Valerie Caine's blog

The Peel Traditional Boat Weekend, now in its twenty fifth year, has become a nautical fixture on the Island's event calendar and irresistible to the sailing fraternity, who return annually to sample Manx hospitality and get together with old friends.

Straddling the end of July and the beginning of August, it's a great opportunity for members of the public to get up close to a variety of old style vessels and admire their skill and dexterity as they gather in the bay for a colourful Parade of Sail.

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An honours degree in history and heritage can open the door to a wide range of jobs in a variety of employment sectors, including the media, the civil service, tourism and heritage, business marketing, or law and education, together with some highly prized transferable employment skills.

This year's International Celtic Congress is being held at Rosscarbery in County Cork, Ireland, bringing together representatives from each of the Celtic countries, including the Isle of Man.

The annual Inter-Celtic festival, Yn Chruinnaght, brought colour and vibrancy to Peel during five days of music, song and dance, as visiting groups and artistes joined with local performers to provide entertainment at various venues throughout the town.

It was a great location for a varied programme, which was largely focused around the hub of the fishing port, kicking off with a concert in St German's Cathedral before heading down to a popular gig at The Creek.

As the twentieth annual Hebcelt Festival gets into full swing, local traditional musician, Adam Rhodes, will be heading to the Isle of Lewis as part of the highly successful Welsh band Jamie Smith's Mabon.

The popular festival, which has clinched an international reputation as a showcase for both Celtic performers and those influenced by the genre, has attracted a spectacular line-up of more than twenty performers, including Shooglenifty, Salsa Celtica and Karen Matheson of Capercaillie.

Entitled All Aboard Please! Manx Buses Part Two, this particular presentation has been issued in addition to a previous release in 1999, and features a selection of nostalgic images highlighting vehicles used by both Douglas Corporation and Road Services fleets, which later amalgamated under the banner of Isle of Man National Transport during 1976.

These wonderfully evocative pictures depict vehicles used on the Island during the 1930s and 1940s and have been especially commissioned by local artist Peter Hearsey to mark the fortieth anniversary of Isle of Man Transport.

The Island's biggest annual Inter-Celtic festival, Yn Chruinnaght, will return to Peel later this month, with a line-up of performers reflecting all that's best about music, song and dance from the Celtic Diaspora, with fringe events in Ramsey, Laxey and Douglas.

A coup for this year's festival is securing the Anglo-Irish band Flook, described as possessing a rare blend of fiery technical brilliance, delicate ensemble interaction and a bold, adventurous musical imagination, at the Centenary Centre in Peel.

Thanks to the Malcolm Scott Dickinson Trust, a recently commissioned work celebrating Celtic music, song, language and dance, will be premiered at the Island's annual inter-Celtic festival Yn Chruinnaght later this month at the Centenary Centre in Peel.

Composed by local musician, David Kilgallon, and entitled The Gathering (English translation of Yn Chruinnaght) this innovative piece incorporates a series of movements and sections which will feature a number of talented singers, musicians and speakers from six Celtic nations.

Local singer, Michelle Jamieson, will represent the Isle of Man at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod later this week, which attracts competitors from an international field as well as those much closer to home.

Instigated by the people of Llangollen and Wrexham, the first event was held in 1947, and despite some worries it was an unmitigated success.

As part of the celebrations for Tynwald Day the Vikings of Mann set up camp in the nearby Cooill y Ree (Nook of the King) in the village of St John's, giving members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the daily lives of the Vikings and experience what life was like for the Norse invaders.

Nestling amongst the trees in a variety of tents, members of the local group took on the roles of warriors, craft workers and home makers, but were on hand to discuss aspects of their daily lives, whether it be questions about weapons, clothes, or the food which they ate.