Isle of Man

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Quick Facts
Capital Douglas
Population 80,058 (2006 Census)
Land Area 572 sq. km/ 221 square miles
Population Density 133 people per sq. kilometre or 336 people per sq. mile
Longest River Sulby (17 km/ 10.5 miles)
Highest Peak Snaefell (621 m/ 2036 feet)
Head of State Her Majesty the Queen, Lord of Man
Lieutenant Governor Vice Admiral Sir Paul Haddacks KCB
Chief Minister Tony Brown MHK
President of Tynwald The Hon Noel Quayle Cringle MLC
Speaker of the House of Keys The Hon Steve Rodan SHK
Status An internally self-governing dependent territory of the Crown which is not part of the United Kingdom
Parliament Tynwald
Currency Manx pounds and pence (equivalent to GB pounds)
Bank holidays As in the UK with additional bank holidays for TT Senior Race Day and Tynwald Day.
Languages English and Manx Gaelic
Religions Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian

The Isle of Man (Manx: Ellan Vannin) or Mann is a self-governing Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles. Traces of human life have been found from as far back as the Mesolithic Period.

Throughout history the island has been shaped by many cultures and influences from the early settlers, through invasions, revestment and more latterly from modern industries such as Tourism, Telecomunications and Finance.

Contents

Preamble

This page gives a brief outline to many aspects of the Island acting as a portal to more detailed information elsewhere on ManxWiki.

Brief History

The earliest traces of people in the Isle of Man can be found as far back as the Mesolithic Period, also known as the Middle Stone Age. The first residents lived in small natural shelters, hunting, fishing and gathering for their food. They used small tools made of flint or bone, which have been found near the coast. An extensive collection of artifacts from throughout the ages are kept and displayed at the Manx Museum and various sites around the island have been preserved and catalogued as part of The Story of Mann.

Geography

The Island is located geographically in the middle of the northern Irish Sea, close to the centre of the British Isles. The island lies closest to Scotland (approximately 16 miles) followed by England, Ireland and Wales.

The island is approximately 32 miles in length and between 8 and 15 miles wide with an area of around 221 sq. miles.

Hills in the north and south are bisected by a central valley that runs between Douglas and Peel. The extreme north is exceptionally flat, consisting mainly of shingle and sand deposits built up from glacial advances during the ice age. Much of the rockier ground and hills are made up of granite, limestone and slate.

The island has pockets of metals spread out and from the earliest times there has been a history of mining from the Bradda Mines in the south, to Snaefell and Laxey Mines in the centre. The northern areas are mined for rocks and sand for road and general building work.

There is one mountain higher than 2000ft, Snaefell, with a height of 2036ft. From the summit on a clear day one can see seven kingdoms: those of Mann, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, the Sea and Heaven. Other hills just missing out on mountain status include North and South Barule.

Population

According to the 2006 interim census, the Island is home to 80,058 people, of whom 26,218 reside in the island's capital Douglas. Most of the population were born in the British Isles, with 47.6% born in the Isle of Man, 37.2% born in England, 3.4% in Scotland, 2.1% in Northern Ireland, 2.1% in the Republic of Ireland, 1.2% in Wales and 0.3% born in the Channel Islands.

A full Census has been a ten yearly occurrence since 1821, the most recently held in 2001. Interim censuses were introduced in 1966. Censuses are conducted by the Economic Affairs Division of the Treasury Department, under the authority of the Census Act 1929.

  • See also Local People for those considered well known on the island.
  • See also Notable People for those who are well known on and off the island.


Politics

The United Kingdom is responsible for the Island's defence and ultimately for good governance, and for representing the Island in international forums. The reigning monarch of the United Kingdon (Queen Elizabeth II) holds the title of the Lord of Mann.

The Island's own parliament, Isle of Man Government, has competence over all national domestic matters with a layer of Local Government that takes care of day to day municipal services and decisions.

Economy

One major difference between The Isle of Man and the UK and Europe is it's economy which has be built on the principles of low and zero rated Taxation which makes up approximately 45% of the island's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism form key sectors of the economy. Agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, now make declining contributions to the Island's Gross Domestic Product.

The Manx government promotes island locations for making films by contributing to the production costs. Since 1995 over eighty films have been made on the Island.


