Biosphere in Brittany!

Biosphere Isle of Man were delighted to be at the biggest annual Celtic festival in the world last week - Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

Breeshey Kermode from Biosphere Isle of Man joined the Manx delegation at the festival in Lorient, showcasing our unique position as an entire nation UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at the Manx Pavilion. Breeshey tells us more about the festival and her time there:

I’ve known about the festival for years, admiring from afar. When the Manx delegates for the festival, super sister duo and all round wonderful women, Ealee and Grainney Sheard, approached Biosphere about having a presence at the pavilion, it seemed a fantastic opportunity for the Island!

Fast forward and I think only dolphins could hear the sound I made when I learned that I had the opportunity to go to Lorient for that porpoise(!) This year’s festival theme was ‘Youth’.

Suitcase overflowing with Biosphere strategies and factor 50 sun cream, I embarked on the journey. It felt surprisingly short thanks to the traditional sessions on the boat, good conversation, meeting and making new friends - all wrapped up in the buzz and excitement for the week ahead.

We were joined by up-and-coming superstars Scran, a young group of inspiring musicians and performers, formed as part of Culture Vannin’s Bree traditional music youth education movement, and mentored by David Kilgallon. Follow @Instascran99!

Also on board were Ny Fenee, meaning ‘The Heroes’ in Manx, who are a dynamic young dance group from the north of the Island led by Juan Garrett. They really were heroic performing in that heat!

Representing the Manx music scene at the festival were Mera Royle, Owen Williams, Ruth Keggin-Gell with Rachel Hair, and the mighty Mec Lir.

On arrival, we set up the pavilion stand at the Place des Pays Celtes. It was dressed to the nines in Manx tartan and bunting, showcasing our Biosphere status and everything that makes it, including Manx culture, language, Loaghtan wool, and the Island as the birth place of the RNLI.

The pavilion acted as a one stop shop for all things Manx, as well as providing a small stage setting for Scran sessions, which welcomed large crowds due to the intimate nature and enticing sound.

Jacqueline Yates, a blue badge guide and fluent French speaker was the hero of the pavilion, who came as a volunteer and worked tirelessly to engage with the general public, promoting the Island with her extensive knowledge and passion.

Sarah Mercer also helped at the pavilion. Sarah is a Manx business owner, from Earthscope, and brilliant Biosphere ambassador, who has a wonderful way of engaging with, well, absolutely anybody! She represented Biosphere at the interceltic business forum...and I must say she has the most fantastic French accent!

César Joughin and Phil Collins stepped in to help numerous times. They are a dream team and did a great job of switching from speaking Manx, to English, to French, and Irish!

The pavilion was constantly busy, with many people asking about the Island’s Biosphere status, and there was a particular interest in our language and independence. It was such a wonderful way to engage with new audiences and promote everything that contributes to being a Biosphere nation. There were around 1,000 visitors at the Manx pavilion each day of the week.

In the evenings, we got to really immerse ourselves in the festival. I had the pleasure of watching Mec Lir, and I’ve never seen such a high level of appreciation for Manx music. It was mind blowing and my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much.

I also caught the debut DJ set by Çheumooie, who absolutely killed the crowd, blending recordings of Manx native speakers with modern electronic music, even playing his accordion at one point - a contemporary sound that you just have to hear!

Molly Wade, a Manx textiles designer who is working for Vivienne Westwood in London, was the visual artist representing the Island at the Euroceltic Art Exhibition at the Palais des Congrès, showcasing her magnificent Manx pieces.

I had the honour of wearing Molly’s beautiful Manx tweed coat, which has been worn by singer Emeli Sandé for her music video, Roots. Sarah Mercer and Niamh Milsom looked out of this world in Molly’s tartan and leather pieces. We created our own catwalk show and had such a giggle. Molly had a press conference on the Friday about her pieces, where the beautiful Ciara Kilgallon stepped in to wear the coat.

I also attended a youth forum about Celtic languages, culture, sport and connectivity. It was a round-the-table talk with inspiring young people from different Celtic nations who are making waves through various work in their Celtic communities, of which I came away from inspired and with lots of ideas for our Biosphere Youth Community! 

The 3 days I attended and represented Biosphere felt like a week, in a good way. I felt like I saw so much and did so much, and I want to extend a huge personal thanks to the whole delegation who made me feel so welcome. Hopefully see you next year…

Mannin Aboo!