Va Juan er ny ruggey ayns Skyll Andreays ayns Jerrey Souree nuy keead jeig, three as feed, raad va’n lught-thie echey cummal ayns Ballachurry. She’n fer shynney v’eshyn jeh kiare braaraghyn.

Cha row monney Gailck ec yn lught-thie echey hene, agh ec y traa shen, va shenn sleih foast ayn as Gailck oc. S’cooin lesh er shenn ven, Ellen Brew, va cummal ayns thie boght ec Bayr ny hAyrey, as ish cliaghtey cur claghyn beggey er y ‘pram’ as g’ynsaghey da ny paitchyn yn aght dy choontey ayns Gailck. Va ben elley enmyssit Gawne va cummal ec y Dollagh as v’ee goaill arrane ayns Gailck. By vie lesh Juan as e vraaraghyn stravaigey mygeayrt ny magheryn tra v’ad aeg as, eer ec y traa shen, va anaase ec Juan aeg er enmyn ny magheryn ayns Gailck. Honnick eh dy row ny shenn enmyn gollrish Cronk Glass as Cronk Shoggyl goll er caghlaa gys ‘Green Hill’ as ‘Rye Hill’ as v’eh chymsaghey ny h-enmyn Gailckagh. Foddey ny s’anmey v’eh cur cooney mooar da Shorys y Creayrie tra v’eh jannoo e obbyr mooar er ‘Enmyn Buill Vannin’.

Cha row yn ayr oc coontey monney jeh kiare guillyn keoi va stravaigey mygeayrt y cheer, as va shuyr ny mayrey oc va ny ben-treoghe as daa inneen eck, as adsyn cummal ayns Balleycashtal. Ersooyl lesh ny guillyn gys y thie eck rish y chiaghtin as er-ash gys Andreays ec y chione-shiaghtin. Tra va Juan mysh nane-jeig hie eh gys Colleish Ree Illiam, myr hie yn ayr echey roie.

Cha row Juan coontey monney jeh reillyn y scoill shen agh tra d’aag eh yn scoill cha row caa echey veg y yannoo agh goll stiagh ’sy lhuingys-caggee (yn ‘Navy’ myr v’ad gra ec y traa shen) er coontey jeh toshiaght yn nah chaggey mooar. V’eh foast shirrey er’n Ghailck as va carrey da voish Purt ny hInshey ren creck daa lioar dy neu-gheyr da – Kied Lessoonyn as Fockleyr Cring (Kneen). Hug eh lesh ad er y cheayn. Tra va’n lhong echey ec akyr ayns Malta, hooar eh coip jeh’n ‘Brialtagh’ hug yn ayr echey huggey ’sy phost. ’Sy phabyr shen va screeuyn ry-lhaih voish Doolish y Karagher, gra dy row Gaelgeyryn foast ayns Mannin. Dreggyr Juan, as fy-yerrey, tra v’eh ayns Hong Kong, hooar eh screeuyn voish Bill y Radlagh va cur cuirrey da Juan shilley y chur er ayns Rhumsaa tra erbee oddagh eh. Shen ren eh as haink eh quaiyl rish Chalse Mooar y Craine neesht va g’obbragh ayns Banc Ellan Vannin ayns Rhumsaa ec y traa shen.

