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Manx Language Festival Ignites Island Culture
26 Sep
Summary
- Festival features over 32 events over five days.
- World's first Manx-language opera, Caillagh, premiered.
- Event coincides with the Year of the Manx Language.
The vibrant Cooish Vooar, the Manx language festival, has returned to the island, featuring an extensive program of over 32 events across five days. This significant cultural celebration, running from Friday to Tuesday, is a collaboration between Culture Vannin and Jeebin, the Manx Language Network. This year's festival marks a historic moment with the premiere of Caillagh, the world's first Manx-language opera, composed by Matthew Warren and written by Bob Carswell. The event's timing also aligns with Blein ny Gaelgey, the designated Year of the Manx Language. Culture Vannin's Year of the Manx Language coordinator, Tiffany Kerruish, expressed the ambition for this to be the "biggest and most ambitious Cooish yet." The festival was strategically scheduled for September to allow participants to experience the Manx language alongside the island's diverse cultural offerings. Ruth Keggin Gell, Manx language development officer at Culture Vannin, highlighted the festival's established place as a "much-loved fixture in the island's cultural calendar." The diverse program includes a Celebration of Poetry on Saturday, Yn Mheillea (The Harvest) concert on Sunday, a talk by YouTuber RobWords during the week, and an InterGaelic concert on Tuesday headlined by Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis.
