31 Years young.

Today was the opening day of the Celtic Media Festival l in Stornaway - back in the Western Isles after a 31 year absence. For 31 years ago tomorrow the first ever Celtic Film and Television Festival opened in South Uist.

Tonight, after lot of searching I managed to find the poster for that first outing of something that has gone from strength to strength. The paper got water damaged when our house was blown up in Benbecula (another story for another day) but I only know of two others in existence. Jeremy Isaacs , ex Head of Channel 4 has the first and Muiris MacConghail, ex Controller of Programmes of RTE , the second. Muiris chaired that first event, which I directed , having had the idea of trying to arrange such a thing in the place I was then working about six months before. The second took place in Harlech, the third in Wexford - and so it has gone, moving from Celtic nation to Celtic nation and helping, supporting and challenging the media industries in those countries and in the languages.

I wish this weeks' event all the success in the world. I wish I could find the time to be there but an election needs to be fought and won!