'First' Basking sharks spotted in Manx waters

The first basking shark sighting of the season has been recorded in Manx waters, according to the Manx Basking Shark Watch (MBSW).

Four adult sharks were spotted in Castletown Bay by a local fisherman on the 24 April.

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Jackie Hall, a leading marine scientist in the area, said it is "great to see them return so early in the season."

The sharks are the second largest fish in the world and feed on plankton and normally visit in the summer months.

Anyone who sees a shark off the island's coast over the next few months can report the sighting to the Manx Basking Shark Watch.

So far the MBSW has collected eight years of data on the species but Mrs Hall said that 10 years was needed for a "complete data set".

'Sharks are native'

Mrs Hall said: "Our data suggests that these sharks are native and never actually leave the Manx waters, the Irish sea and the Celtic sea. They simply don't come to the surface a lot."

Basking Shark sightings

• 2011 - 293
• 2010 - 410
• 2009 - 877
• 2008 - 564
• 2007 - 677
• 2006 - 522
• 2005 - 257

• Manx Basking Shark Watch

"Sightings do not usually begin until May but the warm weather is likely to have attracted the shark to the surface," she added.

In 2011, basking shark sightings in Manx waters were the lowest recorded since the MBSW was established in 2005 with 293 sightings, compared with 410 in 2010 and 877 in 2009.

The MBSW is currently working through data from a year-long tagging project, to explore winter movement patterns.

Basking sharks are protected from being hunted or harassed in the Isle of Man and in many parts of the world.

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Get on track with summer experiences

ISLE of Man Railways and Bus Vannin hope everyone will get onboard to experience their special summer events starting this month.

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The first 2012 Pie in the Sky stargazing and supper event on Snaefell Summit will be hosted by the railways and the Isle of Man Astronomical Society next Friday and Saturday (April 27 and 28).

A spokesman said: ‘The Manx night sky on our April dates will be spectacular for observers with three bright planets in the sky and a fourth, Jupiter, setting low in the west as we arrive at the summit.

‘Venus will shine like a beacon in the western sky, Mars will shine in the south western sky with a distinctive red hue in the constellation of Leo and the majestic ringed planet Saturn will also be clearly seen in the south in the constellation of Virgo.’

The tram will leave Douglas at 6.40pm, arriving at the summit at 7.45pm, with supper at 8pm and stargazing at 9.15pm. An illuminated tram will return at 11pm, arriving in Douglas at 12.05am. If visibility is poor an illustrated lecture has been prepared. Tickets are £29. The event will be repeated on the weekend of September 28 and 29.

Also now available for the summer, until October, are the Seven Kingdoms roast lunches on Sundays in the Snaefell Summit Restaurant, costing £25 for two courses or £29 for three, including travel.

Alternatively, enjoy a sunset dinner in the restaurant – running until mid-September. Tickets, which include a three-course meal, cost £30 on Wednesday evenings and £35 on Fridays. Bookings can be made on 673631 between 9am and 4.30pm.

The Mountain Railway timetable can be found at iombusandrail.info or from bus/rail stations and the Welcome Centre.

Between Friday, May 4, and Monday, May 7, the steam railway will host a Rail Ale journey down to the Falcon’s Nest Real Ale Festival in Port Erin. Standard train fares apply with an adult ticket costing £11.60. On the Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, the 2pm departure from Douglas will include the bar saloon carriage offering real ales to those with proof of age. Steam train timetables for the weekend can be found online atiombusandrail.info/imr-steamrailway.html

Entry to the Falcon’s Nest is £1 or free to those with valid train tickets. Tickets to watch a live Oompah band on the Friday night are £10. Those who miss the last train back can catch buses from Bridson Street regularly until midnight on the Friday and Saturday, and 10.18pm on the Sunday and Monday.

Finally, did you know you can hire the island’s trains, trams and buses for private parties, weddings, birthdays or corporate events? For more information call 663366, email heritagerailways@gov.im  or visit www.iombusandrail.info  or www.facebook.com/isleofmanrailways

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Bonnag World Championships hopefuls vie for title

The traditional Manx bonnag will be celebrated at the world championships

More than 50 bakers are set to compete in the World Bonnag Championships in the Isle of Man later.

Bonnag, a traditional sweet bread, is thought to have been a Manx staple for hundreds of years.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

Competition organiser Margy Killey said she hoped the competition would "help keep Manx baking traditions alive".

Entries are expected from all over the island and inquiries have come from the UK.

