FOCKLE AYNS DTY CHLEAYSH

FG 2002!

Ta Feailley Ghaelgagh fo raad reeshtagh as son y chiaghtyn shoh bee Gaelg ayns dagh pabyr naight. Ta fys ayd dy vel pabyryn naight Ellan Vannin er ve cooney lesh y Ghaelg clou 'Fockle ayns y Chleaysh' dagh kegeesh 'sy Vrialtagh as ny lessoonyn jeant ec Brian Stowell 'sy Vanninagh Seyr.

FG 2002!

Feailley Ghaelgagh, the Manx Language Festival, is being held this week and in support of the week Isle of Man Newspapers will be publishing a bilingual article in each of this week's papers. Isle of Man Newspapers is keen to support the Manx language and throughout the year publishes a fortnightly bilingual column in the Examiner and a weekly Manx lesson in the Independent.

Gaelic Concert Tonight at
Port St Mary Town Hall

If the rusty cogs of the Feailley Ghaelgagh media relations team have moved successfully you will hopefully have seen an article by now about our visiting musicians and the prestigious Gaelic concert at which they will be performing. The concert is supported by Conister Trust and the Conister Trust award for outstanding contribution to reviving Manx will be presented at the concert.

There will be two Manx acts at the concert and as all too often we ignore our own rich vein of talent as we praise our visitors, I thought it would be good to write a bit about the Manxies. Charles Guard and Moot will be performing Manx music and the following paragraphs explain something of their inspiration.

Among his many other interests Charles Guard is a fine harp player. He was born in a hotel on Douglas seafront in the Isle of Man, and was educated locally. In fact, he is as Manx as the hills, though not yet quite as old.

His formative musical experiences included being woken by drunken northern holidaymakers singing 'On Ilkley Moor Bar T'at' at three in the morning. It was such brushes with the common people that kindled a deep interest in folk music in the young Charles. He was educated at the local public school which was an horrendous experience, and when told by his father that his schooldays were the best days of his life, he was shocked to realise that things would be getting worse.

He spent four years at the Royal College of Music in London, though you wouldn't think so to hear him play.

Moot is rather newer to the Manx music scene, consisting of three members of the Gaelic choir Caarjyn Cooidjagh, who appeared at last year's concert.

Although the group take their central ideas from the Manx music that they grew up with; Gaelic songs of fishing and farming, love and loss.  Their treatment of it does not remain in the Manx tradition. This was not initially a conscious decision – it was just the result of drawing inspiration from somewhat eclectic record collections.

Much of the creative process takes place behind the scenes, not only playing with and arranging sampled sounds, but also creating computer- generated sounds supplemented by sound-bites from the Island's environment. They are keen to bring their music to a wider audience, and to share ideas with musicians making experimental music uprooted from other cultures (and not just cheesily fused for easy listening!)

Cuirrey Kiaull Gaelgagh Noght ayns
Halley Baljagh Purt le Moirrey

My vees dy chooilley red goll dy mie ta artyn er ve ayns ny pabyryn naight mychione ny kiaulleyderyn t'er jeet dys Mannin veih Nerin as Nalbin as peesh mychione y cuirrey kiaull noght. Ta cooney mooar er ve currit da Feailley Ghaelgagh veih Conister Trust as ta'n co-lught shen cur yn aundyr Kione y Sker da peiagh t'er chur cooney mie mirrilagh da cooishyn Gaelgagh.

Dy chliaghtagh rish cooishyn myr shoh ta ooilley'n moylley currit da ny turrysee gyn scansh da ny Manninee hene as myr shen smooinnee mee dy beagh feeu eh screeu beggan beg mychione ny Manninee. Bee Chalse Guard as Moot cloie kiaull Vannin noght as s'treisht lhiam dy jig toiggalys jeh'n aght t'ad cloie cheet ass shoh heese.

Ta Chalse Guard ard-ghooagh ayns Mannin as mastey dy chooilley red elley t'eh jannoo t'eh schleioil dy liooar er y chlarsagh. Ruggit ayns thie goaldee er shooylaghyn Doolish, v'eh ynsit ayns Mannin. Ta fuill y chorp echey cha Manninagh as yn ushtey ta roie sheese ny strooanyn ooilley mygeayrt nyn Ellan.

Haink kiaull stiagh sy vea echey tra v'eh ny ghuilley as eshyn dooisht er yn oie liorish skibbyltee boghtey meshtit goaill arrane 'On Ilkley Moor Bar T'at' ec tree 'sy voghrey. She taghyrtyn myr shoh ren greeasaghey yn anaase ec Chalse aeg ayns kiaull y theay. V'eh ynsit ec scoill Ree Illiam as shen tra feer agglagh da, as tra dooyrt e ayr dy nee laghyn scoill ny laghyn share sy vea ayd, v'eh lag creeagh smooinaghtyn dy beagh yn traa ry-heet ny smessey.

Cheau eh kiare bleeantyn ec y Cholleish Kiaull Reeoil ayns Lunnin, agh cha nel shen baghtal tra t'ou clashtyn yn kiaull echey.

Ta Moot noa dy liooar da cooishyn kiaullee ayns Mannin, as ta'n troor ooilley nyn oltaghyn jeh Caarjyn Cooidjagh, possan kiaullee ren goaill arrane nurree ec yn 'eailley.

Ga dy vel yn possan goaill ny bun-eieyn oc veih'n chiaull Vannin v'ad gaase lesh - arraneyn Gaelgagh jeh eirinys as eeasteyrys, graih as coayl - cha nel yn aght kiaullee agh veih tradishoon Manninagh. Cha row shoh red v'ad prowal dy yannoo veih'n toshiaght agh haink eh magh myr shoh kyndagh rish yn kiaull jeh dy chooilley sorch t'ad cliaghtey geaishtagh rish.

Ta'n chooid smoo jeh'n aght croo jeant ayns nyn dhieyn raad t'ad cloie lesh sheeanyn recoyrtssit as croo er y cho-earrooder sheeanyn noa as jannoo ymmyd neesht veih sheeanyn ry-gheddyn mygeayrt yn ellan. T'ad jeean dy liooar dy chur nyn giaull roish tooilley eaishtee chammah's rhenney lesh kiaulleyderyn elley ny eieyn ocsyn t'er v'eh reuyrit veih cultooryn elley!


Phil Gawne