveeish ayns BretynVooar s’liooar ny focklyn ‘Wales’ ny‘Welsh’ y ghra dy chur er y lught-eaishtagh dy ve gearey. Cha nel shentaghyrt lesh ny focklyn ‘England’ ny‘English’. Cha bee sleih dy dty hoiggal mynee oo gra ‘He englished on me’. Agh neead hoiggal ‘He welshed on me’. Va’n bunjeh’n vreear ‘to welsh on’ foast ry gheddynayns fockleyryn Baarlagh gys paart dyvleeantyn er dy henney. V’ad er n’eddynrey rish y chooid smoo jeh ny focklyn asraaghyn eajee noi ny h-Ewnyn aynsfockleyryn Baarlagh tammylt braew er dyhenney, as s’mie shen, dy jarroo.

Cha nel mish dy ghra dy vel ooilley nynSostnee nyn youil – veagh shenommidjagh. Ansherbee, c’red ta‘Sostnagh’, ‘Bretnagh’, ‘Albinagh’,‘Yernagh’, ‘Manninagh’, ny ‘Cornagh’?Ta shin ooilley mestit ry cheilley er aghtennagh. Y red ta mish soie er, shenimpiroilaghys lught-reill Hostyn, red hainkrish mysh meeilley blein er dy henney.Hug yn Olloo Robert Bartlett roish stranefeer vie er y chellveeish Ghoaldaghmychione shennoaylleeaght ny Normanee.Loayr eh mychione yn aght hug Illiam yFer-thammag ny Anglo-Hostnee fo choshlurg 1066, as yn aght ghow ny Normaneeas ny Anglo-Normanee greim er Nerinmyr y chied choloin oc – red noa dychlashtyn er chellveeish Ghoaldagh.Hoilshee yn Olloo Bartlett magh dy rowNerin ny cheer raad va ooilley ny reddyn

smoo ayns impiroilaghys Oarpagh crooit.Choont ny Normanee as eisht ny Anglo-Normanee ny Yernee dy ve myr sleih injil– ‘untermensch’ ny Natseeyn, sonshickyrys. Va’n fer-shennoaylleeaghtGerald Bretnagh jeh sluight Normanagh asv’eh moyrnagh ass ny reddyn ren nyNormanee ayns Nerin. Screeu ehmychione ny Yernee myr pobble neufeeuas almoragh, va goll mygeayrt rooisht –cha row fys oc er eaddagh, ny er stoo kiartdy ee, ny eer er Yeesey Creest! As my t’oudellal rish pobble myr shen, s’aashagh ad ychur fo chosh dy bollagh. My wooisemooar da’n Olloo Robert Bartlett son inshyn irriney ayns ny claareyn hug eh roish –cha ren mee rieau clashtyn y lheid roïe er ychellveeish Ghoaldagh. Anchaslys mooareddyr shen as y stoo impiroilagh ta shincliaghtey geddyn veih’n chellveeishGhoaldagh veih Starkey as Ferguson asnyn lhied. Myr dooyrt Bartlett, ta shinfoast beaghey lesh ny h-eieyn va crooitmysh meeilley blein er dy henney tra vacoloin jeant ass Nerin – y chied choloin eclught-reill Hostyn.

Ren y spyrryd jeh impiroilaghys askynneeaghys lught-reill Hostyn skeaylleymagh trooid pobble Hostyn son y chooidsmoo, as trooid ram jeh ny Celtee va curritfo chosh ec Sostyn harrish keeadyn dyvleeantyn. Myr sampleyr, jeeagh er ‘ManxLast Night of the Proms’ ta goll er cummalgagh blein ayns Doolish as Mannineekiaulley ‘Land of Snob and Tory’ (oh, dyrow!) lesh cree, annym as coraa. Asshimmey Manninagh dynsee dy chraiddeymysh ny Bretnee as ny Yernee gyn resooncooie. S’doillee da ny Celtee ooilliuscapail veih coloinaghys, dy jarroo.Coloinaghys ayns ny h-inchyn, shen y nieusmessey.

