The British-Irish Council was delighted to sponsor the 47th Celtic Media Festival in Belfast.

Following the success of the 2025 Celtic Exchange Programme, the British-Irish Council (BIC), in partnership with the Welsh Government and MG ALBA, supported the ‘Celtic Code’ in Belfast this Spring – an initiative which brought young language creatives from across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall together to meet, network, and learn new skills. They created new content in their indigenous languages, exploring and showcasing the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of these islands.

This year is the British-Irish Council’s sixth year of partnership with CMF. Together, BIC and CMF share a commitment to support the use of Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-used (IML) languages in the creative arts and in broadcasting.

The initiative gave the participants the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals, celebrate their shared Celtic cultures and languages, and learn from creative industries professionals on how they built their careers in the place they call home whilst using their indigenous language. A video showcasing the participants undertaking the Celtic Code Challenge can be viewed below. 

You can also see what the participants got up to throughout the challenge via the following Instagram account @celticcode2026 and YouTube channel @TheCelticCollective-r7y.

At this year’s CMF in Belfast, participants of the Celtic Exchange Programme put their skills and knowledge to the test by creating multi-lingual creative content by interviewing CMF attendees and award nominees, and by filming and editing their pieces. Finally, a film created by the students showcasing their time participating in the Celtic Code Challenge was shown across multiple screens and platforms throughout the festival.

On 8 and 9 October 2025, the Welsh Government hosted the British-Irish Council (BIC) Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used (IML) Languages Work Sector in Caernarfon, North Wales.  The busy two-day programme was an excellent opportunity to gather officials from the BIC’s Member Administrations for intensive discussions, fascinating presentations and a series of thought-provoking project visits.

The specific focus of this Work Sector visit was on the Social Use of IML Languages particularly amongst young people and in workplaces. The visit was an opportunity to explore the economic, housing, cultural, and social enterprise initiatives being used to drive and promote Welsh language use right across the area. The programme also covered linguistic infrastructure and culture.

During the first day of the visit, the delegation took time to travel around the region to meet with the following organisations:

• Megan Tanner, Head of Visitor Experience and Business Development, Cadw
• Iwan Hywel, Chief Officer, Menter Iaith Gwynedd
• Anwen Davies, ARFOR Programme Regional Manager, Gwynedd County Council
• Leah Cunningham-Edge, Commissioning and Quality Officer, Adnodd
• Richard Wyn Huws, Gwinllan Pant Du
• Ben Gregory, Community Hub Manager, Yr Orsaf
• Tŷ Gwyrddfai with Sion Hughes, Director of Policy and Delivery of Adra (Tai) Cyfyngedig
• Robat Jones, Director, Bragdy Lleu

The second day of the visit focused on the town of Caernarfon where the delegation engaged with local enterprises, arts, and cultural initiatives including:

• Nia Arfon (Chief Executive) and Gwion Llewelyn (Senior Development Manager) of Galeri
• Meinir Llwyd Roberts, Director Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias Music Centre
• Delyth Wyn, Producer and Head of North Wales Operations, Tinopolis .

This year’s Celtic Media Festival (CMF) in Newquay, Cornwall, is the British-Irish Council’s (BIC) fifth year of partnership with CMF. Together, BIC and CMF share a commitment to support the use of Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-used (IML) languages in the creative arts and in broadcasting.

Earlier this April, MG Alba hosted a Celtic Exchange programme of young language speakers in the Hebrides, off the western coast of Scotland. Participants involved in the exchange included young creative speakers of Irish, Scots Gaelic, Welsh and Cornish. The initiative gave the participants the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals, celebrate their shared Celtic cultures and languages, and learn from creative industries professionals working in the Hebrides on how they built their careers in the place they call home.

The exchange was a joint initiative of the BIC, the Welsh Government and MG ALBA, with the support and participation of Cornwall Council and the University of Galway.

A video showcasing the exchange can be viewed here.

At this year’s CMF, the BIC sponsored a panel discussion about the Celtic Exchange programme. The panel was called ‘Celtic Exchange – Supporting the Next Generation in Creative Media’ and was chaired by Siwan Haf, Series Producer at Cwmni Da. Panellists included:

• Liz McBain, Coordinator and Mentor at MG Alba;
• Isibéal Ní Cheallaigh, Celtic Exchange Participant and
• Jowan Nute, Celtic Exchange Participant.

Panellists talked about their experiences in the Hebrides, what they learnt from each other, the content they created and the creative professionals they met along the way. They also discussed how the exchange has helped inspire them in their future careers, as well as the potential for the Celtic Exchange programme to establish a network of young IML language speakers from across these islands.

In April, ahead of the Celtic Exchange programme, Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Welsh Government expressed:

“We’re pleased to give Welsh Government support for this innovative Celtic Exchange programme which will create opportunities for talented young people to work together for the first time. It will give them an insight into other minority languages across these isles, which will no doubt affect how they see the world and how they live and work within the creative industries.

These experiences are invaluable in broadening horizons and building connections. This partnership shows our shared commitment to sustaining our languages, strengthening cultural connections across our nations and helping people to work where they choose to live.”

Catriona Logan, Celtic Media Festival director, also remarked on the Celtic Exchange programme:

“We were delighted to hear that the British-Irish Council made practical strides in supporting young people with Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used languages in the media, following on from Celtic Media Festival 2024. The ambition of the Celtic Exchange Programme is incredibly impressive and we look forward to welcoming the British-Irish Council back to this year’s Celtic Media Festival.”

We were delighted to continue our partnership with the Celtic Media Festival (CMF) again this year in Cardiff where people creating media content in indigenous, minority & lesser-used languages come together.

This year, the British-Irish Council sponsored a panel session on 5 June entitled: Livelihoods and Language: Making Your Living, Where You’re Living, focusing on enabling people to use iml languages creatively in their own communities to create dynamic media content.

The session, chaired by Chief Executive of Rondo Media, Gareth Williams, included the following panellists:

• Irial Mac Murchu, CEO and Owner of Nemeton;
• Liz Macbain, Coordinator and Mentor at MG Alba;
• and Mark Trevethan, Pincupal Culture Lead at Cornwall Council.

The Chair and panellists talked about their about their experiences in growing the media industry outside its traditional hubs and supporting young people to succeed at home.