The Reih Bleeaney Vanannan is the Isle of Man's most prestigious annual award for culture. [1] 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 (the new name of the Manx Heritage Foundation), normally in January each year.
Recipients of the Reih Bleeaney Vanannan ('Manannan's Choice of the Year' in Manx Gaelic) are entitled to use the letters RBV after their name. They hold the trophy for one year, as well as receiving a medal and a donation to be split between themselves and a Manx cultural cause of their choice. [2]
It was first awarded in 1987, as a part of the Foundation's overarching policy "to support and promote Manx culture" [3] established at the creation of the Foundation through the Manx Heritage Foundation Act 1982 (an Act of Tynwald). The panel of assessors for the award is appointed by Culture Vannin and represents the key Manx cultural organisations. The panel consists of representatives from Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh, Yn Chruinnaght, the Isle of Man Arts Council, Culture Vannin and Manx National Heritage. Nominations are invited from the public in November of each year.
The RBV trophy consists of the figure of the sea-god Manannan standing on a piece of Pooilvaaish marble, resting on a plinth. It also contains traces of quartz from the South Barrule, one of Manannan's fortresses, and a brooch of Laxey silver in the form of the Three Legs of Man presented by Mona Douglas. [4] It was designed by the late Eric Austwick. The medal presented to each recipient is designed by Jennie Kissack and executed in silver and enamel by Tony Lewis of Peel. [5]
1 | Maureen Costain Richards [4] | 1986 |
2 | Mona Douglas | 1989 |
3 | Constance Radcliffe | 1990 |
4 | Geoffrey Crellin | 1991 |
5 | Colin Jerry | 1992 |
6 | John Gelling | 1993 |
7 | Robert Thomson [6] | 1994 |
8 | Jane Narasimham | 1995 |
9 | Mike Boulton | 1996 |
10 | Leslie Quirk | 1997 |
11 | Fred Radcliffe | 1998 |
12 | Allan Skillan | 1999 |
13 | Tony Hopson | 2000 |
14 | Walter Clarke | 2001 |
15 | Marshall Cubbon | 2002 |
16 | Frank Cowin | 2003 |
17 | Leslie Quilliam | 2004 |
18 | Juan Crellin | 2005 |
19 | Bunscoill Ghaelgagh [7] | 2006 |
20 | Dollin Kelly [8] | 2007 |
21 | Brian Stowell [9] | 2008 |
22 | Robert Farrer [10] | 2009 |
22 | Joan Caine [11] | 2010 |
23 | Fenella Bazin [12] | 2011 |
24 | Manx Folk Dance Society [13] | 2012 |
25 | Robert Corteen Carswell [14] | 2013 |
26 | Clare Kilgallon [15] | 2014 |
27 | William Cain [16] | 2015 |
28 | Bernard Caine and John Kennaugh [17] | 2016 |
29 | The Michael Players [18] | 2017 |
30 | Phil Kelly [19] [20] | 2018 |
31 | John Kaneen [21] | 2019 |
32 | Stephen Miller [21] | 2020 |
33 | Peter Kelly [22] | 2021 |
34 | Nigel Crowe [23] | 2022 |
35 | Fiona McArdle [24] | 2023 |
Edward "Ned" Maddrell was a Manx fisherman who, at the time of his death, was the last surviving native speaker of the Manx language.
Ballabeg is a village on the Isle of Man. It is in the parish of Arbory in the sheading of Rushen, in the south of the island near Castletown. There are several small villages and hamlets with the name, although Ballabeg in Arbory is the most well-known and populous.
Manx National Heritage is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastline and landscape. It holds property, archives, artwork, library and museum collections in trust for the Manx nation. It is the Isle of Man's statutory heritage agency and an Isle of Man registered charity (№ 603).
Noel Quayle Cringle OBE was President of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man, from 2000 to 2011.
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.
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.
Walter Clarke, or Walter y Chleree, was a Manx language speaker, activist, and teacher who was one of the last people to learn Manx from the few remaining native speakers on the Isle of Man. His work recording them with the Irish Folklore Commission helped to ensure that a spoken record of the Manx language survived.
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.
Mona Douglas was a Manx cultural activist, folklorist, poet, novelist and journalist. She is recognised as the main driving force behind the modern revival of Manx culture and is acknowledged as the most influential Manx poet of the 20th century, but she is best known for her often controversial work to preserve and revive traditional Manx folk music and dance. She was involved in a great number of initiatives to revive interest and activity in Manx culture, including societies, classes, publications and youth groups. The most notable and successful of these was Yn Chruinnaght.
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.
Aeglagh Vannin was a youth group in the Isle of Man whose purpose was the engagement with and revitalisation of Manx language, history and culture. It was established by Mona Douglas in 1931, went through a number of mutations, and faded out in the 1970s. It is best remembered for its central role in the revival of Manx folk dancing.
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", 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. Culture Vannin's motto is "Taking our culture forward".
Colin Jerry was a Manx cultural activist best known for his contributions to Manx music through his books, Kiaull yn Theay, published in two volumes. He was awarded the Reih Bleeaney Vanannan in 1991 for his contributions to Manx culture which were 'extensive and staggering.'
The Manx Museum in Douglas, Isle of Man is the national museum of the Isle of Man. It is run by Manx National Heritage. In general, the museum covers 10,000 years the history of the Isle of Man from the Stone Age to the modern era.
The Michael Players are the oldest existing body of performers of Manx dialect theatre in the Isle of Man. They are centrally important to the continued tradition of Manx dialect theatre, both through their performances and in their unique collection of Manx plays.
Paul Lebiedzinski was a Manx poet best known for his politically-charged poetry of the 1970s and 80s. He has been described as 'one of the finest poets the Island has produced in modern times.'
Solace in Wicca is a 2013 Manx-produced short biographical horror drama film about the 1617 execution of Margaret Quaine and her son Robert, the only executions for witchcraft recorded on the Isle of Man and one of the last witchcraft executions to be sanctioned by the Church of England in the British Isles.
Leslie Quirk, also known as Y Kione Jiarg, was a Manx language activist and teacher who was involved with the language's revival on the Isle of Man in the 20th century. His work recording the last native speakers of the language with the Irish Folklore Commission and the Manx Museum helped to ensure that a spoken record of the Manx language survived.
Shennaghys Jiu(English: Tradition Today) is a four-day youth music and performing arts festival on the Isle of Man. The festival's aim is to give young performers of traditional Manx music and dance the opportunity to come together in a non-competitive environment, and share culture with the other Celtic nations.
Constance Radcliffe was a Manx historian who wrote primarily about the history of the parish of Maughold and the town of Ramsey, both in the north of the Isle of Man. In 1989 Radcliffe was awarded the Reih Bleeaney Vanannan in recognition of her contribution to Manx culture, and was a recipient of the MBE in 1996.