Er lhiam dy row Jonathan Edwards slanekiart dy ve gaccan dy lajer mychione ystoo va clouit ayns y Daily Mail mychioneBretnish – s’cummey cre voish haink ystoo shen, Roger Lewis ny Kingsley Amis.Y traa son gra ‘Lhig da faghidyn ve jeantnoi ain as cha jeanmayd gaccan’, ta’n traashen ersooyl, er lhiam pene. Shegin dooinjannoo red erbee oddys mayd dy chaggeynoi faghidyn, as my ta leigh ayn ny chour,gow ymmyd jeh.

SummaryJonathan Edwards MP took robust actionconcerning insults against the Welshlanguage printed in the English newspaperThe Daily Mail. He was accused byvarious people of being thin-skinned, butthis is highly debatable in view of theinsults disguised as ‘humour’ which manyWelsh people have to put up with.

Brian Stowell


Carn 21

This year’s speaker, Chris Moseley,general editor of the third edition ofUNESCO’s Atlas of World Languages inDanger, was ready to admit. In 2009, he andhis colleagues sparked an angry reaction inthe Isle of Man and Cornwall when, in anearlier edition of their atlas, they declaredManx and Cornish to be ‘extinct’ largelybecause the last native-born speakers haddied in the 1970s and 1770s respectively.

Apparently, despite other large parts of theworld being covered by the atlas, thestrongest reactions and complaints all camefrom Western Europe and then Isle of ManChief Minister Tony Brown was the highest-ranking person to write in to object about thestatus accorded to a particular language.

Mr Moseley said he had now seen forhimself plenty of proof of the revival ofManx Gaelic.He said years ago heremembered reading Ned’s name in theGuinness Book of Records as the last nativeManx speaker, but now the island’s languagewas being well and truly reborn as a livinglanguage once again. Explaining his ownlanguage background, he said he was ateaching fellow of Latvian at the School ofSlavonic and East European Languages atUniversity College London (UCL).

Although Latvian itself is not endangered,the Finnish-Baltic language Livonian,formerly spoken by people living in the westof Latvia, had become extinct following thedeath of the last native speakers. Happily, itwas now being reborn thanks to the memoryof it being kept alive by various fishingcommunities – a situation, he said, with

strong parallels to the story with Manx.Of his role in editing the third edition of

UNESCO’s Atlas of World Languages inDanger, he said the concept had grown out ofthe ‘red books’ listing aspects of nature andthe environment across the world that werenow in danger of extinction. It was a naturalextension to compile a similar catalogue ofaspects of human culture that were similarlyendangered, since UNESCO’s remit coversboth nature and culture.

Earlier editions of the atlas, the first beingpublished in 1996, provided just a snapshotof endangered languages 600 being listed atthat stage and then 800 when the secondedition was launched in Paris in 2009 in bothbook form and digital format, appropriatelyenough on February 24, Mother Tongue Day.

Now the third edition was being producedto be much more ambitious in scope, with2,500 languages covered and, in the digitalversion, new maps based on Googletechnology illustrating something of the

Ned Madrell Lecture 2011topography of the areas of the globe in whichparticular languages have been spoken.Readers can access the maps atwww.unesco.org/culture

For this exercise the world has beendivided up into regions and informationabout the status of different languages co-ordinated at UNESCO head quarters in Paris,with each language being given a three-lettercode. Following the outcry over the 2009atlas, two new categories have beenintroduced in the colour coding accorded tolanguages - including, of course, thatcontroversial pair Manx and Cornish. Theoriginal categories were: ‘vulnerable’(white), ‘definitely endangered’ i.e. nolonger the mother tongue or taught in thehome (yellow), ‘severely endangered’ i.e.only spoken by grandparents and oldrelatives (orange),‘critically endangered’ i.e.if the youngest speakers are of the greatgrandparents’ generation (red), ‘extinct’ i.e.if no one has spoken or remembers thelanguage for 60 years (black). Now there arealso the new categories: ‘Revived’ (broughtback from the dead) and ‘Revitalised’(brought back from the brink of death).

