FOCKLE AYNS DTY CHLEAYSH
Oh Yee Saue nyn Eirinee - Cha Jean Peiagh Erbee Elley!

Cha nel mee er ve ronneeaght rish tammylt foddey nish as myr shen ta mee smooinaghtyn dy vel shoh traa cooie son y lheid. Red elley nagh vel mee er ve screeu mychione rish tammylt shen eirinys.Strooys dy voddym cur yn jees ry-cheilley dy yannoo tree.

Adsyn ta cummal ayns baljyn ny lhaih pabyryn naight Sostynagh ny geaishtagh rish radio ny chellveeish yn RU, t'ad ooilley smooinaght dy vel wheesh dy chooney argidoil currit da ny eirinee dy lhisagh dagh ooilley nane jeu ve berchagh erskyn towse. "Ta millioonyn dy phunt currit daue nagh vel as foast t'ad gaccan."

Chammahs shen ta'n reayrt currit dy vel ny eirinee ooilley as, dy jarroo, dagh ooilley pheiagh ta cummal ayns y cheer, prowal dy chur baase da'n cheer dooghyssagh - beiyn keoie, blaaghyn, cretooryn beggey as y lheid. Ta ny eirinee noi freayll arrey kiart er booaghyn, kirree as muick, t'ad cur dagh ooilley sorch dy trushtyr kemmigagh er nyn droar as cha neeu veg ad er chor erbee son red erbee.

Shegin dou goaill rish dy vel beggan dy anaase aym 'sy chooish shoh er y fa dy vel mish m'erinagh as ta my lught-thie er ve gobbragh er y thalloo rish ymoddee sheeloghyn. Shen shen as shen myr t'eh agh ta fys mie dy vel roauyr breagyn as mitchoorys goll er insh mychione eirinee.

Cha noddym pene agh loayrt mychione ny eirinee ayns Mannin agh ta fys mie aym dy nee possan braew dy Manninee t'ayn ta streeu dy debejagh ayns seihll neuyantagh. Dagh blein ta ny eirinee currit fo tooilley reillyn bentyn rish slaynt as sauchys, mieys bee ny mieys da beiyn agh cha nel cooney currit daue son caghlaa nyn n'ghowaltysyn coardail rish ny reillyn noa.

As cre mychione yn cooney argidoil ta currit son feill, bainney as arroo? Wahll, shen currit son freayll sheese costyssyn bee son y theay cadjin, cha nel eh currit son berchys ny eirinee. Myr sampleyr ta my vraar cosney mysh feed ping son leetyr dy vainney - mysh jeih bleeaney as feed er dy henney va my hennayr cosney ny smoo na shen. Cha syms noadyr vel colught erbee elley 'syn Ellan veagh arryltagh dy obbragh myr shen, cosney mysh yn argid cheddin as t'ad geeck son jannoo bee feer neu-chostalagh da'n theay.

Ta gaue vooar ayn nagh bee agh dussan dy eirinee faagit ayns Mannin ayns feed blein as adsyn eignit dy yannoo ymmyd jeh dy chooilley sorch dy chemmig as cliaghtey neu chooie jus dy reayll bio. Ta ymoddee eirinee ayns Mannin nish smooinaghtyn nagh vel eh feeu freayll rish obbyr t'er ve ec ny lught-thieyn oc rish thousaneyn dy vlein. As tra ta'n gowaltys s'jerree ayns Mannin currit da freayll bio ushagyn as blaaghyn as ta ooilley ny cheeraghyn boghtey (ta cur dooin bee bunnys nastee) toiggal dy vod ad ginsh dooin yn argid t'ad geearree son nyn mee, c'red neemayd gee?

