Cooish

The Cooish is the name of an inter-Gaelic festival of language and culture taking place on the Isle of Man each November. Cooish is a word common to Manx Gaelic and to the regional dialect of the Isle of Man and has a whole host of meanings ranging from a talk or chat to a cause.

Description

The festival is organised by Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh [1] (the Manx Language Society) with support from the Manx Heritage Foundation and the Isle of Man Arts Councils along with local businesses.

It brings together language activists, musicians, academics, and the general public in a celebration of shared Gaelic heritage. It is filled with a variety of concerts, school workshops, lectures and music sessions and has featured Gaelic singers such as Mary Smith, Maggie MacInnes, Maire Breatnach and Lilis O Laoire. Manx groups such as Caarjyn Cooidjagh, Staa, Skeeal and Moot have all featured regularly. It provides an opportunity for everyone on the Isle of Man to celebrate their national language, culture and identity and to find their place within the Gaelic continuum.

The festival was founded by Phil Gawne in the early 1990s under the name Feailley Ghaelgagh.