FOCKLE AYNS DTY CHLEAYSH
Traa son cur niart da'n Chonaant Oarpagh.

Tra haink magh yn Conaant Oarpagh son Chengaghyn Ardjynagh as Myn-Chengaghynyn ren loayrtagh ennagh veih'n reiltys cur fys da'n pabyr naight dy jeanmayd niartaghey yn Conaant tra nee reiltys yn RU yn red cheddin. Wahll, hug Reiltys yn RU niart da'n Chonaant blein er dy henney agh ta shin ayns Mannin foast fuirraghtyn.

Cha nel yn Conaant shoh ny red quaagh cheet magh veih'n Oarpey dy reayll shin ayns Mannin fo myr te dy cliaghtagh. Son y chooid smoo ta'n Rank, as gyn ouyrys cheeraghyn Oarpagh elley, er n'yannoo shickyr nagh vel agh feeacklyn foalsey ec y Chonaant as eer lurg shen va boirey mooar 'sy Rank kyndagh rish. Cha nel yn Conaant shoh agh shickyraghey paart beg jeh'n chair ec loayrtee ny myn-chengaghyn.

Er son Mannin cha jean yn Conaant niartit cur orrin dy yannoo veg elley na shen ta jeant ain hannah. Ta scansh yn Chonaant da'n Ghaelg ain dy vel eh shickyraghey ram jeh ny reddyn t'ayn hannah ayns aght nagh vod yn Reiltys geddyn rey roo. Myr shen t'eh jeeaghyn dooys dy vel eh traa da'n Reiltys ain dy hirrey er yn RU dy niartaghey yn Conaant er nyn son.

Cultoor ny Celtee Bio 'syn Herb

Haink carrey dooys er yn 'ys shoh heese ayns pabyr-naight 'Yn Albinagh' as smooinee mee dy row eh anaasagh dy liooar. T'eh jeeaghyn dy vel sheeanyn bioyr ny violyn Celtiagh ayns ny cheeraghyn Balkanagh. Cur lesh shen dollanyn, feddanyn as kishtaghyn kiaullee as ta'n possan Celtiagh as shiaght graihderyn ny Celtee ayn, as adsyn cur da cummaltee yn Herb arrane myr Wild Rover, Loch Lomond as Rocky Road to Dublin. Cha nel shoh possan t'er ve currit da ard-valley yn Serb er turrys eddyr-culturagh lesh cooney y reiltys. Ta olteynyn 'Orthodox Celts' nyn Terbee dooie t'ayns wheesh dy graih lesh cultoor ny Celtee dy vel ad jannoo ny cuiiraghyn kiaullee coamrit ayns lheintyn bluckan coshey Glaschu Celtic, ta ynnyd eggey oc lesh kianglaghyn da Seamus Heaney as car ny nuy bleeantyn t'er n'gholl shaghey ta tree JCyn dy chiaull Celtiagh er ve currit magh oc. Shoh ooilley jeant oc gyn eer nane jeu cheet gys cheeryn Celtiagh Ellanyn Sheear yn Oarpey.

Cha nel ny Orthodox Celts nyn red quaagh noadyr er y fa dy vel thousaneyn dy thaagheyderyn Serbiagh oc. Ta skeealyn mychione ny seshoonyn oc gra dy row ny buill "jingit", "lhome-lane" ny "cha jingit as skeddan ayns stoandey". Ta ny thaagheyderyn oc cliaghtey ve coamrit ayns lheintyn-T, bussalyn mwannal as idd geaney as bane as t'ad dy mennick brish stiagh er y chiaull goaill arrane "We are Glasgow Celtic Supporters". Ta ny thaagheyderyn jannoo feailley vooar agglagh son Laa'll Pheric cliaghtey ny shenn chliaghtaghyn Celtiagh - arrane, daunse as pynteraght. Daa vlein er dy henney va cuirrey kiaull oc jingit lesh 4,000 dy leih gyn tiggad erbee faagit as shoh ayns Ynnyd Sava, nane jeh ny hallaghyn smoo ayns Belgraad. Yn blein er giyn va daa chuirrey kiaull ayn ayns hallaghyn jeh'n towse cha mooar as yn ynnyd Sava as shen kyndagh rish yn earroo mooar dy leih va geearree jeeaghyn orroo.

