Island factfile - Culture
Modern Manx Culture has experienced a burst of activity in recent years, driven by renewed interest in the Island's language and traditions, an influx of new talent and ideas and increased awareness of our creative resources. Over the past few decades the Island's evolution from a busy holiday destination into an international offshore financial centre has had a marked impact on the way Manx people live, work and play. Not only have the changes introduced a greater 'worldliness' but there is also a growing pride in what we already have - our heritage and individuality. Many artists, musicians, writers and craftspeople are now capitalising on these developments and using the Island's varied landscape and strong Celtic links to produce a diverse and prolific volume of work. A healthy economy and high level of spending money has encouraged the pursuit of cultural activities and our creative talents are gradually benefitting from improvements to exhibition and performance venues.
Recognising unique areas of Manx culture and making them relevant to the modern world is the work of the Manx Heritage Foundation which helps to foster the arts, language, lifestyles and traditions through books, photographs, CDs and other information tools.
Co-ordination of the arts on a more day-to-day basis is mainly carried out by the ARTS COUNCIL, which arranges a huge range of performances, exhibitions, movies, galleries and workshops. The Island has a thriving artistic community of highly successful painters, sculptors, crafters and photographers - too numerous to mention individually - but many of them exhibit regularly at venues such as the manx Museum, the Courtyard Gallery at St Johns, a number of small galleries and the all-Island Easter Art Show. Some artists feel our cultural development is being held back by a lack of practical encouragement and public viewing arenas but in general, things have moved on dramatically since the early twentieth century.
At that time the Isle of Man was home to just a handful of prominent artists who, even then, were so modest that few people are probably aware of their Manx connections. The most influential was Archibald Knox - widely known for his designs if not his name. Knox was one of the leading designers of the Art Nouveau movement whose Celtic-inspired work became the keynote of Liberty fabric and wallpaper and many of his finest pieces are now housed in the Manx Museum. But Knox was just of many cultural figures to benefit from the Celtic legacy.
Manx poets, writers and musicians have all drawn on the distinctive images, language and 'dark sentiments' ingrained by our ancestors, most notably the Manx National Poet T.E.BROWN (1830-1897) who was widely regarded as one of the finest poets of the Victorian age, famous for evoking the lives of the ordinary people, farmers and fishermen of his homeland. His strongly dialectal work is best read aloud and he would probably be intrigued by the current renaissance of poetry at 'poetry and pints' evenings... A number of successful novelists have found the Isle of Man's peace, quiet and - more recently - beneficial tax laws, an ideal environment for writing, although surprisingly few base their actual stories on the Island itself. The most famous to do so was the naturalised Manxman SIR HALL CAINE (1853-1931) who sold over ten million novels, translated into twenty languages, and whose book 'The Manxman' was used as the basis for the last silent movie made by Alfred Hitchcock.
Music has always played a strong role in Manx culture although, because the Island's old language, Manx Gaelic, is a vocal tradition rather than a written one, many songs and ballads have disappeared over time. Fortunately local musicians and groups such as Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh (The Manx Gaelic Society) have transcribed and recorded those that do survive, making them available to a wider public. The best known traditional English-language song (probably moreso than even the Manx National Anthem!) is the unashamedly sentimental 'Ellan Vannin', composed in the 1850s and recently introduced to a worldwide audience by the Manx-born pop group the BeeGees.
The most prominent showcase for live performances of Manx music and dance is the Inter-Celtic festival Yn Chruinnaght (loosely pronounced: 'n krun-yuk), revived in 1977 and now attended by visiting performers from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. It is just one of a number of festivals however, that provide major cultural platforms for the arts. Other major events include the Mananan International Festival of Music and the Arts, the Manx Music Festival and the Easter Drama Festival. A much more informal, but equally authentic, way of experiencing grass-roots Manx culture involves visiting one of the Island's many pubs, especially on the west coast where there is a very strong sense of Manx-ness and musicians will often band together at the table over a few pints.
Ceilidhs (pronounced kay-lee) are other lively events to watch out for. These are dances with music provided by local, celtic-influenced bands, usually held in community halls and marquees and often accompanied by a 'hot-pot supper'. A number of vocal groups and choirs also perform and record in Manx.
Much of the contemporary choral work around now is written in the unaccompanied, slightly mournful Celtic style but based on contemporary issues. A good deal of support for such artistic ventures comes from Manx Radio which plays an important role in supporting local culture through its Manx language and music programmes. Original music has also been given a boost recently with the establishment of new high-tech commercial recording studios, enabling a number of local bands to compose and record everything from soft rock, grunge and indie pop to folk and techno. Musical development is widely encouraged from an early age through schools, private academies and events such as the Manx Music Festival, better known as The Guild, which is the island's major public competition for the performing arts. The annual Spring contest at the Villa Marina tests instrumental, choral, solo, public speaking, operatic and character study skills, finishing with the prestigious Cleveland Medal contest for the Island's top singers.
Budding young musicians now also have a strong groundbase of practical help and advice from Soundcheck, an Education Department youth project which helps young bands with equipment, rehearsals and setting up of gigs. The Island doesn't have many major entertainment and cultural venues but those it does have are kept busy with packed programmes of mostly family-orientated entertainment.
Douglas is blessed with the glorious Gaiety Theatre, re-vamped by the prominent architect Frank Matcham and to this day one of the finest Victorian/ Edwardian theatres of its kind. The level of talent on show varies from amateur drama groups, choral and operatic societies to performances by top international comedians and actors. Regulars like Ken Dodd have been pulling in huge audiences for years - and continue to do so.
A little further down the promenade, the VILLA MARINA hosts middle-of-the-road groups, 'lookalike' tribute artists, summer brass band concerts, jazz festivals, dancing and shows.
Outside Douglas, the leading venue for music and the performing arts is the ERIN ARTS CENTRE in Port Erin. This top-class facility with concert hall, exhibition hall and coffee shop has a packed programme all-year round featuring a diverse range of local and international artists, from South American drummers to Gaelic choral groups.
For sheer atmosphere though, nothing beats the outdoor auditorium within the ancient walls of PEEL CASTLE which can accomodate up to three thousand, picnicking, partying culture-lovers at one time for music festivals and outdoor dramas. The Island's 'modern' entertainment culture is mostly based around a proliferation of pubs, plentiful restaurants and a small but lively club scene. (See: ENTERTAINMENT) A cultural 'centre' is however being planned for Douglas as a key venue for festivals, galas, theatre, art shows and general socialising.
Acknowledgements: Manx Heritage Foundation