Friends and Heroes DVD launched

Friends and Heroes DVD launched

Thu, 11 Apr 2013

The last few years have seen some fantastic developments on the Manx language front but one which deserves special praise is the launch this week of the Manx Gaelic version of Friends and Heroes / Caarjyn as Fenee cartoon series.

First show on the BBC in 2007 and already available in eleven languages the Manx Gaelic version is illustrative of what a vibrant and exciting time it is for the Manx Language.

These fun Biblical stories are set in the first century AD and follow the adventures of two children, Macky and Portia, as they engage in countless escapades and fight for justice across the Roman world.

The project has been made possible by the generosity of Friends and heroes Production LTD, which produced the animated series, and which is part of the AFD group based in Ramsey .

The DVD box set consists of 13, 25 minutes episodes, in Manx - nearly 5½ hours of animated material in total - and comes with subtitle options in both Manx and English. The DVD is available to buy here

Alison Dorricott, Executive Producer, of Friends and Heroes came up with the idea of translating the series into Manx whilst attending a language course ran by Adrian Cain, the Manx Language Development Officer, for the Manx Heritage Foundation. Bob Carswell RBV was responsible for the translations whilst Paul Rogers recorded and edited the material.

The whole project was made possible due to fantastic support from the Manx Language community, who provided the voices for the characters, as well as the Manx Heritage Foundation, The Gaelic Broadcasting Committee and Manx Radio.

The release of this Box set closely follows the release of The Gruffalo in Manx - The Gruffalo's Child will be released later this year -  and the development of a fantastic Learnmanx app for Android and iphones. It's definitely a great and exciting time to be involved with the Manx language.