Valerie Caine's blog

Isle of Man Railways received further recognition of the Island's historical network recently with the award of three Red Wheel plaques by The Transport Trust.

Seventy members of The Transport Trust were on the Island as part of their fiftieth anniversary celebrations, enjoying a packed itinerary and a number of talks.

This included journeys on the Isle of Man Steam Railway, the Manx Electric Railway, the Great Laxey Mine Railway, the Snaefell Mountain Railway, vintage buses and the Douglas Horse Trams.

The Isle of Man Post Office has come up smelling of roses with the release of a special rose scented stamp to mark the centenary of the Isle of Man WI Federation.

This unusual set of six stamps depicts a selection of images, ranging from members of the current Isle of Man WI Chapter to some of the organisation's most famous campaigns during the past hundred years.

Following on from a recent successful collaboration with Ayrshire based media enterprise company Giglets Limited, Culture Vannin has renewed its partnership with them to produce another Manx Gaelic ebook.

Giglets ayns Gaelg Lioar yn Jungle is a translation of Rudyard Kipling's classic story The Jungle Book, which is readily available to both Manx speakers and learners of all ages.

Manx trad power group Barrule has been exploring pastures new recently, after a visit to the music industry's WOMEX event in 2013 attracted attention to the trio's unique style of music, which reflects the Island's musical heritage in a contemporary fashion.

WOMEX is an annual showcase where musicians promote their music to industry professionals from around the world, and is a great opportunity to attend conferences, collect awards and network.

As many reflect upon World War I, members of Rushen Heritage Trust have been concentrating their efforts in bringing the memories of those involved with the Women's Internment Camp during World War II, to a wider audience.

It's difficult to imagine these days the impact this had on the area, as thousands of women were forcibly removed from their homes in the UK, and sent to the Isle of Man under the classification of 'enemy aliens'. Some were also joined by their children.

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Lucy Ward, made her debut on the Isle of Man at the Centenary Centre in Peel in the intimate setting of the Atholl Room, courtesy of Jonno Promotions.

But it was Ramsey based guitarist Malcolm Stitt who kicked off the concert with a selection of tunes reflecting his own career, which included being a founder member of both Deaf Shepherd and the young Gaelic band Tannas. He has also appeared on numerous albums involving many bands, including Boys of the Lough and Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, who were recently at the Centenary Centre.

With recent announcements that some of the Island's churches are under threat of closure, it was timely that the Isle of Man Victorian Society should invite Tom Ashley, Churches Conservation Adviser of the UK Victorian Society, to speak on this subject.

The topic attracted a large number of people concerned by the rapid escalation of closures, which has also affected the UK, bringing into focus the major issues which each denomination has had to face in recent years.

The a cappella (unaccompanied) mixed-voice group Tallis Consort has recently released a new CD featuring 22 tracks of choral music, recorded in the superb acoustical setting of St Mary’s Church in Douglas, incorporating several ex-choral scholars and experienced musicians drawn from the Island’s abundant music scene.

A new statue, depicting a Laxey miner, was unveiled this weekend to honour those who worked in the village mines, in a ceremony which also celebrated the completion of Laxey's regeneration scheme.

The statue is the work of stone artist Ongky Wijana, who lives on the island of Bali with his Manx born wife, Hannah, and their two children, Lola and Marlow.

One of the more unusual events on the Manx calendar is the annual Praying the Keeills Week, which incorporates visits to a number of ancient, holy sites across the Island with other events during the week.

Now in its tenth year, their chosen theme for 2015 is Saints and their Keeills, which begins and finishes with a challenging full day walk, taking in some of the Island's beautiful scenery.

The historical keeill (Manx Gaelic: church, kirk) is a Christian chapel built during the 8th - 12th century, some rarely larger than three metres by five metres internally.