NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
They built a reservoir in the Injebreck Valley on the Isle of Man to supply the capital Douglas with water in 1905. When the (West Baldwin) reservoir was drained some years ago you could see the road way along the valley and some tholtans which I believe had been abandoned (I stand to be corrected on that) when the reservoir was built. They were a poignant reminder of a small element of Manx life that must have existed in the Valley for many hundreds of years.
I thought of the Injebreck Valley when I wrote recently to the English PM, David Cameron, on behalf of Mec Vannin to register the National Party’s concern that after 50 years the English government had still not properly apologised for the flooding and destruction of the Tryweryn Valley in Wales and the displacement of the people.
Unlike Injebreck in Mann Tryweryn was a thriving community of Welsh speakers and the reservoir being built was not for the use of the people of Wales but was a land grab by Liverpool Council which stubbornly rejected any protests, and there were many from within Wales. Astonishingly, when people from the Valley peacefully protested by marching through Liverpool they were spat at and insulted.
It’s also questionable if the reservoir was really necessary as from the mid 1970s Liverpool started to experience population decline and loss of heavy industry.
Cameron’s Office sent a holding reply and then this week the Wales Office responded more fully. However it is clear they still do not appreciate the impact the destruction of Tryweryn had on the people of Wales.
The report can be found on the Mec Vannin Facebook pages at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/MecVanninOfficial/posts/536475173194874:0
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
18/11/15
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