Lurg jerrey yn chaggey haink eh er-ash gys Mannin, Ga dy row eh g’eearree ve ny eirinagh cha row thalloo ry-gheddyn as ersooyl lesh reesht er y cheayn ayns y lhuingys hraghtee yn keayrt shoh. Hooar eh startey ’sy cho-lught ‘New Zealand Shipping Company’ as v’eh shiaulley feiy ny cruinney reesht. V’eh foast goll gys brastyllyn Gaelgagh tra v’eh ayns Mannin as va croit echey er thalloo e ayr, raad t’eh foast cummal nish. Fy yerrey, hooar eh balley-hallooin er thalloo e lught-thie as haink eh dy ve ny eirinagh. Eer ec y traa shen v’eh ny eirinagh kiarailagh as by vie lesh freayll ny lheeaneeyn echey ayns stayd follan (orgaanagh). V’eh loayrt Gaelg marish e chaarjyn ayns Rhumsaa as ghow eh toshiaght Gaelg y ynsaghey da studeyryn – v’eh yn chied ynseyder dooys ayns nuy keead jeig, queig-jeig as tree feed (1975), ayns mean yn ‘Aavioghey’. V’eh goaill anaase ayns ny chengaghyn Gaelgagh elley, er-lheh Gaidhlig ny hAlba as v’eh ny oltey jeh ymmodee sheshaghtyn – she oltey bunneydagh v’eh jeh Sheshaght ny Thummeyderyn (IoM Sub-Aqua Club), v’eh ayns y Cheshaght Ghailckagh as yn ‘Manx Field Club’ as haink eh dy ve Caarliagh ny Treishteilee ayns Thie-tashtee Vannin as Treisht Ashoonagh (ta nish Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin). V’eh cooney lesh screeu skeealyn giare ayns ‘Skeealaght’ va clouit liorish Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh as t’eh foast screeu lioar ayns Gailck eer nish agh cha nel shen slane jeant foast, t’eh gra.

Keayrt dy row tra v’eh loayrt Gaelg marish e chaarjyn ‘sy thie-oast ‘Flah Vretin’ ayns Rhumsaa v’eh coontey eh dy ve feer aitt tra va’n ven va g’obbragh cooill ec y voayrd-coontee gra roo ‘Are you ones off the trawlers?’ as dooyrt ad r’ee, ‘No, we’re locals’. Cha row ee rieau er chlashtyn y Ghaelg roie.

Tra va Banglane Twoaie Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh currit er bun ayns nuy keead jeig, queig-jeig as tree feed, haink Juan dy ve ny oltey jeh, as v’eh foast cummal brastyllyn er-nyn-son ayns Rhumsaa, derrey va’n Vunscoill Noo Yude dooint liorish yn Voayrd Ynsee. Er y fa dy row yn shaner echey er chreck yn thalloo da’n Voayrd Ynsee tra va’n Scoill shen troggit as v’eh foast ayns ‘Treisht’ son Ynsagh, va Juan prowal trooid yn turneyr echey dy gheddyn ee er-ash myr ‘Thie ny Gaelgey’. Ayns nuy keead jeig, shey as kiare feed (1986) haink eh lesh Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh geddyn ee er-mayl voish yn Rheynn Ynsee. As shen yn aght t’eh er ve  er dyn vlein shen. Ta lheiney-T foast aym ta gra ‘D’obbree mee da Thie ny Gaelgey’.

Va Juan g’obbragh dy jeidagh ass-lieh Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh ta foast freayll nyn lioaryn ayns Thie ny Gaelgey. Ta lioarlagh da Gaelgeyryn aynshen ayns ny chengaghyn Celtiagh, bwooise da Juan. Hug eh yn chroit sniessey da, ‘Yn Dhonnag’ er mayl da Leslie y Cuirc, cooney y chur da ayns shen, as nish ta Jamys Mac Inry cummal ‘sy thie. Va Juan g’ynsaghey Gaelg ayns Thie ny Gaelgey rish ymmodee bleeantyn marym, marish Walter y Cleree, Jamys y Cowle as ynseyderyn elley neesht – ooilley son graih yn chengey.

Haink Juan dy ve Captan Skeerey Andreays agh hug eh seose yn obbyr shen tra haink eh dy ve ‘ro henn’, myr dooyrt eh. V’eh ‘Yn Lhaihder’ da Tynvaal neesht, as hooar eh Reih Bleeaney Vannanan voish Undinys Eiraght Vannin, (myr v’eh ec y traa shen), kindagh rish yn obbyr t’eh er n’yannoo son Y Ghailck Vanninagh.

Fiona McArdle
2019