The life and work of Manx poet, philosopher and storyteller Edward Faragher will be the focus of the next talk organised by Rushen Heritage Trust.

The event, titled ‘The Life & Works of Edward Faragher’, will take place at 7.30pm on Monday, January 5, at the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin. It is the second talk in the trust’s 2025-26 season.

It will be delivered by Rob Teare, Manx language officer for the Isle of Man Government, who will explore Faragher’s life and literary legacy. Faragher, also known as Ned Beg Hom Ruy, was born in 1831 and grew up in Cregneash.

Mr Teare will recount stories from Faragher’s life, including periods spent in Ireland during the era when large numbers of Manxmen travelled there each summer for the mackerel fishing. He will also examine Faragher’s writing in both Manx and English, much of which drew on his experiences and observations of working-class life in the nineteenth century.

Mr Teare said Faragher held many roles throughout his life, including pupil, cabin boy, galley cook, fisherman, skipper, labourer and craftsman, alongside his work as a writer and cultural figure.

‘Faragher was many things during his life,’ he said. ‘But he was also a poet, tradition bearer, philosopher, storyteller, translator, sermoniser, singer, and man of letters, who wrote beautifully and honestly in both English and Manx.’

He added that autobiographical writing by working-class authors from the nineteenth century is uncommon, particularly in Gaelic languages.

‘Examples of autobiographical work by working-class writers from the nineteenth century are rare enough in any language,’ he said.

‘Few have written so much about life in that period.

‘Faragher’s work is perhaps the earliest writing about working-class life in any Gaelic language, predating the work of well-known Irish language writers, as well as the earliest autobiographical recordings made in Scotland.’

Mr Teare said Faragher wrote extensively not only about the Cregneash community in which he was raised, but also about other places he lived and worked, including Ireland, Liverpool and Derbyshire.

He said: ‘During his lifetime Faragher experienced plenty of hardship, tragedy and disappointment, but he also knew how to celebrate and rejoice in the beauty of his surroundings, and express his opinions upon philosophy, religion, literature and society.’

He added that Faragher’s work as a translator had produced a significant body of material which remains valuable to Manx language researchers.

The talk is being supported by Culture Vannin as part of the Year of the Manx Language 2026.

Tickets cost £7, or £5 for Friends of Rushen Heritage Trust. They are available online via the Erin Arts Centre Ticketsource page, or in person from Bridge Bookshop in Port Erin, or from Rushen Heritage Centre on Bridson Street, which is open on Monday afternoons during the winter months.

Rushen Heritage Trust has also announced further dates for its 2025-26 programme of talks, with events scheduled between February and May. Tickets for each talk will go on sale after the previous event has taken place.

Further information is available from the trust.