Some audience members controversiallyquestioned whether governments couldafford to revive and encourage use of dyinglanguages and bilingualism. Mr Moseleyagreed that some, for example Mexico,probably could not but nonetheless keeping arecord of the world’s endangered languageswas important for cultural diversity andUNESCO could have a role in givingimpetus to movements seeking to gainrecognition for threatened languages. TheManx example is certainly one that can giveencouragement to such groups.

Chris Moseley

A new Chief Minister was elected on the Island on the 11thOctober 2011 by members of the House of Keys, followinga general election in September.

Ramsey MHK Allan Bell become the Island’sfifth Chief Minister, following unprecedentedscenes at the Tynwald when a competitor to MrBell for the Chief Minister position threatenedto withdraw from standing, because was no“freedom of speech in the House of Keys”following a heated exchange with the Presidentof Tynwald.

Peter Karran said that he would be withdrawing fromstanding as Chief Minister, because following a warninggiven by the President of the Tynwald, Clare Christian toMr Karran’s proposer, MHK Kate Beecroft. PresidentChristian said that MHK Beecroft was spending more time in hermaiden speech criticising MHK Alan Bell than proposing Mr Karrenas Chief Minister. President Christian successfully urged MHKKarren to continue to allow his name to be put forward in the interestsof democracy and after 45 minutes of speeches the result of theelection was 29 votes to MHK Bell and 3 votes to MHK Karren.(Since the election, in a move, which seems to augur well forconsensus government, the new Chief Minister has included MrKarran in his Ministerial team, as Minister for Education.)

The general election was held on the Isle of Man on29th September 2011 and saw several changes and

the status quo was maintained in the majority ofconstituencies. Interestingly three LiberalVannin party candidates were successful in thepolls, including Kate Beecroft who won a seatin Douglas South and two other partycandidates, who were all sworn in alongsidetheir party leader, Peter Karran on 4thOctober, increasing the party’s presence in theHouse of Keys from about 4% to 12.5%.

Traditionally political party representatives donot usually garner success on the Isle of Man in

elections and the majority of candidates stand asindependents.

Every five years the Lieutenant Governordissolves the House of Keys and a General Election is

held to elect members of the House of Keys. 24 members of theHouse of Keys are elected and 16 year olds are eligible to vote.The new Manx Chief Minister has said that he still `believespassionately in the preservation of Manx independence’ and stillretains many of the core principles that he had when he was a memberof the Nationalist Party Mec Vannin in the 1970s.

J.B. Moffatt

AlanBell

Manx Election: New Chief Minister In Post


22 Carn

CelticaSt Austell Brewery

A Cornish Successes StorySt Austell Brewery’s one hundred and

sixtieth anniversary in 2001, has been welldocumented. It is interesting to note thatmuch of the coverage has centred aboutrecent developments, that is investment andthe new dynamic that has increasedproductivity at the brewery and brought thecompanies produce to the attention of theentire country. This recognition isunsurprising given that the companiesAdmiral Ale won world wide acclaim afterbeing named the best bottled beer in theworld. Tribute cask is in the nation’s top tenbest selling brands. New liveries declaredthe emergence of the powerfully hoppedProper Job and the latest to join theimpressive St Austell Brewery portfolio isTrelawney yet another innovated brewdeveloped by Roger Ryman the companiesaward winning head brewer. These additionscomplement the stalwart Hicks SpecialDraught for those who prefer tipple in thehigher ABV bracket.

Yet as is the case of most companies witha long history St Austell Brewery has in thepast needed to adapt to survive. In thenineteen thirties it was not unemployment ormarketing fluctuations that forced a changein the companies marketing policy, it wasthe company’s logo the Swastika, thatcaused and adverse reaction, a contemptuousangled symbol shared by Hitler’s Nazi Party.Although in truth the brewery had adoptedthe symbol from the terms of its virtues past.The Sanskrit text of India gives thedefinition of Swastika as good-to be.Nonetheless the brewery quickly andsensibly filed off the images of the Swastikafrom the metal beer bottle tops of their alesand replaced them with a less controversiallogo.

