d03f4472-b24c-4545-8c4c-d08288259241

6

ISLEOFMANEXAMINER

www.iomtoday.co.im Tuesday, September 14, 2021 newsdesk@iomtoday.co.im

FEATURE

E very year on July 5, thousands gather inSt John’s to celebrateTyn- waldDay bywatching an open airmeeting of the island’s parliament gather on the iconic four-tieredhill. The proceedings are spoken in bothEnglish andManx as all bills that have receivedRoyal Assent in the proceeding 12months are promulgated. Just across the road fromthis one of the island’smost distinc- tive landmarks, is another slice of history, where theManx language comes alive every day of the year The Bunscoill Ghaelgagh last week celebrated 20 years since it opened its doors. The school is the only one in the worldwhere children are taught their lessons solely inManx. The aimis that childrenwho attend the school are able to learn the languagefluently, something which continues to be a success. The Examiner spoke tohead teacher JulieMatthews about the anniversary, andwhy the language revival is alive andwell within the school’swalls. She said: ‘We are really excited to be celebrating our 20th year as the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh. ‘The Manx language is so im- portant to our culture and identity and it’s wonderful to see how it has enriched the lives of a succession of pupils and their families as they followed their primary curriculum throughManx. ‘We are in a lovely situation now whereformerpupilsregularlycome back and help current students in the classroom.’ The history of the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh really startswith the Manx-language pre-school play- group,Mooinjer Veggey. They developed out of an inter- est in the possibilities of reviving the fortunes ofManxGaelic from the grass roots and took its initial inspiration and guidance from thoseworkingwithinScottish Gaelic-mediumplay-groups during the late 1980s and early 1990s. TheMooinjer Veggey play- groups proved successful and gradually led to a demand for con- tinuedManx-mediumeducation at primary school level. In response to parental demand thefirstManx-mediumclasswas established inSeptember 2001 by theDepartment of Education in partnershipwithMooinjer Veggey andSheshaght ny Parentyn, the parent’s organisation. TheManx-mediumclass initial- ly operatedwithin amainstream primary school, Ballacottier School inDouglas. Nine children attended the firstManx-mediumclass andwere taught by a teacher assistedby a nursery nurse. Mooinjer Veggey play-groups continued to provide the greatma- jority of pupils for theManx-medi- umclass over the next fewyears. In2001, the school officially opened, but itwas not until Janu- ary 2003, that it found its per- As theBunscoill Ghaelgagh celebrates 20 years, reporter Siobhán Fletcher delved into the history of the school and its role in theManx language revival.

Pupils at theBunscoill Ghaelgagh inSt John’s

PICTURE: DAVEKNEALEDK210910-12

Helping bringManx back from the brink

manent home in the village of St John’s, in anold school building whichwas recently vacated. The Bunscoill Ghaelgaghwas officially established therewith25 childrendivided into two classes. At this point, theywere still the ultimate responsibility of the head teacher of St John’s Primary School. However, by 2006 the Bunscoill Ghaelgaghbecame a ‘stand alone’ separate primary school with its ownhead teacher, BnrMatthews. Since then it has gradually in- creased innumbers to its current four classes ranging across the pri- mary age-groups. It is nowofficiallymanaged by theDepartment of Education, Sport andCulture. MrsMatthews said: ‘Having started offunder the auspices of theManx language education char-

ity,Mooinjer Veggey, we are nowa fully-fledgedpart of DESC, while still working closelywithMooinjer Veggey to developManx teaching and learning resources.’ Childrenmoving ‘up’ fromthe Mooinjer Veggy playgroups en- counter familiar songs, rhymes and routines, and in some cases, fa- miliar staff, so a degree of continu- ity is ensured. A spokesperson forMooinjer Veggy highlighted the charity’s his- toric linkswith the school and said: ‘We are delighted that the Bun- scoill has been running for 20 years andwe look forward to the next 20 to see it’s further development.’ The school’s role in the revival of theManx language cannot be overstated. In2009,UNESCOlistedtheManx languageasextinct,whichledtopu- pilswritinglettersasking: ‘Ifourlan-

own special edition of BBC North West Tonight. Intermsofcelebratingthissignif- icantanniversary,headteacherJulie Matthewsstressedtheimportanceof marking the occasion. She said: ‘We would love to en- courage all members of the Gaelic speaking community, and anyone interested in taking part, to join us inour celebrations during the year. ‘Over theyearswehavehadmany visitors from around the world in- terested in our little language and how the island has brought it back fromthebrinkofextinction,withthe school playing a key part. ‘Other minority languages are greatly interested our story as they seek to learn fromour success. ‘In the words of Manx language activistLeslieQuirk: “Thedifference withthe languagerevivalnowis that it has children.”’

JulieMatthews, head teacher

guage is extinct thenwhat language arewewriting in?’ The classification was later changed to ‘critically endangered’. As recently as late last year, the pupils of the school produced their