“It was a disaster in Ireland”: Discourses around Manx as an optional or compulsory school subject

Ireland looms large in the imagination of Manx language activists as a role model, and sometimes, as an example of what not to do. Notably, received wisdom among many Manx speakers is that Irish as a compulsory school subject has been a counter-productive failure, and should not be replicated. Manx has been available as an optional subject since the early 1990s. While there has been some entrenchment of this provision, its optional nature is largely unquestioned. Manx language education policy is typically framed by Manx speakers as both more liberal and pragmatic than its Irish counterpart. In part this view reflects the more marginal position of the language in Manx society in the period when the provision was introduced. Arguably, this stance is an obstacle to the pursuit of more ambitious policy today. This article draws on sociolinguistic interview data to explore the ideological bases of these beliefs, and their implications for language policy and planning in Man and beyond.