Feailley Veg

Ny jarrood yn 'eailley veg hed er cummal 15oo as 16oo jeh'n chiaghtin shoh, shen Jeheiney as Jesarn. Jeheiney hed Ceili son y Lught-Thie er cummal ec 8.00 sa ec yn Ocean Castle, Purt Chiarn lesh Ny Fennee as Kiaulleyderyn Elley. £3.00 son sleih aasit £1.50 son paitchyn. Jesarn bee Seshoon Kiaullee as Oie Ghaelgagh ayn sy Thie Oast Bay View, Purt le Moirrey veih 8.30. Chammah's shen Jesarn bee Keirdlannyn - kiaull daunse as arrane - dauesyn goaill toshiaght as dauesyn as beggan d'ys oc hannah ayns BunScoill Rosien.

Loayr rish Breesha Maddrell ec y Laare Studeyrys Manninagh 673074 ny Phil Gawne er 834844 myr t'ou geearree cheet gys ny keirdlannyn. Ta'n cooish reaghit liorish Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh lesh cooney veih Laare Studeyrys Manninagh, Undinys Eiraght Vannin as Coonceil ny h-Ellynyn. Mannagh vow cliaghtey cliaghtey, nee cliaghtey coe!

What are we doing to Manx Farming!

I've not had a good rant in the column for a good while so I hope you'll allow me this little indulgence this week. Neither have I written about one of my pet subjects for a little while, namely the plight of Manx farming. It seems to me that if I put both these together I might come up with something worthwhile (I've already written the Manx and that seemed quite good even though I do say so myself).

Town dwellers, ardent readers of English newspapers and or listeners to UK radio and television would be forgiven for thinking that with so many subsidies and handouts given to farmers they all must be extremely rich. "There's millions of pounds given to them and they're still complaining" probably summarises the general view.

As well as that a common line taken by the UK media is that all farmers, and indeed a large proportion of those who live in the country, are driven by a desire to destroy the countryside and wildlife, flora and fauna. It is also made clear that farmers have no desire to properly look after their cows, pigs and sheep, they take delight in covering their crops with dangerous, poisonous chemicals and indeed they really are the scum of the earth.

I ought to declare an interest in this as I am a farmer's son and my family has been working the land for many generations. I can't, therefore, guarantee a totally unbiased response to the untruths and misconceptions often expressed by city dwelling UK reporters.

I can only really talk about farming in the Isle of Man and I know that Manx farmers are on the whole a very worthy bunch, desperately trying to keep their farms going in all but impossible circumstances. Every year farmers are faced with many new rules and regulations dealing with health and safety, food quality and standards of animal husbandry but little if any support financial or otherwise is given to help them comply with these rigourous new standards.

What about all these subsidies we hear about for meat, milk and grain? Well, these subsidies are given to keep the price of food down for the general public, they are not provided to put vast profits in the pockets of farmers. At a time when many milk producers in the Isle of Man are considering selling up it is worth knowing that dairy farmers get less for a litre of milk now than they were getting 30 years ago. How many other business in the Island would continue producing a product which can barely be sold for the cost of production?

There's a great danger that within a very few years we'll be left in Mann with less than a dozen farms or agribusinesses which, to make a reasonable profit, will be forced to use all the high intensity, high chemical practices which so many people find abhorrent. After thousands of years farming their Island many Manx farmers are seriously considering packing it all in. When the last farm in the Isle of Man is converted to a wild life protection area, a golf course or a housing estate, and the third world countries (currently forced to sell their food to us at rock bottom prices) realise that they can now dictate the price of food, what will we eat?

Feailley Veg

Don't forget the mini festival 'Feailley Veg' which is being held on the 15th and 16th of this week, this Friday and Saturday. Friday there'll be a Family Ceili at 8.00 pm at the Ocean Castle, Port Erin with Ny Fennee and Kiaulleyderyn Elley. £3.00 for adults £1.50 for children. Saturday there'll be a music session and Oie Ghaelgagh at the Bay View, Port St Mary from 8.30. As well as that on Saturday there'll be workshops - music, dance and song for beginners, intermediate and advanced at Rushen Primary School.

Contact Breesha Maddrell at the Centre for Manx Studies 673074 or Phil Gawne on 834844 if you want to register for the workshops or if you require any other information. The Feailley Veg is organised by Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh with help from the Centre for Manx Studies, Manx Heritage Foundation and the IOM Arts Council.

Phil Gawne