- Image by 350.org via Flickr
The motto of the Isle of Man, Quocunque Jeceris Stabit (Whichever way you throw me, I will stand), perfectly captures the spirit of its people who have seen their island under different conquerors and officials but have proudly maintained their own culture and heritage with a quite and unshakable strength. And though the island may be small, its areas are quite distinct with those from each town from the capitol of Douglas to the tip of Ramsey with their own unique qualities.
I have been asked many times if the people of the Isle of Man are Irish, being that their island is smack dab in the middle of the Irish Sea. The answer to that is a most resounding NO! The MANX are MANX! (And a true Manxman is a gold old Manxie; any Manxman or woman will tell you this with a twinkle of admiration in their eye.) The Manx population is mainly caucasian, considered to be norse-celtic or briton in ethnicity.
The Manx have citizenship in both the UK and the Isle of Man (though there are stipulations to their British citizen rights because the island is not part of the EU). They are a very friendly, very welcoming, curious and gracious people who are happy to tell you all about their wonderful home and eager to learn about others’ as well. Travel, sport and theatre are common pursuits and charity is not far from home. For all the problems of modern life, the Manx really do succeed at community.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems. Though crime is quite low, it’s still there as it is all round the world. Though unemployment is virtually nonexistent as it runs rampant in other countries, there is still poverty to be dealt with. But the Manx take it in stride and try their best to chip in for the cause. And never think that a Manxie won’t disagree- they can be quite vocal in matters that don’t agree. Just take the recent bus timetable change!
We leave you with an excellent video made a few years ago that sums it all up, entitled Freedom to Flourish (courtesy of OwenCutajar:)
sources: wikipedia, The Quayle Family, Owen Cutajar
