|
Bernard Moffatt was born in Peel, Isle of Man in April 1946. Both his mother (Millie Cashin) and father (James Moffatt) were Manx. He was educated at Peel Clothworkers School, a stroke of luck for someone who would become a leading figure in the Nationalist movement, because at that time schools which promoted Manx cultural affairs were the exception. Peel School, although then under the headship of a Yorkshireman (George Sayle), was one such, so Manx History and Culture was on the agenda. Manx dancing classes at the School were organised by Mona Douglas, an icon of the Manx cultural revival, and Moffatt was enrolled in one of those teams. :"I'm now a fully committed Manx Nationalist" he said, and the start of this was the emphasis placed at school on Manx history art and culture. "We used to have Mona Douglas round to talk to us – and I was in the Manx folk dancing team".〔Terry Cringle, "Bernard Moffatt – Manx Nationalist and Union Leader", ''Mann Today'', Feb/March 1988.〕 In his youth Moffatt came to know several significant figures (all from the west of the island) on the Manx nationalist and language scene (the brothers Walter and Leslie Quirk, Jack Irving and Alfie Cooil), although at that time there was no official Nationalist Party. ==== Bernard Moffatt was a founder member of Mec Vannin, the Manx Nationalist Party. His attendance at the inaugural meeting with a dozen other people is recorded in the original minute book of Mec Vannin, which (having inexplicably disappeared for twenty years) is now lodged with other Mec Vannin papers in the Manx Museum (MNH) Library. Moffatt was initially enthusiastically involved in what was then a national movement which saw itself more in a national liberation mould. The island was at that time seen by some as too heavily dominated by the United Kingdom with what they regarded as a colonial administration. There were competing schools of thought on the direction nationalism should take – these included constitutional, direct action and greater commitment to language and culture. There were even attempts to forge links with Welsh and Irish republicans, although at this time, and for over twenty years thereafter, Mec Vannin was not a republican party. The party was periodically beset by crisis and splits, something which was to continue until the mid-1980s.〔"Ripples in a Celtic Tide – Evolution of Manx Nationalism", ''Celtic History Review'', Vol. 1, Issue 2.〕 Bernard Moffatt's involvement in Mec Vannin ebbed and flowed over the next ten years, and it was not until the early 1970s that he committed himself totally to the nationalist movement. In 1976 he helped found the Anti-Militarist Alliance, an aggregation of members from the Manx branch of the Celtic League and Mec Vannin. The AMA was initially formed to campaign against British military use of the Isle of Man, and it called for the closure of an army base and military bombing range. The AMA also campaigned to end the use of military facilities on the Island to support the war in Ireland. It produced the Celtic League and AMA News, a complete set of which is held in the Manx Museum (MNH) Library.〔''Celtic League & AMA News'' (various issues), MNH Library.〕 Membership of the AMA however soon became inimical to some elements of Mec Vannin, and there were attempts to expel Moffatt and others. The expulsion attempts failed, and disenchanted elements left Mec Vannin to establish a short-lived "Manx National Party".〔"The Development of Manx Nationalism – Part 11", ''Celtic History Review''.〕 Moffatt continued in Mec Vannin, occupying several executive positions over the years, and was eventually elected Life President.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bernard Moffatt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|