While he was still at school, Brian visited the likes of Ned Maddrell and John Kneen (Yn Gaaue) and quickly became a fluent speaker.

He is, therefore, ideally placed to talk about, not only the revival of interest in the language, but also the history of Manx Gaelic.

In this new bi-lingual video series, Brian and I will be charting some of the important developments in the history of Manx Gaelic/y Ghaelg.

The opening episode asks the question: What is a Celtic language?

There are six Celtic languages - but what are they, where are they spoken and what are their similarities?

Watch the video to listen to Brian and I talk through the subject, firstly in English and then in Manx.

Over the next seven weeks, we will be covering the following topics:

• Where did Manx come from?




• Place names in the Isle of Man




• The Bible in Manx Gaelic




• Language shift from Manx to English: why?




• Native speakers of Manx Gaelic




• The revival of Manx Gaelic




• The importance of Manx today

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This series is produced by Isle of Man Newspapers and Manx Heritage Foundation.

Camera operators: Gary Myers and Stephen Parry
Boom operator: James O'Meara
Title music: Scaanjoon, Skeletons