Display brings island's legendary folklore to life

The Buggane, which is a regular feature in Manx folklore, inspired a sculpture by Tom Cringle in South Barrule

An exhibition exploring Isle of Man legends and folklore aims to help people "discover a deeper connection" to the area, organisers have said.

The display, entitled Folklore of Rushen, opened this week at Rushen Heritage Centre in Bridson Street.

It follows two recent talks by James Franklin, online and educational resources officer at Culture Vannin, on the folklore of Port St Mary and Port Erin, and aims to bring those tales to a wider audience.

Mr Franklin said learning more about the island's rich tradition of fairies, folklore and intrigue could help people become "better grounded in these spaces, discovering a deeper connection to the places in which we live our lives".

Folklore tales explored in the display included original accounts of fairies on the Calf of Man 200 years ago, rocks thrown by giants, a "ghostly carriage riding silently through Port St Mary" and Manannan's underwater island, he said.

The display uses text and images supplied by Mr Franklin.

Fables featured in the exhibition include stories of giants throwing stones

Locations in Rushen and elsewhere "have had significance and held wonder for Manx people across generations", he said, with some of the tales dating back to the Viking and pre-Christian eras.

"Folklore has the ability to enrich the landscape all around us, and the lives we live within it," he continued.

"It has been a wonderful exhibition to be a part of", he said, and he hoped that visitors "get something different and new from it, perhaps, even, they might leave with a different way of seeing the parish around them", Mr Franklin added.

Curator Staffan Overgaard said following the two previous talks by Mr Franklin at the Erin Arts Centre for Rushen Heritage Trust, which both had full attendance, the organisation now wanted to "bring the tales to an even wider audience".

The display will run until 5 July, with the Heritage Centre open from 10:00 until 16:00 BST from Tuesday to Saturday.

It will be followed by an exhibition on the history of mining and quarrying in Rushen, which will open on 8 July.