Communications

Telecoms

The main telephone provider in the Isle of Man is Manx Telecom. The island has three mobile operators: Manx Telecom, Cloud9 and Sure Mobile. Broadband internet services are available through five local providers which are Domicilium, Manx Computer Bureau, Wi-Manx, Sure and Manx Telecom.

The Island does not have its own International Telecommunication Union country code, but is accessed via the UK's code (+44) and the Island's telephone numbers are part of the UK telephone numbering plan with local dialling codes 01624 for landlines and 07624/07924 for mobiles.

In December 2007, the Manx Electricity Authority and its telecoms subsidiary, e-llan Communications Limited, commissioned the lighting of a new fibre-optic link that connects the Island to a worldwide fibre optic network.

Radio

The Isle of Man has three radio stations: Manx Radio, Energy FM, and 3FM. A fourth part time station Blast FM is currently going through a Consultaion period (February 2009).

Television

There is no insular television service, and local transmitters retransmit analogue broadcasts of BBC (North West), ITV (Border, Granada from November 2009) and Channel 4. Channel Five and Freeview are not available via the Island's transmitters.

Many TV services are available by satellite from BSKYB and other broadcasters. In some areas terrestrial television from the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland can be received.

Analogue television transmission will cease during 2009 as the television network is upgraded to Digital Television.

Print Media

The Isle of Man has three newspapers, all weeklies, and all owned by Isle of Man Newspapers. There are also a number of monthly magazines and "Pull outs" published by Isle of Man Newspapers and Mannin Media.

Post

Postal services are the responsibility of Isle of Man Post, which took over from the UK's General Post Office in 1973.

Transport

Roads

The island has a total of 688 miles of public roads. Responsibility for the roads rests with the Department of Transport.

Sea

Year round ferries to and from England and summer-only services to Ireland are operated from the Sea Terminal in Douglas by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. There are also feight only services between Ireland and Ramsey Harbour operated by Mezaron Ltd.

Air

Four sites have contributed to air travel: Hall Caine (grass field near Ramsey), RAF Jurby, RAF Andreas and Ronaldsway. All but the Isle of Man Airport at Ronaldsway have ceased to operate commercially, although the main runway at Jurby is used for Motorsport and model flying, it remains available for non commercial flying and emergencies.

Bus and Rail

The island developed an extensive rail system using steam and electric power for public and material transportation, seeing a boom in the network due to tourism growth and infrastructure development in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.

Due to economics and the rise of car ownership, the majority of the steam railway tracks have been taken out of service and the tracks have been removed. Most of the former routes remain as public rights of way for walking, cycling and horse riding.

The current passenger rail network is operated by the Department of Tourism and Leisure. Douglas Corporation operate Horse Trams along Douglas Promenade during the summer and also used to run a local bus service until incorporated into the national network.

There are also a number of volunteer and "lost" railways listed in the main article.

A comprehensive bus network offers an alternative to the rail services and the car, also operated by DoT&L.

Culture

The culture of the Isle of Man is influenced by its Celtic and to a lesser extent its Norse origins, though its close proximity to the UK, period as a UK tourist destination and recent mass immigration by British migrant workers has meant that British influence has been dominant since the Revestment period. Recent revival campaigns have attempted to preserve the surviving vestiges of Manx culture after a long period of Anglicization, and significant interest in the Manx Language, history and musical tradition have been the result.

Etymology of name

The origin of the name Isle of Man is unclear. In the Manx Gaelic language the Isle of Man is known as Ellan Vannin, where ellan is a Gaelic word meaning 'island'.

The earliest form of 'Man' is Manu or Mana giving the genitive name Manann leading to the word Mannin, to which a 'h' is added when used after the feminine word Ellan, giving Mhannin. As 'mh' is pronounced like a 'v' in Goidelic languages, in modern Manx the name becomes Ellan Vannin. Mannin is the genitive of Mannan, an alternate form of the name of the mythical Manannán mac Lir.

During the period of Julius Caesar as proconsul and his visit to Britain during 55 and 54 BC Caesar referred to the Isle of Man in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico to 'an island called Mona which lies midway across the sea separating Britain from Ireland.

Language

The official languages of the Isle of Man are Manx Gaelic and English.

By the middle of the twentieth century only a few elderly native speakers remained, the last of them, Ned Maddrell, died on 27 December 1974.

