Tomorrow's Manx Health Service

With David Ashford and Alf Cannan MHKs busy dismantling the Manx health service I’ve been busy in my quest to find traditional charms and cures for all manner of maladies. I was fortunate to discover WW Gill’s book ‘Customs and Traditions, Cures and Charms, Fairies and Phantoms’.

Must try to track down a print edition - anyway the online version is at this link

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~stephen/chiollaghbooksfirstseries/cb04.pdf

The charms and cures are in chapter 2 and seem to depend a lot on the involvement of wise men and women and holy wells so it’s to be hoped that ‘Popeyes’ (aka Alex Allinson MHK) crusade to save our water supply pay of and the Wells don’t dry up. I may pop along the back of Peel Hill to see if the one there I remember from my youth is still operating!.

In the meantime I’m studying Gill avidly and see opportunities for a late life career as an Apothecary beckoning!

Image: A holy well at Maughold

Bernard Moffatt