BONNAG INGREDIENTS:

• 300g Manx Soda Bread flour from the Laxey Mills
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 handfuls of sultanas
• 55g of margarine or butter
• buttermilk

Last year's champions John Teare and Vanessa Callin will both defend their titles.

Ms Killey continued: "Judges will be looking for authentically baked loaves with a good general flavour and a fine overall appearance."

There are three categories, men's, women's and children's and Bert Winkle from Foxdale will be the judge.

The championships will be held at St James' Church during the annual spring concert hosted by John Kennaugh.

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MANANNAN’S ROUND-THE-ISLAND CRUISE

Tickets are on sale for Manannan’s annual round-the-Island cruise.

The trip on Sunday, April 1 will depart Douglas at 1100, lasting for around two hours, and offers passengers the opportunity to view the spectacular Manx coastline from the sea.

Tickets are priced at £21 for adults and £15 for children.

‘These cruises prove to be incredibly popular, with the public keen to see the Island from an angle they wouldn’t normally have the chance to experience,’ said Chief Executive Mark Woodward. ‘The Isle of Man has some stunning stretches of coastline and we’re confident it will be another great day out on board Manannan.’

To make a booking, please call in at the Ferry Travel Shop, Sea Terminal, Douglas or call the Reservations Team on 661661.

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Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

Isle of Man Coast to Coast on canvas

THE Isle of Man’s stunning and colourful vistas are perfectly captured in oils by Manx artist Tracey Dean, whose solo exhibition Coast to Coast opens tomorrow (Friday) in the Sayle Gallery.

Tracey, who paints under her maiden name of Dean, uses rich and vibrant colour to emphasise the beauty of the island’s coastline and landscape.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

She has had numerous commissions, with the largest being the Plains of Heaven from Chibbanagh Plantation which will be on display at the exhibition.

A student of Norman Sayle at the Isle of Man College, Tracey went on to complete a degree in Graphic Design and won the Ella Olsen Scholarship, spending a year at Idaho University in the USA studying graphic design and life drawing.

After working for many years in London, she returned to the island to design for clients, including the then Department of Tourism and the Post Office and she is currently working on a new stamp issue for the Post Office that features paintings of six harbour lighthouses in Tracey’s unmistakable style.

She said: ‘The Isle of Man is such a rich and varied landscape just crying out to be captured on canvas. I like the medium of oil to work in with its rich colours and I often work ‘wet on wet’.

I try to make my brush strokes more light and spontaneous to add to the freshness of the painting and I’m learning all the time about colour and composition and the effects that can be achieved with them.’

As its title implies, the exhibition will feature coastal views and landscapes from across the island, making use of light and the seasons to remind us of its natural beauty.

In addition, eagle-eyed visitors should be able to find the tiny rabbit that Tracey incorporates into all her paintings – a playful touch that is part of the charm of her art.

‘I took up painting in 1989 as a hobby when I was given my first set of oil paints,’ said Tracey.

‘In the beginning I was doing a couple of paintings a year when I could find the time but now I’m painting full time and am happy to accept commissions.

‘I go out sketching and take reference photographs and then continue the work in the studio and have recently expanded my range to include watercolour which I plan to explore further.’

The Sayle Gallery is in the Villa Marina Arcade on Harris Promenade, Douglas. It is open between 10am and 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, between 1.30pm and 4.30pm on Sundays and 1pm and 5pm on Mondays. Entry is free.

For more information call the gallery on 674557 or visit www.saylegallery.com

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2012 Group Travel Guide launched by Isle of Man Tourism

Isle of Man Tourism has just published its latest handbook for group travel organisers, which provides a comprehensive guide to the diverse attractions of the Island for group visits. The Isle of Man Group Travel Guide Issue 2 is designed to demonstrate the tremendous value for money available to groups visiting the Isle of Man and covers travel to and transport around the Island, accommodation options, tours, attractions and eating out.

Produced in a handy perfect-bound A5 format, the 92-page guide includes useful maps that pinpoint all the key points of interest within the Isle of Man’s main towns as well as showing approach roads and group drop-off points for the main visitor attractions.

For ease of reference, the guide is divided into four sections, North, South, East and West, in each case spotlighting that region’s main towns, attractions and tours.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

To cater for the growing interest in themed breaks, the 2012 Group Travel Guide also includes a section on the wide choice of specialist activities, tours and attractions available to group visitors. These range from wildlife tours and specialist boat trips to see basking sharks and bottlenose dolphins to ghost tours and activities that include quad biking, sea kayaking and golfing.