In the 2001 census, 1,689 out of 76,315, or 2.2% of the population, claimed to have knowledge of Manx, although the degree of knowledge in these cases was presumably varied. Since then there has been a resurgance of the Manx language with the opening of the Bunscoill Gaelgagh in St. John's and courses available through Isle of Man College.

Symbols

For centuries, the Island's symbol has been its ancient Triskelion, a device similar to Sicily's Trinacria: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The triskelion is commonly refered to simply as "The Three Legs".

Myth, legend and folklore

Peel Castle.
Peel Castle.

In Manx mythology, the island was ruled by Manannán mac Lir, a Celtic sea god, who would draw his misty cloak around the island to protect it from invaders. One of the principal theories about the origin of the name Mann is that it is named after Manannan.

In the Manx tradition of folklore, there are many stories of mythical creatures and characters. These include the Buggane, a malevolent spirit who according to legend blew the roof off St Trinian's church in a fit of pique; the Fenodyree; the Glashtyn and the Moddey Dhoo, a ghostly black dog who wandered the walls and corridors of Peel Castle.

The Isle of Man is also said to be home to fairies, known locally as 'the little folk' or 'themselves'. There is a famous Fairy Bridge which brings bad luck if one fails to wish the fairies good morning or afternoon when passing over it. It used to be a tradition to leave a coin on the bridge to ensure good luck.

An old Irish story tells how Lough Neagh was formed when Ireland's legendary giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (sometimes known as Finn McCool) scooped up a portion of the land and tossed it at a Scottish rival. He missed, and the chunk of earth landed in the Irish Sea, thus creating the Isle of Man.

Cuisine

Traditionally the national dish of the Island is 'Spuds and Herrin', boiled potatoes and herring. This plain dish is chosen because of its role supporting the subsistence farmers of the island, who crofted the land and fished the sea for centuries.

A more recent claim for the title of national dish would be the ubiquitous chips, cheese and gravy, which is similar to the French-Canadian dish of poutine. It is found in most of the Island's fast-food outlets, and consists of thick cut chips, covered in shredded Manx cheddar cheese and topped with a thick gravy.

Seafood has traditionally accounted for a large proportion of the local diet. Although commercial fishing has declined in recent years, local delicacies include Manx kippers (smoked herring) which are produced by smokeries such as Moore's Traditional Curers in Peel. The smokeries also produce other specialities including smoked salmon and bacon.

Crab, lobster and scallops are commercially fished, and the Queen Scallop ('Queenies') is regarded as a particular delicacy, with a light, sweet flavour. Cod, ling and mackerel are often angled for the table, and freshwater trout and salmon can be taken from the local rivers and reservoirs, supported by the Government fish hatchery at Cornaa.

Cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry are all commercially farmed, Manx lamb from the hill-farms being a popular dish. The Loaghtan, the indigenous breed of Manx sheep, has a rich, dark meat that has found favour with chefs, featuring in dishes on the BBC's Masterchef series.

Milk and cheese are produced by Isle of Man Creameries. Manx cheese has been a particular success, featuring smoked and herb-flavoured varieties, and is stocked by many of the UK's supermarket chains. Manx cheese took bronze medals in the 2005 British Cheese Awards, and sold 578 tonnes over the year.

Beer is brewed on a commercial scale by Okells Brewery (established in 1850) and Bushy's Brewery.

Sport

The Isle of Man is represented as a nation in the Commonwealth Games and the Island Games and will be hosting the IV Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011. The Island started the Island Games in 1985, and also hosted the Island Games in 2001.

Isle of Man teams and individuals participate in many sports both on and off the island including Rugby Union, football , gymnastics, hockey, netball, bowling and cricket. Being an island, many types of watersports are also popular with residents.

In 2008, Mark Cavendish, a professional cyclist, was the first Manxman to win a stage of the Tour de France going on to win three additional stages, becoming the first Briton to win four stages of the same Tour.

Motorsport

Motorsport arrived on the island in 1905 with the Gordon-Bennett Motor Car Road Racing Trials following the UK Government's refusal to close public roads for racing. The TT Races started in 1907.

Other Motorcycle events include the Manx Grand Prix and Southern 100 with the Manx International Rally and Stock Car Racing being just two of the events staged for 4 wheel fans.


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