Thomas Dodd (1883–1963) was a Manx dialect performer, a member of The Peel Players and a student of the Manx language.

Personal life

Tom Dodd was born in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, where he attended Douglas Grammar School. He spent his whole professional career with the Isle of Man Bank, eventually as the manager of the Peel branch. He retired due to ill health in 1929 after 35 years of service. Dodd also played a prominent role in Peel social circles as he was member of the Peel Ward Library Committee for over 40 years, chairman of the Peel Golf Club, and the Peel Board of Guardians.

The Peel Players

Tom Dodd was a founding member of the Peel Players, who performed from 1912 until the death of Sophia Morrison in 1917. During that time, Dodd performed in at least three plays by

Christopher R. Shimmin Christopher R. Shimmin (1870–1933), Manx playwright and MHK. Life Christopher Robert Shimmin was born in Peel in September 1870,'Labour History', by Robert Fyson, in ''A New History of the Isle of Man: Volume V: The Modern Period, 1830–1 ...

: ''

The Charm ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', ''Illiam Kodhere’s Will'', and ''Dooinney Moyllee''. It was through these performances that the Peel Players came to be regarded today as possibly the most significant Manx dialect theatre company in Manx history.

Manx language

Dodd was said to be interested in 'anything Manx', and he came to be an eager learner of the Manx language by the time he went to live in Peel. He attended Manx language classes at the Harbour Master's office in Peel, along with other prominent members of the Manx revival such as

Leslie Quirk Leslie Quirk (30 September 1914 – 20 October 2004), also known as (, "the red head") was a Manx language activist and teacher who was involved with the language's revival on the Isle of Man in the 20th century. His work recording the last na ...

and Lewis Crellin. He became an influential member of the language community, particularly through his work to expand the written materials available to learners, which were limited at that time to the Manx Bible and Edmund Goodwin's ''First Lessons in Manx''. Dodd and other Manx language students helped to promote the language by organising events such as Manx language church services and readings. In April and May 1948, Dodd was one of the Manx people recorded by the

Irish Folklore Commission The Irish Folklore Commission (''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann'' in Irish) was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. History Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Dela ...

. This was instigated by Éamon de Valera, in order to preserve a record of the Manx language, dialect and accent as it was spoken at that time. Dodd's inclusion in their recordings can be seen as a recognition of his significance to Manx culture.

References

Bibliography

*''Skeealyn Vannin / Stories of Mann: The complete collection of Manx Language archive recordings made by the Irish Folklore Commission in 1948'', Douglas:

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

, 2003, p. 15

External links

The complete 1948 Irish Folklore Commission recordings, including those of Tom Dodd

The Manx dialect plays by Christopher Shimmin in which Tom Dodd performed with the Peel Players
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodd, Tom Manx literature Manx language Manx people 1883 births 1963 deaths