Audio: S1E07 Isle of Man

In this week’s episode of 80 Days, we are talking about the Isle of Man, a small island in the Irish sea that lies right between Britain and Ireland. From its highest point Snaefell (620 m, 2034 ft), it is said you can see 6 kingdoms: England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Man and Heaven. It’s known for its rugged landscape, motorsport and a very curious flag. Today, the island is a British crown dependency although it has never been a part of the United Kingdom. It’s 85,000 inhabitants, 28,000 of whom live in the capital, Douglas, on the east coast are spread over the island’s 572 square kilometers. The Isle of Man’s fascinating history has made for a unique pocket of culture within the British isles, a place that has never been truly overcome by the powers surrounding it, and has always stood apart. Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach, in Hong Kong, the UK and Ireland, respectively. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)

We are all Irish, but the Isle of Man, despite its proximity is really that neighbour we don’t know very well. Needless to say, we learned a lot this week about the smallest Celtic nation.

There are some things we talked about you might want to know more about:

• Early history is best understood through archaeology from the stone age. We mentioned Mull Hill/Cronk Meayal (pictured below), where ancient shards of pottery and standing stones were found; we also mentioned Cashtal yn Ard; you can watch Standing with Stones discussing the ancient monuments of the Isle of Man on YouTube
• The blog BabelStone has an article going into detail about inscriptions in the form of Ogham and Nordic runes that scatter across the Isle

Mull Hill Neolithic site

• We told of the Irish myth of Fionn Mac Cumhaill creating the Isle of Man by throwing a sod of earth from Co. Antrim into the Irish sea. Here is an earnest schoolboy’s telling of the story (from the 1930s Schools Collection) and a more irreverent modern telling from Badassoftheweek.com ; Founder-god figure Manannan Mac Lir is also important to the Isle’s Celtic mythology
• The initial interactions of Vikings with the Kingdom of the Isles is “unknown, perhaps unknowable” according to Donnchadh Ó Corráin’s lecture on Vikings in Scotland and Ireland in the 9th century, which touches on the topic
• Tynwald claims to be the oldest continuous parliamentary assembly in the world and largely consists of the directly elected House of Keys. At Tynwald Day (annually on 5th of July) laws are promulgated from a hill in St Johns. The Sword of State (which leads the procession on Tynwald Day each year) allegedly dates back to Olaf the Black
• Important dynasties to rule the Isle of Man were the Crovan Dynasty, Clann Somhairle (an article from Alex Woolf discusses their origins) and the Stanleys; the British monarch (currently Elizabeth II) is the current Lord of Man
• The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys (early history of the Kingdom of the Isles in Latin with English translation) can be read here, while a version of Njal’s Saga which deals with the Battle of Clontarf in Dublin and the Manx brothers who fought on opposite sides can be found here
• We also mentioned that the Isle of Man was once part of the Archdiocese of Dublin; the homepage of Francis Street Parish describes the “manx emblem” decorating the church, reflecting this history
• William of Newburgh briefly accounts the life, blinding and castration of warrior-bishop Wimund, who we concluded was “not very bishopy”
• Some interesting people from the World War histories of the Isle include internees Joseph Pilates, artist Kurt Schwitters, and statistician Claus Adolf Moser; war veteran and Victoria Cross winner Robert Henry Cain
• The Camp – a newsletter from the World War 2 Hutchinson Internment Camp  – can be read on archive.org
• A book of Manx Ballads and Music edited by Arthur William Moore (1896) includes a wonderful introduction, maligning the music itself with passages like the following: “It will be observed that their authors, the majority of whom are clearly illiterate men, are occasionally quite indifferent to the exigencies of either metre or rhyme.” Some of the songs are charming. The Arrane Oie Vie/Good Night Song can be found on manxmusic.com
• Language in the Isle of Man is unique. The Irish National Broadcaster RTÉ has an interview in its archives with Ned Madrell, the last native speaker of Manx in which he discussed recording equipment being sent to the Isle by Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) De Valera to help preserve the language. Today it is undergoing revival, and can be heard spoken by nationalist politicians, and indeed in schools. Irish-language program No Béarla visited the Isle of Man and explored the way that Irish and Manx speakers can understand each other. English is also spoken uniquely on the island, as was parodied by Manx comedy group Winging It Productions
• And finally, the TT (Tourist Trophy motorcycle race) is probably the thing the Isle of Man is most famous for. It’s fast, dangerous and unique and its madness is probably best demonstrated by a video, like this one of Guy Martin and Michael Dunlop racing at speeds of up to 200 mph on public roads