The market fluctuations of the breweriesproduce may be observe by its output overthe years from its foundation in 1851. In the1970s they brewed 30,000 barrels per annumby 1999 this had slumped to 16,000 barrelsyet by last year a resurgence saw a return toa remarkable output of 55,000 barrels perannum the highest in the breweries history.These figures exemplify the company’sability to adapt to slumps in the market andreact quickly in response to down turns dueto social, economic or politicalcircumstances The figures appertaining tothe barrelage and its reactive response to adrop in sales is indicative of the company’s

ongoing ability to improve and prosper byeffecting things at the right time when in theright place to do so, an attribute which is farmore difficult to achieve than the clichéwould have us believe. However it was thispositive feature and an eye for a gap in themarket, inherited from the company’sfounder Walter Hicks, that has proved soefficacious to the companies well being as awhole.

T. Kennedy

Rick Rescorla was born in the town ofHayle, Cornwall in 1939 with the name ofCyrill. He became fascinated with theAmerican soldiers stationed in the areaduring the War. After the war he volunteeredand trained with the British Army and joinedthe U.S. Army and volunteered to go toVietnam and was assigned to the U.S. 7thCalvary as a platoon leader with the BCompany, 2nd Battalion. In November 1965,his unit plunged into a battle at Landing ZoneX-Ray, at the base of the Chu Pong, a 2,400-foot mountain in the Ia Drang Valley. Helater survived a North Vietnamese ambush atnearby Landing Zone Albany that claimedthe lives of 151 men in his unit. In the book,Rescorla played a significant part in repellingthe enemy when they outnumbered his unit.Hal Moore, the officer who led the battle atLanding Zone X-Ray, and Galloway, a UPIreporter who covered it, painted Rescorla asa likeable character, who was a skilled leaderunder fire. “Gen. Moore said he was thefinest platoon leader in the Army,” Gallowayrecalled.

THE STORY OF RICK RESCORLA

A Cornish Man

He was haunted by Vietnam and the men helost especially after the 1993 garage bombingof the World Trade Center. He vowed to notlose anyone under his watch. Rick beganresearching the people behind this bombingand was alarmed at how signs were beingmissed. He started training the staff atMorgan Stanley on emergency drills andhow to escape the Tower. The training paidoff but unfortunately Rick lost his life. He isnow with his guys who died in the Ia Drangbattles of Vietnam.

Rick Rescorla died in the collapse of theSouth Tower which was the second one hitby a plane. Rick “Cyrill” Rescorla saved2,700 lives on September 11, 2001.

Who would have thought that a Cornishboy would grow up and save so many lives?We all contribute to history in our own wayas this story proves.

M. SextonCredit: History Channel; Stars and StripesAlso view photos and in-depth informationon rickrescorla.com

Strong supportiveviews on Gaelic

New research released by the ScottishGovernment highlights strong public viewson the importance of Gaelic. Eighty-oneper cent of the Scottish public feel it isimportant that Scotland does not lose itsGaelic language traditions according tonew research published. The report, Public Attitudes Towards theGaelic Language, covers a variety ofquestions related to the language, includingcurrent usage, teaching and its heritage.

65% thought more should be done topromote Gaelic in Scotland

81% feel it is important that Scotland doesnot lose its Gaelic language traditions

70% thought there should be moreopportunities to learn Gaelic

90% thought pupils should be taughtScottish studies.

53% would like to see more Gaelic inScottish life

Gaelic on lineStaff working for public bodies in Alba willbe able to learn Gaelic on line using a newtoolkit launched last August. The project waslaunched as part of a Scottish Governmentcommitment to support the language Western Isles MSP, Alasdair Allan, who isalso Minister for Gaelic and DinnyMcGinley, the Irish Minister of State withspecial responsibility for Gaeltacht affairs,were present at the launch, giving it aninterCeltic flavour.Each toolkit, developed by the Skye-basedcompany Cànan, includes a series of genericintroductory lessons, as well as personalisedglossaries of useful phrases, and terminologyspecific to each organisation.


This well presented and colourfulchildren’s book makes a refreshing changeto the material previously available to theyounger reader. Apart from a few minorfactual errors, it is also remarkable in that itidentifies Cornwall as an ancient Country,with its own Monarchs and an internationalborder with England. It calls Cornwall‘Kernow’ on more than one occasion andeven refers to the indigenous peoples as‘Celts’! A remarkable thing when there areso many deniers about.

