The Manx
Gaelic Circle

Failt erriu dys Kiarkyl ny Gaelgey! Welcome to the Manx Gaelic Circle. We are a NAMA member society dedicated to helping North Americans, wherever they may live, learn more about the Manx language. Although we grew out of a class once held in the Washington, DC, area, we are not a local, state, or provincial society, but one open to all who can access us via the Internet.

So whether you live in Wisconsin, Utah, Massachusetts, or Maryland, you’re welcome to join Kiarkyl ny Gaelgey! There’s no charge to do so either — membership is free. Just email us and we’ll add you to our membership. We do encourage you to join NAMA though. Your membership helps show the organization that the Manx language is important to you here in North America.

Things we can do:

• Find an online Manx language class for you
• Connect you with other North American Manx learners
• Organize Manx language and cultural workshops at NAMA events
• Organize online events or workshops
• Keep you informed about Manx language news and resources

Our basic goal is to help those interested in Manx find ways to learn Manx or learn about the language. Manx or Gaelg is the indigenous language of the Isle of Man, and it is a Celtic language closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic. These languages form the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language tree, and are more distantly related to Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.

At one point, the Isle of Man was part of the Norse-Gaelic Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Isle of Man and the Scottish Hebrides. “Gaelic” came to the island in prehistoric times and developed from Old Irish into modern Manx over many centuries — perhaps more than 1,500 years. Manx emerges as its own written language in early modern times, post-1600.

A knowledge of Manx leads to a greater appreciation of the Isle of Man’s unique history and culture, including music, song, local legends and folklore, and place names. The language has been recognized as an important part of Manx identity and is actively promoted by the Isle of Man government and institutions such as Culture Vannin and Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh.

So let us know what your interests are and we’ll do what we can to help you. Gura mie eu! Thanks.