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Come and visit the Isle of Man on VirtualTripping.
By Mark on June 28, 2010
This is a post about the self-governing British Crown Dependency, Isle of Man or it is also known as Mann, this small little isle is located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. The British Queen, Elizabeth II, is the head of state and she holds the title of Lord of Mann. As the Queen does not live on the island she is represented by a Lieutenant Governor.
This is a picture taken from flickr of the national flag of the Isle of Man.
What is quite strange is that the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but its foreign relations, defence, and ultimate good governance are the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom. The island itself dates back to before 6500 BC and has been inhabited since that date at least, the Gaelic people started to influence the island with their own culture in the AD 400s and this is where the Manx language, which comes from apart of the Gaelic languages, started to begin. Around the 800s, the Norse began to settle on the island and this is where the Norse-Gaelic culture emerged and the island came under Norse control. In the year 1266, the island became part of Scotland. But with so many kings of Scotland and England, changing the rules, the island found itself under the feudal over-lordship of the English Crown in 1399. So when the lordship was revested into the British Crown in 1764, the island never became part of the United Kingdom and it continued to retain its status as an internally self-governing jurisdiction.
One of the major sports on the Isle of Man is motorbike racing and the Isle of Man TT. It is an international motorcycle event which is associated with the island, it began in 1907 and the event goes ahead in late May and early June. The Isle of Mann TT has become an international road racing event for motorbikes and used to be part of the World Championship. There is also a smaller event known as The Manx Grand Prix it is a motorcycle event for amateurs and private entrants that uses the same 60.70 km (37.72 mi) Snaefell Mountain Course in late August and early September.
When it comes to the cuisine, the traditional national dish of the island is Spuds and Herrin, which is a meal of boiled potatoes and herring. This plain dish has become very popular due to the support for the subsistence farmers of the island, who crofted the land and fished the sea for centuries. But more recently the Islanders prefer the national dish of the ubiquitous chips, cheese and gravy at that has become a very popular dish on the Isle of Man. You will find this dish pretty much anywhere on the island and it is made up of thick cut chips, covered in shredded Manx Cheddar cheese and topped with a thick gravy. That sound good to me. Also the Manx cheese has become a very important part of the island’s diet featuring smoked and herb-flavoured varieties and you will find this cheese in many UK supermarket chains. The manx cheese back in 2005 won bronze medal in the British Cheese Awards, and sold 578 tonnes over the year. The manx lamb is also avery highly popular dish and these sheep come from the hill-farms. 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. There are many other dishes especially fish dishes, like the manx kipper, or smoked herring, Crab, lobster and scallops are all available as wellas 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, are all available to eat and it is washed down with a nice Beer which has been brewed by Okells Brewery (established in 1850) and Bushy’s Brewery.
The Isle of Mann is not a part of the European Union, but has a limited relationship concerning the free movement of goods. For me I feel that even though it is not part of the United Kingdom, it still have some significance to the British people.
- Learn about the Tiny Island of the Isle of Man on Virtualtripping.com
- Learn about the Isle of Man on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Douglas, Isle of Man on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Manx English on Wikipedia:
- Learn about the Biota of the Isle of Man on Wikipedia:
- Learn about the Coins of the Manx pound on Wikipedia:
- Learn about the List of places in the Isle of Man on Wikipedia:
- Find the Isle of Man on Google Maps:
- Find the capital Douglas on Google Maps:
Posted in Europe | Leave a Comment
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