Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets - Isle of Man
Poetry Extra - November 2024

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets - Isle of Man [2019]

Actor and writer Catherine Harvey returns to her family roots in the Isle of Man. She explores the voices of Manx dialect and language speakers, whose words are influenced by the Celts and Norsemen.

Catherine concentrates her search in two areas - the north of the island where her family are from and the west, an area associated with the speaking of Manx Gaelic.

She looks at the work of TE Brown, who is still thought of as the island’s national poet, and the writers who were part of the Manx Cultural Revival.

In St Johns, she meets Dr Breesha Maddrell, Director of Culture Vannin, to discuss the influence of Manx Gaelic on the dialect of the island, before travelling north to talk to cultural activist, Bob Carswell, and members of The Michael Players – the only organisation in the world regularly performing plays in Manx dialect.

Meanwhile, Catherine asks the current Manx Bard, Annie Kissack, if the dialect and language spoken on the island today has changed – and whether one of them has ultimately triumphed.

A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2019.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024wwx

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The original series of 'Tongue and Talk: The Dialect Poets' 2018_2022:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3m9sh/episodes/guide
A few clips are available permanently
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3m9sh/clips

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