It brings out Cornwall’s uniquerelationship with its minerals and mines andthe fact that Cornwall has been a veryoutward looking place from timeimmemorial. The ‘Cornish Celts’ are shownto be a hardworking people, with their ownCeltic tongue and place names. Cornishand Celtic mythology is covered but alsorefreshingly, the fact that the Cornish wereand are not English and have fought hardagainst English rule and taxation down thegenerations. The Anglo Cornish Wars arecovered, the Civil War, the coming of theindustrial revolution and Cornishinventiveness, foodstuffs and even theTamar bridge protest in 1998 ! The Gorsedhand Cornish customs and traditions are wellillustrated and placed alongsidedevelopments which may affect ourCountry’s future such as the discovery ofgold and far more valuable mineralsbeneath us. Art, culture and tourism arefeatured as are traditional subjects such assmuggling, Methodism and St Piran and hispeers.

I enjoyed each of its 64 colourful pages, itscollection of photographs, cartoons, notesand column pieces and although aimed atchildren, it would make ideal reading forCeltic Cornish deniers.

Mike Chappell

Carn 23

Children’s Historyof Cornwall by

Peggy BurnsHardback – 64 coloured pages –

Publishers: Hometown World

ISBN 978-1-84993-136-6 £9.99 or less from Amazon The controversial plans include the creation

of over a thousand new homes on the westernoutskirts of Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen. SionedElin from Cymdeithas yr Iaith inCarmarthenshire Sioned Elin hascommented: “This development iscompletely unsuitable for Carmarthenshire.The plan is not based on thorough researchor local need, but rather on outdated data.There is no local need for these homes. It’sclear that no thorough assessments havebeen made regarding the effect thisdevelopment would have on the Welshlanguage - such assessments would havealmost certainly shown a huge threat to thelanguage. The council should start fromscratch and begin by thoroughly researchinglocal demand for housing amongst thecounty’s population.

“Also, the Welsh Government’sconsultation on local planning’s approach tothe language has just come to an end. So,wouldn’t it make sense for the council to put

Carmarthenshire housing development –start from scratch call

their plans on hold until the Government haspublished the new guidance?”

Hywel Griffiths, Communitiesspokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith added:

“The situation in Carmarthenshire is asymptom of a national crisis that’s facingcommunities throughout Wales:unnecessary, unsuitable, and unsustainablehousing developments are being forced uponcommunities despite their objections. Wehave already seen strong opposition toproposed housing developments in northWales, in Bodelwyddan, for example. Localdemand is not what drives thesedevelopments, but rather profit for thedeveloper.

“Moreover, the assessments conducted onthe impact of these developments on theWelsh language have been incredibly poor.We must show the local authorities and theWelsh Government that enforcing the plansas they currently stand is unacceptable, andpress for them to be recalled immediately.”

Language campaigners have called on Carmarthenshire’s county councillors toimmediately recall their local development plans amid increasing objections to the plans,which would mean building 11,600 new homes in the area. Most of Carmarthenshire was,until the last twenty years or so, Welsh-speaking, but colonization and language-shift havesince done and continue to do much to Anglicize the area.

Scotland’s First Minister has written to theCeltic League expressing his pleasure thatthe organisation chose to host its 50thanniversary conference in Scotland inOctober 2011.First Minister Alex Salmond wrote:“May I take this opportunity to offer mycongratulations on a successful conference inwhat has undoubtedly been an important50th anniversary year for the organisation.May I also express how pleased I am that, insuch an important year, the League chose tohold its conference in Scotland.”The First Minister goes on to say in his letterthat he hopes the League continues its efforts“to foster understanding between ourpeoples” and that “The Scottish Government

Alex Salmond Congratulates the Celtic League

is resolute in its desire to raise awareness ofour history and culture and welcomes theefforts of other organisations to do thesame.”At the League’s conference in Falkirk, FirstMinister Salmond sent his apologies for notbeing able to attend, but endorsed the workthat the League has engaged in over the yearsin fostering cooperation between the Celticcountries. Following the 50th anniversaryconference the First Minister was presentedwith the new design for the Celtic Leagueflag, along with SNP Member of the ScottishParliament Angus MacDonald, who helpedto organise the conference, and Falkirk TownCouncil, where the conference was hosted.


