Max Quayle, better known online as MQTate, has made waves far beyond his home village of Crosby.

The 27-year-old theoretical chemistry PhD student, who splits his time between his studies in Cardiff and his passion for creating educational YouTube content, has found recent success with a viral video on a topic close to his Manx heart: the Manx language.

His video, exploring the quirks and charms of the island’s native tongue, has garnered more than 100,000 views, making it one of his most popular uploads.

Max, who started learning Manx just for fun, has become an unexpected ambassador for the language, which currently boasts fewer than 3,000 speakers worldwide.

His decision to share his language-learning journey wasn’t entirely planned, but has resonated with a growing audience fascinated by niche languages and their preservation.

‘I've been studying Manx for like a year or two now’, Max explained in a recent interview with Media Isle of Man.

‘I think, especially among people our age, there's almost a bit of embarrassment around engaging with a language like Manx, because it’s so niche.

‘I remember at school, when you could choose between French, German, and Manx, people would say things like, “Why would you bother learning Manx? You’re not going to use it.” That attitude always stuck with me.’

Max’s experience isn't unique.

Many island residents have felt that pressure to prioritise more ‘useful’ languages like French or Spanish over their own Celtic heritage.

But for Max, learning Manx was never about practicality. ‘It’s just a fun thing to do’, he said.

‘I’m not doing this to build my CV. I do it because I find it funny.

‘I mean, how can you not laugh when you learn that the Manx word for hedgehog translates to “plentiful little pig”?

‘That’s the kind of stuff that makes language learning enjoyable.’

Max’s journey with the Manx language reflects a growing movement among young people to reclaim their cultural roots, and to do so on their own terms.

‘I think learning a language is one of those things where you really start to appreciate the little quirks and oddities.

‘For example, I didn’t know that jellyfish translates to “seal snot” in Manx until I started studying it’, he laughed.

‘It’s those kinds of discoveries that keep me going.

’His love for both language and chemistry is what sparked the creation of his YouTube channel, where he primarily makes educational cartoons around scientific topics.

However, it was his decision to branch out and make a video, which can be viewed at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V8w-dRCAL0, on the Manx language that caught viewers’ attention.

Within 24 hours of posting, the video had around 20,000 views.

Since then, the count has surpassed 100,000, a milestone Max never expected to reach with such a niche subject.

The viral success of the video has also drawn attention to the challenges facing minority languages like Manx.

Max is quick to point out that despite efforts to revive the language, there is still a social stigma attached to it.

‘I think Manx, like a lot of Celtic languages, has suffered from this “coolness problem”.

‘There's this perception that if you learn Manx, you’re limiting yourself, or you’ll only ever speak it with a small group of people.’

Yet, Max is optimistic about the future of the Manx language.

‘The tide is definitely turning. I didn’t cover this in the video, but there’s a new generation of kids learning Manx as their first language, which is something we haven’t seen in decades’, he explained.

‘It’s like a quiet revolution. For the first time since the language was nearly eradicated, we have children growing up bilingual in Manx and English. It’s a huge achievement.’

When asked about his hopes for the future of the language, Max was clear: ‘I hope people can start to see learning Manx as something to be proud of, not just something to check off a list.

‘We should learn languages because they’re fun, because they open us up to new ideas and ways of thinking, not just because they’re practical.’

As for his own future, Max plans to continue his YouTube channel alongside his PhD.

With only 96 elements left to cover in his chemistry series, he jokes that he’ll be keeping busy for the foreseeable future.

But his passion for the Manx language is here to stay. ‘I’m definitely going to keep improving my Manx.

‘Even if it takes five or 10 years, I’d love to be able to hold a decent conversation in the language’, he said. You can watch Max’s YouTube video HERE.