Walter Clarke

Who is Walter Clarke?

Walter Clarke was one of a small number of Manx Gaelic speakers who through their efforts in the late 1940s and early 1950s ensured the survival of a spoken record of the Manx language by recording the surviving native Manx speakers.

Initial recordings had been undertaken by the Irish Folklore Commission and was continued by Clarke and others. Clarke worked with Dougie Fargher, Charlie Craine, Bill Radcliffe and Mark Braide.

He continued his work for Manx by teaching evening classes and gave workshops on the language together with the late Freddie Cowle.

In 2001 he received the National Reih Bleeaney Vanannan award. Eventually Manx was introduced into the curriculum of Island schools.