News

'Friends and Heroes' childrens program to be translated into Manx Gaelic

Friends and Heroes, the new award-winning children's TV series shown recently on BBC2, is to be dubbed into the Manx Language in what is widely believed to be a world first.

"This news is 'Yindyssagh erskyn towse'- (Fantastic above all measure) and is a real breakthrough for Manx Gaelic (Gaelg)", said Adrian Cain, Manx Language Officer for the Manx Heritage Foundation. "The plan is to have a full Manx Soundtrack as well as English and Manx Sub-Titles so it will make a fantastic teaching and learning resource and help us give Manx Gaelic a much higher profile both on the island and internationally."

Friends and Heroes is an action-adventure series which uses 2D animation to tell the story of Macky and Portia, two young people who meet in first century Alexandria. During their exciting adventures they introduce stories from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - shown in state-of-the-art 3D computer-generated animation.

You can see a sample of one episode and get more information here

NAMA Board of directors meeting

The board of directors meeting was held this July at the site of the next convention in Minneapolis.

Plans are underway for the Biennial convention being hosted by the Minnesota Manx. More information can be found here

North American Manx Museum

Work is well under way on the new Luce Center Museum at the University of Wisconsin. Included will be a room designated as the North American Manx Museum. The naming rights for the area were secured by an extremely generous donation of $100,000 made by our NAMA Honorary President, Robert Kelly. The Manx Collection will be housed at the Museum.

Manx Youth Award

We would like to engage our youth in activities that are linked to the cultural heritage of the Isle of Man. Since fall is the beginning of a new school term, students are often asked to find topics for research. This makes it a great time to remind them of "all things Manx."

Many aspects of the Manx culture that are so very appealing to both young and old. Everything from the diminutive size and obscure location of the homeland which has the government with the world's oldest continuous form of democracy, the talented people who live there, the unique animals (like the Manx cats and the four-horned Loughtan sheep, the Manx Shearwater birds) found there, the many forms of transportation, the world's largest working water wheel, the shipyard where the oldest existing, merchant marine ship was built, are a few of the topics that can be explored and enjoyed by our young people.

Avid stamp collectors are attracted to the beautiful stamps issued by the Isle of Man Post Office. Coin collectors enjoy learning about the many unique coins produced by the Pobjoy Mint for the Isle of Man Treasury including famous events, cats, fairies and there is even a Harry Potter series. Music and dance traditions from the Isle of Man are another aspect that delight people around the globe. Still others are fascinated by the beautiful race horses kept on the Island or the times of the year when they hold the world famous Tourist Trophy motorcycle races there. Images and information on these topics can be found on the Internet, too.

If you know of someone or a group of youth under the age of 18, who show special interest in Manx culture and sharing it with others, please write a letter to nominate that individual for the Manx Youth Award that will be announced at the 2008 NAMA Convention to be held in Bloomington Minnesota, next August.

The panel of judges will select an individual or group for recognition based upon the body of activities described in the letter of nomination rather than for any singular activity or deed. Nomination letters should contain the names and addresses of the youth and the adult making the nomination. We also ask that two other names with contact information be included as references.

Isle of Man Department of Education provides the Manx Youth Award which is beautiful PooillVaaish black marble triangular stone with a carved Manx triskele design and dated with the year in which it is presented. It is truly a keepsake to be treasured for a lifetime.

Since 2000, when the award was initiated, we have had nominations from Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and West Virginia. Now, more than ever, we want to encourage all our Manx Societies and individual NAMA Members to send nominations to me at: P. O. Box 425, Platteville, WI 53818, or : before May 30th, 2008.