On 1 April 2009 Cornwall's county, borough and district councils joined together to form a new unitary authority for Cornwall.

One of Scotland's all-time favourite films, Whisky Galore is based upon a true story: the unauthorised salvage of over 20,000 cases of whisky from a wrecked ship and the failed attempts by the authorities to recover the missing cargo.

The Scottish and Welsh Football associations announced on March 1st that they would not be bidding to host the Euro 2016 football championship, only three months after confirming that they did intend to submit their proposal to UEFA.

Scotland will be the place to be in 2009 as the nation stages a year long celebration, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard. Over 300 events will be held between January 25th and St Andrew's Day on November 30th.

The influential Irish singer died on 16 August at age 73 after a lenghty fight with cancer. An all-star gathering of Irish musicians recorded 'The Ballad of Ronnie Drew' as a tribute to Ronnie Drew’s influence on Irish music and culture.

Beijing medals were celebrated in the Celtic countries as Olympic heroes returned home.