As a shortcut to planning group trips, the guide features three full day and five half day itineraries. Each has been designed to focus on what makes a visit to the Isle of Man quite distinct from touring in the UK and to help group travel organisers make the most of the Island’s unique heritage and cultural attractions.

For example, on one such itinerary, groups take a trip on the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas to Ramsey before rejoining their coach to go back in time at the Grove Rural Museum and Milntown. The trip continues along part of the world famous TT course to Peel and its 11th century castle before returning to Douglas.

With excellent local produce that includes award-winning Manx Queenies, smoked kippers and rare breed Loaghtan lamb, the guide also explains the Taste Isle of Man quality assurance scheme that signposts where groups will find the best home grown food on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves. Group travel organisers are encouraged to get a copy of the free Taste Isle of Man Directory, available online at www.visitisleofman.com/taste or to pick up from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal in Douglas.

Mr Geoff Corkish, MBE, MHK, Member of the Department of Economic Development responsible for Tourism said:

"Year round visits by groups are incredibly important to tourism on the Isle of Man, which means that the new Group Travel Guide will be a valuable tool in encouraging group travel organisers to consider arranging trips to the Island in the coming year."

"In these challenging times, we are keen to send out a message to the groups’ market that the Isle of Man is a great value destination on the doorstep of the UK and Ireland."

As part of the drive to attract more groups to the Island, Isle of Man Tourism will be exhibiting on Stand E80 at Best of Britain & Ireland (BoBI), which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 14-15 March. Copies of the Group Travel Guide will be available to stand visitors, where members of the Isle of Man Tourism team will be joined by six industry partners: Flybe, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Manx Heritage Railways, Manx National Heritage, Manx2.com and Premier Holidays.

Copies of the Guide are available on request by calling Julie Colquitt on 01624 686888 or emailing traveltrade@gov.im. It can also be downloaded from the official Isle of Man Tourism website at www.visitisleofman.com/groups.

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Isle of Man Gaelic music, song and dance weekend

THE Manx Heritage Foundation’s annual traditional music, song and dance workshop weekend is back in 2012, and while the timetable is yet to be finalised, the dates, venue and guests of honour have been revealed.

The workshops are confirmed for the weekend of March 10 and 11, to be held at Manx Heritage Foundation headquarters in the stable building and chapel at The Nunnery in Douglas and will be led by Donegal singer Noeleen Ni Cholla and Belfast-based dancer and instrumentalist Tim Flaherty.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

Both visitors are experienced tutors as well as performers.

Noeleen is well-known in the Gaelic world and has performed around the world with some of the scene’s biggest names. She will be teaching Irish solo and choral singing to the adults, as well as a traditional music session with youngsters.

Tim dances will Belfast’s All Set, and will teach set dancing as well as sean nos – a very social, fast moving dance style – to more experienced dancers. He will also lead sessions on the whistle and teach Irish tunes to all instruments.

Manx Heritage Foundation’s Breesha Maddrell is pleased to welcome both on what will be their first visits to the island.

She said: ‘Noeleen is a fantastic Irish Gaelic singer, I saw her perform at Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany in France. She brings an opportunity to learn solo and harmony vocals in Irish Gaelic.’

Breesha went on to explain: ‘We like to do these weekends once a year, and try to vary where our guests come from, and the instruments they specialise in, as it brings in new ideas and techniques.’

Noeleen and Tim needed no convincing to come over, as people heavily involved in the Celtic identity of Ireland they were both intrigued by parallels to the Isle of Man. They both speak Irish, and Noeleen is from the Donegal Gaeltacht (an area where Irish is the predominant first language) and also speaks Scottish Gaelic, so she in particular is looking forward to getting her ears around the Manx language.

Breesha added: ‘It’s very important for the island- it contextualises Manx culture and arts in the wider Gaelic context, which is why each year we try to get guests from Scotland and Ireland in particular because of the Gaelic link.’

The setting lends itself well to the workshop weekends. Aside from the inspiring landscape of The Nunnery grounds, and good parking, the converted chapel is a good sized hall for singing and dancing, and the smaller seminar rooms around the building are used for instrument workshops.

Previous weekends have culminated in concert performances, and Breesha says this year there will again likely be an opportunity for the tutors to showcase what they do.

Breesha can be contacted at mhfmusic@mhf.org.im  for more details.

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