The Manx and never using the three-letter "r" word for vermin

There is no shortage of superstitions on the Isle of Man. One of them is that if you are Manx, you do not use the word - RAT (I am touching wood as I write this)! People from the Isle of Man are deeply superstitious about using the three-letter "r" word for vermin. I am the same and like any self-respecting Manxman I use other terms, such as the native Gaelic word "roddan", or maybe "longtail" and "ringie". The origins of the superstition are not clear, but many think it began with fishermen and their loathing of the animal. There is a very strong possibility that if the word is spoken in their hearing Manx people will immediately touch a piece of wood or cross their fingers. Anything to avoid the bad luck that will follow if you hear someone say the word let alone use it yourself.

So it was with some amusement that I read a article on BBC Northern Ireland about the experience of news reporter, Rick Faragher, who was born and brought up on the Isle of Man. He was sent to cover a story in Belfast about a property that was infested with "roddan". He described his dread of the assignment, simply because he would have to use the  three-letter "r" word. He said in the article: "I'd covered some difficult stories for the BBC but this was the most daunting in terms of subject matter. It's not that I have an issue with the creatures themselves, it's just their name." He went on to say, "for the first 29 years of my life, I had never actually used the word."

Rick Faragher did the interviews with the owner and environmental health officer. Then the time had come after what he described as "almost three decades of superstition about to end." The time had come for him to use the dreaded word. He managed to do it, but I am pleased to say he made sure that his right hand squeezed the wooden ladder he was standing on and his left hand fingers were firmly crossed. Better to be safe than sorry Rick!

The article on BBC Northern Ireland included an interview with Dr Andrew Sneddon, from Ulster University. He said that superstitious beliefs about rats were also commonplace in Ireland in the early 20th Century: "In County Galway, people believed that if you were plagued by rats you could get them to move on by getting an owl's quill and dipping it in raven's blood while saying 'rats be gone'," he said. "In County Cavan, there were people who used charms to banish rats for you, and in County Laois, rats were believed to be a sign of an enemy or bad luck."

If you are on the Isle of Man and want to keep the creature away, you can of course get yourself a native remedy - a nice Manx Cat.

Images: Rattus norvegicus, the Brown Rat. The Manx Cat