Manx 'pioneer' Sophia Morrison commemorated by Tynwald

Author and long-applauded champion of Manx culture and dialect Sophia Morrison has been included in the Manx Patriots' Roll of Honour by Tynwald.

The Roll of Honour celebrates those who have "self-sacrifically" committed themselves to the promotion of the Isle of Man - such as the previously included illustrator Archibold Knox and RNLI founder Sir William Hillary.

Born in Peel in 1859, Morrison is most known for her recollection of the island's folklore in her novel Manx Fairy Tales, first published in 1911.

Aside from writing, she was instrumental in the Manx cultural revival and in renewing a sense of national identity, before she died in Peel in 1917, aged 57.

Born into a large family of fishermen, Ms Morrison became interested in Manx language and music from an early age.

Whilst growing up in Peel, the island's customs and voice had begun to dilute under the pressure of English immigration and modernity.

In response, Ms Morrison co-founded the Manx Language Society (Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh) to preserve and promote the language, acting as their secretary from 1901 until her death 16 years later.

Dr Breesha Maddrell, director of Culture Vannin, said: "She's part of quite a small movement of people saying their culture has a value.

"She'd correspond with people from other Celtic countries, campainging for the teaching of Manx in schools - and even wanted to know the Manx names of flowers to make sure they weren't lost.

"It would have been quite difficult because people were thinking they should move away from Manx."

By the early 20th Century, Manx slowly began to be taught in schools but it was not until 1992 that a more widespread approach was taken.

Today, all schools on the island teach Manx with one - Yn Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, in St John's, acting as the only school in the world where lessons are taught exclusively in the language.

Dr Maddrell coined Ms Morrison as a "pioneering figure" at a time when government recognition or teaching on culture and language was lacking.

Manx artist Julia Ashby Smyth was asked to re-illustrate a 100th anniversary edition of Morrison's Manx Fairy Tales in 2016 - a book she first read aged eight and still reads today.

"It was a massive ask considering Archibold Knox did the original illustrations, I sort of hoped they'd carried on with him", Smyth joked.

Ms Smyth's father, who worked as a printer reproducing Ms Morrison's books and publications for the island's museums, would often ask a young Ms Smyth to proofread his work, and in turn Ms Morrison's books of Manx folklore.

Ms Morrison's book, still sat on bookshelves today, centred on stories she had gathered from local people about their stories of legend and folklore, passed down through the generations.

"It's due to people like her that we still have that richness of Manx folklore to this day," Ms Smyth said.

During her short life, plagued by ailing eyesight and hearing, Ms Morrison went on to edit the biannual journal Mannin and inspire the first Manx Dialect Theatre shows in the early 1900s.

Both were attempts to encourage the island's cultural revival and define what it meant to be Manx in the 20th Century.

Tributes paid to her following her death show the significance of her character to the people of the island, as poet PW Caine remarked: "No heavier blow has ever befallen the cause of Manx nationality".

Whilst one funeral-goer at the time commented: "There's a light gone out today that will never be lit again".

Dr Maddrell believes Morrison would be proud of what the Isle of Man looks and sounds like today.

"All our schools explore Manx art, culture, music, dance and folklore - it's really down to people like her that we have such a strong culture today.

"She'd be delighted to walk into a cafe today on the island and hear Manx."

Morrison is just the sixth woman to be inducted into the Roll of Honour since the award began in 2000.

Dr Maddrell, who wrote her PhD on the author and activist, is pleased she's getting the recognition she deserves.

"When I started looking at her work, not many people knew about her apart from the connection to Manx Fairy Tales, which is quite often the case with women working in culture.

"Their voices can be forgotten through history - so [being honoured] is a nice redress of the balance".

Ms Smyth applauded Ms Morrison's championing of the island's folklore.

"The stories were very important for the time and still are - they'd die out if she hadn't collected them.

"If magic disappears from the world, it would be a sad place", she said.

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