Culture Vannin has joined forces with similar organisations from Wales and Cornwall to present a folk music exchange.

Development officers Chloë Woolley and Ruth Keggin Gell from Culture Vannin have teamed up with Jordan Price Williams from the Welsh folk development organisation ‘TRAC Cymru’, and Jowdy Davey from Cornish cultural organisation ‘Lowender’, to present a special challenge for singers and musicians.

This challenge will be to learn each other’s folk songs or tunes, and interpret them in their own way.

Individuals or groups are then asked to record or film their performances and share them on their own social media channels on European Folk Day (Monday, September 23), tagging #europeanfolkday.

A spokesperson from Culture Vannin said: ‘A common theme found in both the landscape and cultural heritage of all three nations is the sea, and interestingly, the Celtic cousins share a very similar sounding name for the sea in each language: Môr in Welsh, Mooir in Manx and Mor in Cornish.

‘The Manx song and tune for the project are now online and ready to learn through video tutorials from Manx Gaelic singer Ruth Keggin and traditional fiddle player Laura Rowles.

‘“Shiaull Ersooyl” (Sail Away) is a short Manx Gaelic song collected by Mona Douglas in the 1920s and it can be performed in lots of interesting ways.

‘Meanwhile, “Three Little Boats” is one of the most popular jigs from the Isle of Man, and as well as being a session favourite and also a simple Christmas song, it is often used to accompany dances such as the ladies jig, men’s jig and “dance for three”.

‘The Welsh and Cornish sea-themed songs and tunes will be revealed soon.

‘Now in its second year, European Folk Day highlights the value of the traditional arts, reinforcing that each diverse nation is an essential part of Europe’s rich cultural spectrum. From grassroots communities to national organisations, and from individual musicians to companies involved in traditional arts at any level, anyone can get involved!’

Dr Chloë Woolley, Manx music development officer for Culture Vannin, said: ‘Annual events like European Folk Day are a great excuse to make international links and musical connections, whilst reflecting on what makes each nation unique’.

Manx language development officer Ruth Keggin Gell added: ‘Learning and performing music is such a fun and enriching way to engage the community in the cultural heritage of our respective nations; we hope that through this lovely collaborative project, more people will enjoy finding out about Manx, Welsh and Cornish music and language.’

Culture Vannin’s own Manx music youth group ‘Bree’ will also be getting involved, with a special workshop for young musicians taking place on Saturday, September 7.

The workshop is free to attend and open to all singers and musicians aged 10 to 18. If you wish to find out more details, you can contact Chloë Woolley at [email protected]