24 Carn

Membershipand

SubscriptionsAll those who agree with the constitutionand aims of the Celtic League are eligiblefor membership. The membership/subscription rates (including Carn) are: €24.00, Sterling £14.50, Europe (airmail)£20.00, Outside Europe £22.00. US$30.00(US funds, cheques drawn on a US bank).

For information about the Celtic Leaguecontact secretaries:

ALBA. Iain Ramsay, 22 DenholmGardens Greenock PA16 6RF, Alba

BREIZH Gi Keltik Plougerne, BP44 -29880 Breizh/[email protected]

CYMRU Adam Philips, 30 Parc Alun Mold, Flintshire CH7 [email protected]

ÉIRE Caoimhín Ó Cadhla, 61 AscaillGairbhille, Ráth Garbh, B.Á.C 6

SUBS to: 33 Céide na Grianóige, Ráth Cúil, Co. Átha [email protected]

KERNOW Rhisiart Tal-e-bot Acting Branch Secretary [email protected]

MANNIN M Kermode, c/o ThieMeanagh, 7 Michael St., Peel, IM5 1HA.Tel No: 07624 [email protected]

ENGLAND BRANCH Florence Kenna,72 Compton Street, London, EC1V 0BN.

USA Margaret Sexton,c/o P.O. Box 20153, Dag HammarshjoldPostal Centre, New York, NY 10017.

INTERNATIONAL BRANCH MarkLockerby, 12 Magherdonnag, PonyFields, Port Erin, IM9 6BY, Isle of Man.

GENERAL SECRETARYRhisiart Tal-e-bot, 5 Chyandour, Resrudh/Redruth TR15

3AB. Kernow/CornwallEmail: [email protected]

EDITOR Ms P. Bridson, 33 Céide naGrianóige, Ráth Cúil, Co. Átha Cliath, Éire. Email: [email protected]

Articles for Carn should be e-mailed to theEditor. Appropriate photographs should besent with them.Material for the next issue of Carn shouldreach the Editor no later than 15th. March2012. Articles sent for publication in Carnmust relate to our aims. All materialscopyright © Carn unless otherwise stated.The views expressed in Carn are notnecessarily those of the editor or of theCeltic League.

ISSN 0257 -7860

Interested in Gaelic?Make it part of yourfuture too…

Quote this publication of afree info pack from:

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Celtic League flag launched at 50th AGM

The new Celtic League flag, a composite of the flags of the Celtic Nations with the Celtic Knot inthe centre, was launched by Gi Keltik, Breton Branch Secretary, at the 50th AGM of the CelticLeague (see page 2). The Celtic Knot, an intertwining design with six interlinked nodes representingthe six Celtic nations, is the symbol of the Celtic League and of Celtic Unity. A previous design ofCeltic League flag from the mid eighties was the Celtic Knot in yellow on a green background. Thedesign of the new flag was proposed by Gi and agreed at the 2010 AGM and Gi undertook to haveit produced to mark the 50th year of the League. Our thanks to Gi for all the effort involved andensuring it was ready to fly outside the Town Chambers in Falkirk. See our web site to appreciatethe flag in colour.

The flag is full flagpole size 1.8m x 1.2m, it is hoped to produce other smaller sizes soon. It canbe obtained directly from Gi Keltik, Plougerne, BP44 -29880 Breizh/Brittany, via France, for€30 + €4 for postage and packing.

We encourage all members to buy one, buy one for your friends also. All language bodies andcultural bodies would be interested, ask them. Your local authority and tourist office would like onetoo to welcome Celtic guests. Sports organisations and their clubs, traditional music bodies andcultural organisations will be interested. Canvass them to buy some.

Help us have this flag fly all over the Celtic countries!


No. 151 Winter 2011/12 4.00 Stg£3...Celtic League 50th AGM 2011 Provost of Falkirk, Pat Reid,...

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Transcript of No. 151 Winter 2011/12 4.00 Stg£3...Celtic League 50th AGM 2011 Provost of Falkirk, Pat Reid,...