A brief history of the Manx language.

Manx is one of six Celtic languages, the others being Irish, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Breton and Cornish. These languages divide into two branches, called Goidelic (Manx, Scots Gaelic and Irish) and Brythonic (Welsh, Breton and Cornish). A Brythonic language was spoken in the Island before Gaelic; it was not until about 500 AD that Gaelic came here, probably with Irish invaders.

Up until the 1800s English, although it would be used for trade and administration purposes, was a foreign language to most Manx people. However, due to economic, social and political pressures, the language suffered an enormous decline, to such an extent that by 1961 only 165 people claimed to speak the language. However, by the time the last native speaker of Manx, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974, a revival in interest had begun.

This interest has recently gathered pace to the extent in the 2001 census 2.2% of people in the Island could speak Manx, of whom 47% were under the age of 20. Moreover, in the Mori opinion poll carried out in the Island in 2002, 19% of people expressed an interest in learning the language and a further 5% were extremely keen on learning it.

People are increasingly aware of the great cultural legacy that the language has to offer to all those people who now call the Island their home. Moreover, the success of Manx here will, we trust, lead to our Island playing an increasingly important role in global efforts to protect minority languages.