This year’s Cooish Manx language festival attracted roughly 1,700 people across a number of different events held across the island.

The festival featured 27 events – many of them free to attend – from family-friendly games nights to cocktail making and sea-swimming.

Taking place between Wednesday, November 6 and Sunday, November 10, the ‘Cooish’ has been described as a ‘fun and friendly festival which is organised by the community, for the community’.

A spokesperson from Culture Vannin said: ‘This November, 27 main public events took place, along with additional outreach events and projects, and it was wonderful to see a whole host of new and familiar faces.

‘There was something for all ages, tastes, and levels of Manx, with events island-wide.

‘Alongside friendly conversational get togethers, games nights, and a concert, there were also events where festival goers could learn new skills, from open lessons, talks, and song workshops… to cocktail making in Manx!’

As part of the festival, visiting Scottish Gaelic singer Joy Dunlop and guitarist Ron Jappy performed at the Peel Centenary Centre in a concert organised by the Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering.

The evening also featured a performance from Aalin Clague’s Manx Gaelic choir ‘Un Choraa’, and the premiere of a short film ‘Teeval: Ben-phrinse ny Marrey’, created by Culture Vannin and the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee, featuring young Manx speakers Olivia Savage and Nora Quayle.

Joy and Ron also visited pupils at Arbory Primary School and the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh in interactive school concerts that saw students singing and step-dancing along with the musicians.

The pupils sang in Manx for the visiting musicians, and explored similarities between Manx and Scottish Gaelic.

The spokesperson added: ‘This outreach work was supported by Culture Vannin and Soundcheck Charity Isle of Man. While in the Island, Joy also ran community workshops on behalf of Culture Vannin, along with Ruth Keggin Gell.

‘These included traditional song workshops, language workshops, and a joint Scottish and Manx Gaelic choral workshop, all held in Peel and across the road from a fantastic pop-up Manx language café, run by educational charity Mooinjer Veggey.’

Fun family-friendly events were also held, which included a songs and rhymes session for young children and carers run by ‘Mini Musicians by Mannin Music’.

Research into Manx was also highlighted by a lecture in English given by Professor Max Wheeler about the eighteenth-century Manx masterpiece ‘Pargeiys Caillit’.

Two awards were also presented at the festival.

The Londeyr award for shing a light on, or for, the Manx language was presented to Reverend Dr Janet Corlett, head of the Methodist Church in the Isle of Man. Reverend Corlett has been organising and running bilingual services since 2022, and is also currently learning Manx.

Manx language charity Pobble awarded the Aundeyr Brian Stowell (Brian Stowell Award), to celebrate creativity in Manx, to musician Matthew Warren for his choral setting of ‘Hymsee Mee Speyr’, a poem by Annie Kissack, which was premiered earlier this year by the Tallis Consort.