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Ny Manninee | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 95,788 (In the Isle of Man,Canada[1] and theUnited States)[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
Isle of Man | |
| Languages | |
English (seeManx English) · Manx | |
| Religion | |
Predominantly Christianity mostlyProtestant (Anglican andMethodist,Baptist), alsoRoman Catholic,Mormon,Christian Scientist,Atheist | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Scots,Irish,Gaels,English,Norse-Gaels,Welsh,Cornish,Bretons,Faroese,Orcadians |
TheManx (/mæŋks/manks;Manx:ny Manninee) are anethnic group originating on theIsle of Man, in theIrish Sea inNorthern Europe. They belong to theGaelicethnolinguistic group, which now populate the parts of theBritish Isles which once were theKingdom of the Isles andDál Riata. The Manx are governed through theTynwald (Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal), the legislature of the island, which was introduced byViking settlers over a thousand years ago. The native mythology and folklores of the Manx belong to the overallCeltic Mythology group, withManannán mac Lir, theMooinjer veggey,Buggane,Lhiannan-Shee,Ben-Varrey and theModdey Dhoo being prominent mythological figures on the island. Their language,Manx Gaelic (Gaelg, Gailck) is derived fromMiddle Irish, which was introduced by settlers that colonised the island fromGaelic Ireland. However, Manx Gaelic later developed in isolation and belongs as a separateGoidelic language of theInsular Celtic languages.
According to the 2011 interim census,[4] the Isle of Man is home to 84,655 people, of whom 26,218 reside in the island's capitalDouglas (Doolish). The largest proportion of the population was born on the island, but major settlement byEnglish people (Sostnagh/ Sostynagh) and others has significantly altered the demographics. According to the 2011 census, 47.6% were born in the Isle of Man, and 37.2% were born in England, with smaller numbers born elsewhere: 3.4% inScotland, 2.1% inNorthern Ireland, 2.1% in theRepublic of Ireland, 1.2% inWales and 0.3% born in theChannel Islands, with 6.1% of the population having been born elsewhere in the world.[citation needed]
Manx people living in the UK were commonly grouped by the2001 census under "White British". The extremely high ratio of "come-overs" to "natives" has brought with it changes in terms of culture, identity and speech. Manx people have also made a significant contribution elsewhere through migration. The Manx have a long tradition of moving toLiverpool for work, hence a lot ofLiverpool people have Manx ancestry, among them arePaul McCartney ofThe Beatles,[5] American actressOlivia Wilde, former Vice President of the United StatesDan Quayle andChris Cornell of the bandsSoundgarden,Audioslave andTemple of The Dog. Many Manx people emigrated to theUnited States, with notable populations inCuyahoga County andLake County, Ohio.[6]
Manx people have traditionally had three vernaculars:
The English language is used inTynwald (Tinvaal); the use of Manx there is restricted to a few formulaic phrases. However, some Manx is used to a limited extent in official publications, street signs etc. Education in the Manx language is offered in schools.
TheBunscoill Ghaelgagh is aManx-languageprimary school inSt John's, Isle of Man. As of 2011[update] it is the only school in the world where children are taught their lessons solely in Manx and which allows children to learn the language fluently.[7] The school is considered successful and is part of the Manx language revival.[8][9] AfterUNESCO listed the language as extinct in 2009, pupils wrote letters asking "If our language is extinct then what language are we writing in?", and the classification was later changed to "critically endangered".[10]Lewis Carroll'sAlice in Wonderland (Ealish ayns Çheer ny Yindyssyn) is read in translation after 30 copies were presented to theBunscoill Ghaelgagh by theManx Gaelic Society when the book was officially launched.[11]
The Isle of Man is one of the sixCeltic nations, and has been underNorse, Scottish, English control and self-governing for much of the past thousand years.[citation needed]
The earliest traces of people in the Isle of Man date to around 8000 BC, during theMesolithic Period, also known as the Middle Stone Age. Small,nomadic family groups lived in campsites, hunting wild game, fishing the rivers and coastal waters and gathering plant foods.[12]
The Neolithic period was marked by important economic and social changes. By 4000 BC, people once reliant upon the uncultivated natural resources of the land and sea had adopted cereal growing and stock rearing, using imported species of grain and animals. Large-scale clearance of natural woodland provided fields for crops and animal fodder.[13]
During theIron Age, Celtic influence began to arrive on the island. Based on inscriptions, the inhabitants appear to have used aBrythonic language; however, at some point, possibly c. 700 AD, it is assumed that Irish invasion or immigration formed the basis of a new culture, and the Manx came to speak Gaelic. This language has developed in isolation since, though it remains closely related toIrish, andScottish Gaelic.[14]
At the end of the 8th century,Viking settlers began to arrive and establish settlements, eventually coming to dominate the island.[15]
The NorseKingdom of Mann and the Isles was created byGodred Crovan in 1079. TheNorse had a major effect on the island, leaving behind Norse placenames, and influencing its distinctive political system,Tynwald (fromOld Norse,Þingvóllr), which is one of the oldest parliamentary democracies in the world.[citation needed]
In 1266, under theTreaty of Perth, Norway's KingMagnus VI ceded the isles toScotland. For more than a century the Isle of Man, during the Anglo-Scottish wars, passed between Scotland and England. During this troubled period, the Island was captured by the Scottish army of Robert the Bruce in 1313. Later in the 14th century, when England once more seized the Island, the Lordship – indeed kingship – was given to the Montacute family, Earls of Salisbury.[citation needed]
In 1405, the Lordship was granted to Sir John Stanley, whose descendants (later theEarls of Derby) ruled the Isle of Man for over 300 years. The lordship passed through a female line to theDukes of Atholl in 1736 and was eventuallypurchased by the British Crown in 1765.[citation needed]
Since 1866, when the Isle of Man obtained a measure ofhome rule, the Manx people have developed into a modern nation with an economy based decreasingly on agriculture and fishing and increasingly first on tourism and then on financial and other services.[citation needed]
The 20th century saw a revival of interest in Manx music and dance, and in theManx language, though the last native (first language) speaker of ManxNed Maddrell died in the 1970s. In the middle of the 20th century, theTaoiseachÉamon de Valera visited and was so distressed at the lack of support for Manx that he immediately had two recording vans sent over to record the language before it disappeared completely.[citation needed]
The economic changes gave a short-lived impetus to Manx nationalism in the 1970s and 1980s, spawningMec Vannin, a nationalist group, as well as the now-defunctManx National Party andFo Halloo ("Underground"), which mounted a direct-action campaign of spray-painting and house-burning. Nationalist politics has since declined and a number of its former proponents are now in mainstream politics.[citation needed]
The 1990s and early 21st century have seen a greater recognition of indigenous Manx culture, such as the first Manx-medium primary school, though Manx culture still remains on the margins of popular culture for the majority of Manx residents.[citation needed]
TheChronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles[16][17] orManx Chronicle is a manuscript relating the early history of theIsle of Man. TheChronicles are a yearly account of significant events inManx history from 1016. Written in Latin, it documents the island's role as the centre of the Norse kingdom of Mann and the Isles. TheChronicles also document the influence of its kings, religious leaders and the role ofRushen Abbey.[citation needed]
There have been campaigns to transfer the possession of theChronicles by the British Library in England, back permanently to the Isle of Man and to the Manx people. In 2014, theCeltic League supported this cause, demanding the return of the manuscript to the Isle of Man. They continue to pursue a campaign for the reappropriation of artefacts back to their Celtic countries.[citation needed]
Media related toPeople of the Isle of Man at Wikimedia Commons
