Manx Gaelic choir Caarjyn Cooidjagh has returned from a successful mini‑tour of Dublin, where it performed to a full house at the Royal Irish Academy.
The show was part of an event celebrating the languages and cultures of Gaelic neighbours and Blein ny Gaelgey, Year of the Manx Language.
The choir delivered a varied programme of unaccompanied Manx songs on September 4, with audience members also hearing a lecture in Irish from Dr John Walsh on President Éamon de Valera’s role in sending the Irish Folklore Commission to the Isle of Man in 1948, a story unfamiliar to many present.
The event also featured lively traditional cello music from Skye‑based Alison McGillivray, and was recorded by Liam O’Connor, Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, who closed the afternoon with Irish tunes.
The following day, the choir performed in Meeting House Square during Dublin’s outdoor Saturday market, a contrasting but well‑received setting, supported by Dublin City Council.
Passers‑by stopped to listen, and the choir later sang at a private soirée and an impromptu concert for visitors from Iceland and America.
Choir director Annie Kissack said: “We had a very enjoyable time in Dublin, singing our hearts out, making new friends, learning new things, picking up a little Irish, and of course flagging up the Isle of Man and the Manx language at every possible opportunity.
“We are grateful for the generous support of an Isle of Man Arts Council travel grant which made the trip possible.”
