Let’s celebrate Manx with the Cooish festival!

Media Release Culture Vannin: 

Let’s celebrate Manx Gaelic! The Cooish Manx language festival will be taking place between

Wednesday 1 st – Sunday 5 th November, and whether you’re brand new to the language, or a

seasoned Manx speaker, there’ll be something for you!

The Cooish is a fun and friendly festival which takes place annually, and is organised by the

community for the community. This year’s festival features 21 events across the island, from a

family-friendly bingo night, through to cocktail making in Manx!

Absolute beginners can enjoy a range of events, from open classes and workshops, through to song

and music nights, and there are events pitched at confident speakers too. There are also events for

little ones, with an easy Manx songs and rhymes sessions for parents and tots, run by Mini Musicians

by Mannin Music.

On Saturday 4 th November between 10am – 3pm there will be an outreach event in Castletown,

called ‘Cooish, Cappan as Croo’ (“COO-sh, CAV-an az CROO”), taking place at the Civic Hall, Art

Squared, and The George.

One of the meanings of ‘cooish’ is a cosy chat, ‘cappan’ is the word for ‘cup’ – indicating that there’ll

be tea and coffee aplenty! – and ‘croo’ means ‘to create’ in Manx.

The event will host a multitude of workshops, from Manx Christmas song workshops led by Ruth

Keggin Gell (Culture Vannin), through to art and craft workshops featuring the use of Manx Gaelic

words, hosted by Eve Adams at Art Squared. There will be stalls with Manx language crafts, books

and language organisations to give everyone the opportunity to find out more about Manx!

Alongside social events, there are lots of opportunities for learning, and those interested in the

academic background of Manx can also enjoy a lecture in English about Manx, and an open-panel

discussion exploring the future of Manx research.

Whatever your age, and whatever your level of Manx, we would love to see you! Find the full festival

programme online at www.learnmanx.com/cooish or keep an eye out for one of the printed

programmes in locations around the Island.