Name

Ned Maddrell

Biography

Last native speaker of the Manx language. He had learned Manx as a child from an aunt who spoke no English. He died at ninety-seven in 1974. A language spoken on the Island since at least the fifth century — older than English, older than Parliament, older than the lordship that Parliament had purchased — and when he died, the thread of unbroken transmission that connected the Island to its own past was severed. UNESCO declared Manx extinct. But the recordings existed — made in 1948 when the Irish Taoiseach Eamon de Valera sent equipment across. The grammars existed. The Bible existed. Wilson's translations, Hildesley's completions. UNESCO revised its classification to 'critically endangered.' The language came back.

Active Period

1877–1974

Also Known As

Edward (Ned) Maddrell

Place

Isle of Man

Period

Modern Era

Role / Office

Last Native Manx Speaker

Fisherman

Book Chapter

Chapter 17

Chapter 18