h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No mention of Fairy Bridge? My friend, visiting from 'across', thought it was an elaborate wind-up but, as we drove across the bridge, greet the fairies we did.

Manx cats, I seem to recall, do not breed true. Rumpies and Stumpies breed alike - a cross between two Manx cats giving, on average, two Manx to every one 'normal' cat in the litter. It's a heterozygous co-dominant lethal allele thing.

Why do all the surnames end in Q?

Why do many men have the first name Juan (and pronounce it Jew-Ann)?

Anyway: It's a great place - just set your watch back 30 years on arrival.

that is funny!rumppies and stumpies and fairy -bridge are we talking gulliver tales or some other thing like sleepy town

Hi Ewen

I had a cracking reply for you but accidentally closed the window and lost it

As far as I can recall I said:
Fairy Bridge - mentioned and shown in following two links:
http://www.time.com/time/europe/specials/ff/trip2/isleofman.html
http://www.thelatinexperience.com/Gallery/Isle%20of%20Man/Fairy%20bridge.jpg
I agree it should have been mentioned as a Manx idiosyncrasy.

Surnames beginning (not ending) in Q appear fairly common, but make up less than 2% of the phone book. K and C are two other surname initials common with local Manx names. As with Juan there are some complexities in pronunciation that can trip the unfamiliar (Clague='cleg', Kennaugh='kennick', Cooil=)

Juan ('Joo uhn') appears to be a Manx nickname for John: http://www.daire.org/names/celtmanmale.html Always amusing when someone mistakes it for the Latin pronunciation of 'Hwahrn' - I'm looking for Juan Kennaugh... you're looking for who?
I preferred the fanciful derivation came from unfortunate Spaniards stranded on the Island after the Spanish Armada (how they are supposed to have ended up on the Isle of Man is unclear)

I also defended the modernity of the Island - what do you think you are missing that could be sustained by the Manx population? You can purchase or do most things, but on a limited scale. There is some truth in the joke about how many Manxmen it takes to change a lightbulb (It can't be done, the Manx don't like change), but there is no doubt that the florishing financial sector has brought with it much progress, along with muttered grumbles that the changes are by no means all improvements...

Pimms

I heard the Spanish story too: linked with the r*t taboo (r*ts/vermin/rodents/longtails were unknown until the wrecked Armada ship brought them, with devastating results, apparently) and also the naming of Spanish Head.

Q names like Quilliam are odd, but derived from Scottish names like McWilliam. Quayle is another. As in Dan. Oh dear.

Speaking of idiots, a psychiatric doctor I knew mentioned that there was an unusual proportion of mental health problems on the Island (Ballamona Hospital is a big one for such a popluation). The reason (say it quietly): inbreeding. No offence, guys. I'm sure the 'comeover' population has resolved this distasteful issue.

As for modernity: who wants it? My grandmother said it was the only place in the UK where she felt safe walking home at 10pm. On the other hand, attitudes to gays seemed sadly 1950's and birching was a notorious issue in its day.

More trivially: I recall two of the worst advertsing slogans from the IOM:

The Milk Marketing people used to boast of their home delivery service with the following couplet:

'Why despair?
We deliver the goods while you sit in your chair.'

Doesn't exactly scan, eh? At least it rhymes...

The Tourist board advertised the Island with the slogan

'The Isle of Man - You'll look forward to going back.'

I guess they meant once you were back at home, but it sounds a lot like 'You'll want to get away as soon as you arrive here.'

And is there a more dreary National Anthem in the world?

It's been a while since I've been there, though so maybe I'm out of date. I do look forward to going back, mind.

Oh, I rather like the Anthem, and the way it is nearly always played before productions on the Gaiety stage with the audience singing along.

hear it here: http://www.gov.im/infocentre/audio.xml
words at: http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/ms1914/p16.htm (no one I know ever sings more than the first verse - but that is similar to the British National Anthem and others too I am sure )

As far as Mental Problems I wouldn't concur with your assessment of the principal cause Mind you I've never heard that comparison made between relative population sizes before. There may be significant causation factors due to the size of the Island - it has been compared to a prison (in terms of the inability to easily escape other people and the results of your actions) and prisons are notorious for having high stress levels for all living or working in them.

Pimms

You have a Christian national anthem! Ours is all about shooting the Brits.

Actually, I have to qualify that last statement. The original Soldier's Song, written in English mentioned fighting the "Saxon foe", which of course meant the English. But the song was translated into Irish and this was adopted as the National Anthem. The Irish version doesn't appear to mention the English specifically, just lots of "fighting the foe".

hehe, this thread makes the isle of man sounds well strange.

we aren't that backwards! we have roads and electricity and everything!

there are loads of folklaw stories, granted, and they are very quaint, but no one really believes in them. except the faries.. i used to get shouted at by my parents when i was younger for not saying hello to them!

It is not simply superstition to greet the fairies. It is a courtesy that can't do any harm.

Don't neglect writing an intro to your space Capt K.

Pimms

I'm not one to go "I do believe in fairies"

I worked in the IOM for a week five years ago and said hello to the fairies as I drove over the bridge. Y'never know!