Our knowledge of Gaelic being used in the Isle of Man dates back to the 9th century when it was used on large stone cross memorial slabs. There is evidence from these ancient Manx crosses which suggests that forms of Gaelic, Welsh and Norse were being used concurrently in the Isle of Man around the 9th and 10th centuries and there’s even a suggestion that a Norse-Gaelic pidgin language may have been in use at that time.
What is clear is that by the end of the period of Norse rule in the Isle of Man, at the beginning of the 13th century, Gaelic was the predominant language. There then followed a period of dispute between the Scots and English for overall control over Mann which the English eventually won. This led to four hundred years of English speaking Kings and Lords who ruled over our ancient island kingdom, and during this time Manx Gaelic developed as a distinct language separate from Scottish Gaelic, to which Manx is most closely related.
The period of the English Lords’ rule led to the Manx people being isolated from their linguistic cousins in Scotland and Ireland. With no known patronage or support for Manx from the ruling class during this period, Manx became a simple rural language, losing much of the vocabulary and more complex grammar of Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
Thanks to efforts by protestant clergy in the 17th and 18th centuries Manx translations of the Bible and other religious texts were made to bring “the word of God” to the predominantly Manx speaking population who had only had Latin or priests’ translations to rely on previously. When the founder of the Methodist Church John Wesley visited the Island in 1777 he found the simple God fearing people much to his liking, but he made clear his desire to see Manx Gaelic replaced by English.
While there were concerted efforts in the 19th century to replace Manx with English it was ultimately a change in the economic and social fabric of the Island that led to the demise of Manx Gaelic. A rapidly expanded tourist industry and mining of the island’s silver and lead brought, the Manx people into much greater contact with English speakers in the tourism and mining sectors, and from the mid 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century use of Manx declined rapidly.
Spurred on by the pan-Celtic movement in the late 19th century, a band of enthusiasts and scholars joined forces to preserve and promote Manx, and from the 1930s to the 1970s significant recordings of Manx speech were made. Even though the subjects of these recordings had in many cases not used the language for several decades, they provide us with an invaluable record of the sounds and syntax of later spoken Manx.
Manx was taught sporadically during the twentieth century until finally the Isle of Man Government agreed to support the teaching of Manx in its schools in 1992, thanks to a growing revival of the language and an opinion poll showing significant support for Manx.
The revival in Manx began prior to Ned Maddrell’s (our last traditional native speaker) death in 1974 and, thanks to Doug Fargher’s English Manx dictionary which introduced a lot of new twentieth century vocabulary, Manx grew rapidly in the 1990s. Manx is now very visible, we have about 3% of the population speaking Manx – up from an all time low of 161 speakers in 1961, we have a significant online presence, and there are several weekly programmes broadcast on the national radio.
Perhaps our greatest triumph is the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh. This Manx speaking primary school was established in 2001 following a successful campaign by parents coordinated and led by Mooinjer Veggey (the Manx preschool and primary education charity). The Bunscoill successfully lobbied UNESCO to introduce a new category of revitalised language, and with its seventy plus pupils, the school has been a big success.
Manx is also taught as a subject in all the Island’s schools, through to A level, we have two Manx nurseries and a Manx parent and toddler group, and many adult classes run across the Island. The Manx Language Network, Jeabin, (a combination of the main government and third sector language organisations) is spearheading language policy and development and produced a comprehensive Manx Language Strategy in 2017.
In summary, Manx has existed in a distinct form for around eight hundred years. It came perilously close to extinction in the 1960s but over the past fifty years it has seen a significant revival in fortune. Manx is now seen as very inclusive, with both native Manx people and incomers viewing the language as a great way to understand more about our culture and national identity.
Phil Gawne September 2020
CEO and Finance Director