How a primary school saved the Manx language from extinction

UNESCO declared Manx Gaelic extinct in 2009. Years later, a letter from a primary school on the Isle of Man proved them wrong, so the organisation took a step back and set up a new category: revitalised languages.

When 97-year-old fisherman Ned Maddrell died in 1974, his native language, Manx Gaelic, died with him. At least, that's what UNESCO believed when they declared the language extinct in 2009.

Until a letter, written in perfect Manx by primary school children, reached UNESCO headquarters: dozens of kids from the Isle of Man were asking the organisation to reverse its decision.

Here’s how a movement anchored in education and music brought a language back from the dead.

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