Folklore Comes to Life Through Puppetry Course

Folklore Comes to Life Through Puppetry Course

Thu, 17 Apr 2025

An unusual craft-based course in Dalby has just been enjoyed by a group of young people, thanks to the creativity of a Finnish arts educator, with support from Culture Vannin.

The three-day course for young people took place during the Easter holidays, focussing on encouraging creativity and imagination through Manx folklore. Hosted at St James Community Hub in the heart of Dalby, the course was led by filmmaker and puppeteer Juulia Kalavainen, whose fascination with Manx folklore—and particularly the mysterious tales of Dalby— made it a natural choice as a venue.

An adventure into Manx folklore, puppet making, storytelling and puppeteering, the course saw the young participants create their own papier-mâché puppet, with which they told stories that embodied their own characters inspired by traditional Manx folklore. The children created a cast of imaginative characters—including mermaids, a fairy, the Moddey Dhoo, Gef the talking mongoose, and “Bob,” a three-eyed fire spirit—and added a carefully chosen ‘heart’ found on a walk to Niarbyl shore. Their stories, inspired by Manx folklore such as The Mermaid of Gob ny Ooyl and The Moddey Dhoo of Peel Castle, were performed for family and friends in a final showcase.

Juulia, who is from Finland and lives in Edinburgh, is a regular visitor to the Isle of Man, drawn by the rich folklore to be found here. Juulia said:

“There are such amazing folklore riches in the Isle of Man and it was an absolute privilege to light children’s imagination with it through something as creative and hand-on as puppetry!”

The course was supported by a small grant from local charity Culture Vannin. Professor Angela Little, Member of the Board of Culture Vannin, said:

“A creative course like this has the potential to give children experiences which will last them a lifetime. That this is grounded in the Island and its stories, gives children a real sense of place and belonging. We are extremely proud of what the children achieved through Juulia’s creativity and our charity’s support.”

Culture Vannin is dedicated to celebrating, developing, and preserving the vibrant culture of the Isle of Man. Through its grant-giving scheme, Culture Vannin can provide financial support to projects that: offer community outreach and skills development opportunities; deliver festivals and events that bring people together; publish the Isle of Man's stories in print or online; record traditional or original Manx music for CD or streaming platforms; and deepen our understanding of the Isle of Man's rich heritage through academic research. Projects must be “of the Island or associated with the Island and its people” and focus on at least one of these areas: art, crafts, language, literature, history, folklore, music, dance, natural history, ecology, archaeology, architecture, law, or industrial development. Culture Vannin is the trading name for the Manx Heritage Foundation, registered charity 333 in the Isle of Man. Details of the charity’s grant-giving scheme can be found at https://culturevannin.im/grantsawards/grants/.

Further photographs from the course are available on the Culture Vannin website. Similar opportunities for young people to engage creatively with Manx culture are frequently created through the work of Culture Vannin. For more information about Culture Vannin and its work, visit www.culturevannin.im.

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