As the situation of Manx continues to improve an understanding of the history of Manx and her literature becomes all the more important as a lifeline connecting today's speakers with those that preceded them. This talk will examine when, where, and in what context the earliest Manx literature came to be written down. By returning to some of the most important pieces of Manx literature such as Fin as Ossian and The Manx Traditionary Ballad there is much that can be learned about the tradition as a whole and its place in the greater Gaelic literary tradition.

The lecture will be delivered by Peadar O Muircheartaigh who is a native of Mayo in the west of Ireland. He is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he studied Old, Middle and Modern Irish, writing an undergraduate dissertation on the work of the Irish Folklore Commission in the Isle of Man. He went on to study at the University of Notre Dame as the Government of Ireland Graduate Fellow in Irish Studies, before undertaking postgraduate research in Celtic and Linguistics for the degrees of MSc and PhD at the University of Edinburgh where he held a National University of Ireland Travelling Studentship. He is currently a lecturer in Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University, having previously taught at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Maynooth.

For more detail about the lecture contact Adrian Cain, the Manx Language Officer for Culture Vannin by email to adrian@culturevannin.im or call him on 07624 451098.