Wahll, smooinee mee dy row shen anaasagh dy liooar - s'treisht lhiam dy ren shiuish.

Ynsee Gaelg ec Dalby!

Jeheiney 15oo as Jesarn 16oo Mayrnt hed kione ny shiaghtin Ghaelgagh er cummal ec y Vallacallin, Dalby as ayns Halley ny Killagh. Shoh reaghit liorish Caarjyn ny Gaelgey dauesyn ta geearree shareaghey nyn n'Ghaelg as daue ta geearree goaill toshiaght er gynsaghey beggan jeh'n shenn ghlare noa ain!

T'eh costal £40 son daa oie, 3 lhongaghyn Jesarn as brishey trostey Jedoonee as shen goaill stiagh costys ynsee. Ta costys dyn tannaghtyn goaill stiagh lessoon as jinnair Jesarn - £12. Loayr rhyms, Phil Gawne, er 834844 son tooilley fys ny dy hickyraghey yn voayl ayd er y choorse. Ta'n Kione ny Shiaghtin shoh goll er reaghey ec Caarjyn ny Gaelgey as Yn Greinneyder lesh cooney veih Undinys Eiraght Vannin. Share dooin loayrt eer ass Gaelg sie, ny jannoo ymmyd jeh Baarle vie!

Time to Ratify Minority Languages Treaty

When the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages first appeared two or three years ago, a Government spokesman was reported by IoM newspapers as saying that the Manx Government would ask for the UK to ratify the treaty when the UK Government ratified the treaty itself. Well a year has past since the UK ratified the treaty and as yet there's no sign of it being extended to the Isle of Man.

This treaty is not yet another one of those silly bits of legislation from Europe designed to keep small countries like ours down - the opposite in fact. The larger countries of Europe, in particular France, have made sure that the only teeth that the treaty has are rather blunt, false ones, and even in this watered down form it has caused great consternation in centralist France. In effect the treaty guarantees a fairly limited range of rights and services to minority and regional language speakers.

In the Isle of Man ratification will have little if any effect on the excellent provision for Manx already offered by the Government. The importance of the treaty is that it will provide a certain degree of security for the services already provided by Government making it more difficult for them to be cut in the future. So all in all it seems that its time that the Government asked the UK to extend the provisions of this relatively inoffensive treaty to the Isle of Man.

Celtic Culture Going Down a Storm in Serbia

I've been given the following information by a friend who found it in the Scotsman newspaper. The Balkans are alive with the sound of Celtic fiddles. Add to them bodhrans, tin whistles and accordions and you get a full seven strong Celtic band entertaining the inhabitants of Serbia with such favourites as Wild Rover, Loch Lomond and Rocky Road to Dublin. Yet this is not a band despatched to Belgrade on some government sponsored cultural exchange. Members of the Orthodox Celts are genuine Serbians, so enamoured with Celtic culture that they perform in Glasgow Celtic FC shirts, maintain a website with links to Seamus Heaney and have in the last nine years recorded three CDs of traditional Celtic music, with a fourth coming out shortly. All this despite the fact that majority of the band have never set foot on the Emerald Isle or any part of Britain.

What stops the Orthodox Celts from being a curiosity, and turns them into something of a local phenomenon, are their numerous Serbian fans. Most reviews of their gigs start by saying the venues were "jammed", "crammed" or "packed full". Their fans wear green and white T-shirts, scarves and hats, and often interrupt performances by launching into We are Glasgow Celtic Supporters. The fans turn the traditional St Patrick's day concert into a riotous celebration of all things Celtic, replete with pint drinking competitions, singalongs and abundant dancing. A sold-out concert two years ago drew 4,000 people to the elite Sava Centre, one of Belgrade's largest concert venues. A year later, due to demand, the band held two concerts at a similar sized venue.

Its great to know that Celtic culture has such widespread international appeal.

Learn Manx in Dalby!

This Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March Caarjyn ny Gaelgey will be holding a Manx weekend where students can brush up on there Manx, or complete beginners can learn something of the language of the Isle of Man. The weekend will be held at the Ballacallin, Dalby and in the Church Hall

For the course fee of £40 you get two nights, full board on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday including a full tuition programme. The fee for tuition and mid-day meal on Saturday only is £12. Contact me, Phil Gawne, on 834844 for more details or to book your place on the course. The weekend is being supported by the Manx Heritage Foundation.


Phil Gawne