Discover the story of Manx

A speedy introduction to Manx:

At one time most of the British Isles were Celtic speaking, either Goidelic (Gaelic) or Brythonic (Brittonic).
Manx is a Goidelic (Gaelic) Celtic language descended from an old form of Irish. It is very similar to modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic
Other Brittonic Celtic languages still survive – Welsh, Breton and Cornish. They are similar to each other but are quite different to the Gaelic languages
Social, economic and population changes in the 18^th and 19^th centuries caused a rapid decline in the number of Manx speakers
Thanks to community-based initiatives, together with targeted Isle of Man Government support, Manx has seen an upsurge of interest in recent years and the number of Manx speakers is increasing

A brief history of Manx:

Three thousand years ago Celtic languages were spoken by the majority of people across Europe from where modern day Spain, Britain and Ireland are right across the continent to the Black Sea and modern day Turkey.

All of the mainland continental Celtic languages died out as new empires spread out across Europe. The Celts on the islands of modern day Britain and Ireland, kept their Celtic languages and over time they diverged into two different groups: Brythonic, spoken in most of the island we now call Britain, and Goidelic, or Gaelic, spoken in Ireland.

In the fifth century, Irish missionaries and migrants travelled to Scotland and the Isle of Man. They spoke an early form of Irish, which developed into the separate languages of Scottish Gaelic, Manx and Modern Irish. Meanwhile in Britain, invading Anglo Saxons from the east pushed Brythonic Celtic speakers to the most western regions, and some fled to France. Descendants of these Celtic speakers are still with us today, speaking Breton, Cornish and Welsh.

Manx continued to be the main language spoken on the Isle of Man. However as towns grew and trade, tourism and the influence of English increased in the 19^th century, the population of the island became less rural and the use of the Manx language rapidly declined; within just a few generations the majority of people spoke English alone.

Fortunately, there were keen language enthusiasts who were concerned at the decline of Manx and who worked to save the language by collecting recordings from native speakers, teaching classes, and producing learning resources. These enthusiasts halted the decline and inspired a new generation of Manx speakers. Manx was introduced to schools in 1992 giving all children the opportunity to learn Manx and in 2001 the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh opened, teaching children through Manx. In January 2021 the Isle of Man Government received confirmation that Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages would be applied to Manx. This decision significantly strengthens the protection and promotion of Manx Gaelic.

For a more in-depth history of Manx, we would recommend consulting 'A Short History of the Manx Language' by Brian Stowell and Diarmuid O Breaslain.