Yes, Manx orthography is quite distinct from the other Gaelic languages. There's been talk of changing it from time to time. However, there is the Bible and Apocryphya and the Book of Common Prayer in Manx, and quite a long history of writing, particularly long, sacred songs called 'carvals'. There's also a lot of folk music, including songs in Manx. It would be difficult to leave all that behind and switch to a more Irish or Scottish spelling system.

In Ireland a few years ago, we gave a book of Manx songs to an RTE producer, who looked askance at them to start with. He came back the next day and said he'd taken a stab at saying them out loud, and imagined an Irish speaker from Donegal saying the words, and he realised he could follow it.

Unable to resist a chance to promote Manx music and song, on the Green Linnet label, there's a CD of music by Manx harper, Charles Guard, including five or so tracks of tunes with a Manx provenance. I play my tin whistle on three of them. When first released on vinyl a good few years ago, RTE made it their record of the week.

In the past couple of years, a young lady called Emma Crhistian has been making a career for herseld singing in Manx, and playing Manx material on harp and recorder. I don't know how generally available her CD, 'Ta'n Dooid Çheet', is, but it's been very well received. Emma has been to festivals in the USA and Europe, and is proving very popular.

There's a lot of music happening in Mann, including song writing in Manx Gaelic and new pieces in a traditional mode being added all the time, so it's very alive.. uses the same format for the likes of 'slán leat', which comes out as 'slane lhiat' in Manx spelling.

'Shoh slaynt' would be 'seo slainte' in Irish, and 'reesht' is the 'ris', as in again.

There are probably a number of differences in use of prepositions. The only one that springs to mind just now is in welcoming. Where Irish (and Scots Gaidhlig?) uses 'failte roimh', Manx uses 'failt erriu', which would be 'failte oraibh' in Irish.

We've just had Feailley Ghaelgagh, a Manx Gaelic Festival here in Mann, and enjoyed several visiting singers and musicians from Scotland and Ireland, including Lillis O Laoire. It was very good - feer vie; an-mhaith; glé mhath.

Gura mie mooar eu son yn sym euish er y Ghaelg - thank you for your interest in the Manx Gaelic.

Mish, lesh firrinys,

Bobby Bob