Crosh Cuirn

The information here has been edited from a description of a Crosh Cuirn at the Manx Museum. I'll be including a mention of a crosh cuirn in the story of Honey Hill Farm.

A crosh cuirn is a traditional Manx protective charm, often hung above doorways to prevent evil spirits from entering homes on May eve. It is a wooden cross, made from twigs of mountain ash (rowan) bound together with sheep's wool gathered from the hedgerows. The rowan tree was seen as having magical powers which made it a powerful charm against evil spirits, but only if broken by hand and not cut with a knife.

Traditionally at May eve (the beginning of summer and end of winter), crosh cuirns would be placed over the doors of cottages and cowsheds to stop evil spirits from entering. They would also be tied to the tails of cattle, to stop the cattle being bewitched. 

Most people no longer believe in ill-spirits and witches being about on May eve, but many still put up crosh cuirns every year. It is probably fair to say that they are now seen as a symbol of Manx cultural identity, rather than anything else.

Happy Cammag Day!

On the Feast of Stephen, Manxies gather at St John's field at 2pm and play cammag. It's similar to shinty (Scotland) and hurling (Ireland), and has been likened to a primitive form of hockey. It used to be the most widely played Manx game until association football arrived. There's been a revival this century.

It's a pretty free-form game that loosely abides by some rules. There's two teams, North and South, and they come together in the middle of the island, St John's. The teams can be any number; today there were around 60 people playing, children up to people in their 70s. 

The referee throws the ball up in the air, and then the teams have to try to score goals. They use a 'camman' (a bent thing). This year I saw a few hockey sticks, a broom, a bit of wood with a club attached, a giant wooden spoon, and even some traditional gorse limbs. A few years ago there were a few old-fashioned mops too. When a goal is scored the referee shouts out the score, and the goal keeper throws the ball down the field.

At the end of the first half, the referee whistles and the players take a bit of a break. Then the switch ends. At the end of the second half, half time is called, and the whisky is brought out (not for the children). The players change ends again. The end of the third half sees the conclusion of the game. As we have guests coming tonight, we left at the end of the second half. The score was North 4, South 1.

Players can join the game at any point, and leave it. If there is an imbalance between the number of players in the teams, players will switch sides. However, it is good manners to shout out and let people know what's happening.

It's fantastic seeing how the adult players accommodate the children. They are allowed their share of the ball, and the adults are considerate when charging around the place.

Laa Tinvaal Sonney Diu! Happy Tynwald Day!

The fifth of July is Manx National Day. It's a public holiday.

At the beginning of the day, there is a church service in St John's. When the service finishes, the members of government and guests process to Tynwald Hill. There the new laws are promulgated in Manx Gaelg and also in English.  It forms part of the normal sessions of Tynwald. It is the oldest, continuous parliament in the world. 

After the formal proceeding, there's music, dancing, a Viking village, craft workshops, a Global Village, kipper baps, displays, stalls, demonstrations, meetings of friends, etc.