Formation | 1982 |
---|---|
Founder | Isle of Man Government |
Type | Manx culture Manx language Manx music Gaelic revival |
Headquarters | Isle of Man |
Website | culturevannin.im |
Culture Vannin is the trading name for the Manx Heritage Foundation, established in 1982 by the Isle of Man Government to promote Manx culture, heritage and language. It was rebranded in February 2014, having previously been known as the "Manx Heritage Foundation" (Manx : Undinys Eiraght Vannin), since the former title "held connotations more towards the cultural history of the island" which were not felt to be accurate to the organisation's progressive approach to invigorating Manx culture. [1] Culture Vannin's motto is "Taking our culture forward".
The management board of the Foundation consists of two MHKs appointed by Tynwald, three members of the general public nominated by the Council of Ministers and approved by Tynwald, and a representative from both the Isle of Man Arts Council and Manx National Heritage. It is chaired by Chris Thomas MHK. [2]
The Foundation currently employs four members staff:
Its offices are based in Fairfield House, St. John's, opposite Tynwald Hill and next to Bunscoill Ghaelgagh. Having announced plans for this relocation in June 2015, [5] Culture Vannin opened its doors to the public at Fairfield House on Tynwald Day 2016. It was previously located at The Nunnery, Douglas.
Culture Vannin's policy states that its four main aims are:
1) To identify the unique areas of Manx Heritage and Culture and;
2) To find practical ways of making them relevant to today's society;
3) To support the Manx identity and contemporary Manx culture. [6]
The Foundation sets out to achieve these aims by offering financial assistance through grants or loans, by undertaking and commissioning its own research/publishing, and by offering practical advice and assistance where appropriate.
The Foundation considers Manx culture to include all of the following: crafts, language, history, natural history, music, literature, folk-lore, art, folk dance, architecture, archaeology, industrial development, law and ecology. [7]
Examples of key work carried out by the Foundation includes:
The House of Keys is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
Castletown is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved medieval castle, originally built for a Viking king.
The music of the Isle of Man reflects Celtic, Norse and other influences, including those from its neighbours, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. The Isle of Man is a small island nation in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland.
The Manx Labour Party is a political party on the Isle of Man that was founded in 1918.
Peter Alfred Craine was a British baker and a politician who served as Member of the House of Keys (MHK) for Douglas South.
The Manx are an ethnic group originating on the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea in Northern Europe. They belong to the diaspora of the Gaelic ethnolinguistic group, which now populate the parts of the British Isles and Ireland which once were the Kingdom of the Isles and Dál Riata. The Manx are governed through the Tynwald, the legislature of the island, which was introduced by Viking settlers over a thousand years ago. The native mythology and folklores of the Manx belong to the overall Celtic Mythology group, with Manannán mac Lir, the Mooinjer veggey, Buggane, Lhiannan-Shee, Ben-Varrey and the Moddey Dhoo being prominent mythological figures on the island. Their language, Manx Gaelic is derived from Middle Irish, which was introduced by settlers that colonised the island from Gaelic Ireland. However, Manx gaelic later developed in isolation and belongs as a separate Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic languages.
The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of the Lord of Mann. The executive head is the Chief Minister.
Philip Anderson Gawne, better known as Phil Gawne, is a former Member of the House of Keys for Rushen, a constituency in the Isle of Man.
John Ramsey Houghton MHK is a former Isle of Man politician who served as Member of the House of Keys for Douglas North until losing his seat in the 2016 Manx General Election. He has two daughters.
Clare Margaret Christian OBE CP is a Manx politician, who was President of Tynwald until 2016. She is a former member of the Legislative Council and former Health Minister in the Isle of Man Government.
Thomas Brian Stowell, also known as Brian Mac Stoyll, was a Manx radio personality, linguist, physicist, and author. He was formerly Yn Lhaihder to the Parliament of the Isle of Man, Tynwald. He is considered one of the primary people behind the revival of the Manx language.
Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is a government-run Manx-language primary school in St John's, Isle of Man that has enabled 170 children to learn fluent Manx. As of 2011 it is the only school in the world where children are taught their lessons solely in Manx and which allows children to learn the language fluently. Pupils may then go on to Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel where they can study a GCSE equivalent qualification in Manx as well as up to two subjects in the language to maintain their fluency, or to the high school in their catchment area.
The lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency".
Robert Corteen Carswell RBV is a Manx language and culture activist, writer and radio presenter. In 2013 he received the Manx Heritage Foundation's Reih Bleeaney Vanannan award for outstanding contributions to Manx culture.
The Reih Bleeaney Vanannan is the Isle of Man's most prestigious annual award for culture. It is presented by Culture Vannin to the person or group who, in the opinion of the panel of assessors, has made the most outstanding contribution to Manx culture. It is officially presented by the President of Culture Vannin, normally in January each year.
Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh, also known as the Manx Language Society and formerly known as Manx Gaelic Society, was founded in 1899 in the Isle of Man to promote the Manx language. The group's motto is Gyn çhengey, gyn çheer.
Ruth Keggin is a Manx Gaelic singer-songwriter. She holds degrees from the University of York and the University of Cambridge.
Doug Fargher (1926–1987) also known as Doolish y Karagher or Yn Breagagh, was a Manx language activist, author, and radio personality who was involved with the revival of the Manx language on the Isle of Man in the 20th century. He is best known for his English-Manx Dictionary (1979), the first modern dictionary for the Manx language. Fargher was involved in the promotion of Manx language, culture and nationalist politics throughout his life.
John William Radcliffe, more commonly known as Bill Radcliffe, or also Illiam y Radlagh, was a Manx language activist, author, and teacher who was involved with the revival of the Manx language on the Isle of Man in the 20th century. His work recording the last native speakers of the language with the Irish Folklore Commission helped to ensure that a spoken record of the Manx language survived.