Alastair Kneale's blog

The 1263 Battle of Largs was the last mainland battle between the Scots and Norse. It was during the many years of conflict between Scotland and Norway that the Battle of Largs took place in the reign of King Alexander III (4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286). Largs (Scottish Gaelic: An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Àir a Tuath) and close to where the battle took place on 2nd October 1263.  The battle itself was an indecisive one and was fought during the Norwegian expedition of 1263.

There has been lots of excitement about the newly elected female Members of the House of Keys (MHKs). The House of Keys being the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. Ten women were sworn-in as MHKs after the recent Manx General Election, which is the highest number ever elected. It clearly is a good thing to get a gender balance. However, time will tell whether they, as well as all the other newly elected representatives, will make a positive contribution to politics on the Isle of Man.

The Manx General Election was held in the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) yesterday on 23 September 2021. The election is for members of the 'House of Keys' (MHK’s), which is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), the parliament of the Isle of Man. The Manx-language name of the House of Keys is 'Yn Kiare as Feed' meaning 'The Four and Twenty', as the House has 24 members. Most elected members do not represent a political party and stand as independents.

It has been reported in the Financial Times on Monday that the much derided idea of building a bridge between the north-east of Ireland and Scotland have been scrapped. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promoted the idea which had various estimates of cost varying from a minimum of £15 billion to £33 billion. The feasibility of the controversial idea had also been questioned with warnings about the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions which would cause problems for any crossing.

There was a recent item on the Irish Wildlife Trust Facebook page where they mentioned the benefits of the plant Ragwort or as it is known in the Manx Gaelic language "Cushag". The Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) is a wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia. It is an importnat food source for a wide range of insects. However, it is not always welcome by some because of its toxic effect for cattle and horses. 

The Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin) has many sites of great archaeological significance that are quite remarkable for an island of approximately 33 miles long by 13 miles at its widest point. The earliest traces of humans on the Isle of Man can be traced back to the Mesolithic Period, after the ice sheets melted following the end of the last glacial period. In this part of Europe that would have been about 11,000 years ago. Small flint tools of stone or bone were used during this period some of which can be found in collections at the Manx Museum (Manx: Thie Tashtee Vannin). 

There is no doubt that the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin), situated as it is the middle of the Irish Sea, was a strategically very important place during the years of Norse Viking rule. The Viking interventions began along the northern and western coast of Scotland and into the Irish Sea in the 8th century AD. The Isle of Man fell under Viking control in 1079 with the Vikings settlers integrating into the existing Celtic community. Many on the Island are proud of having a mixed Gaelic and Norse ancestry and culture.

The UEFA European Football Championship Final between Italy and England is being played on Sunday 11th July. This map probably gives a good indication of which team those outside England would like to see win.

In the semi - final of the UEFA European Championship being played tomorrow (7th July 2021)  Denmark are playing England. Aigh Vie Danvarg - Good Luck Denmark!

In the semi - final of the UEFA European Championship being played tomorrow (7th July 2021)  Denmark are playing England. Aigh Vie Danvarg - Good Luck Denmark!