The British island that is not in the UK

     “Hello, fairies,” came the soft voice of the recorded announcement as we bounced over Fairy Bridge on the 10:30 bus to the small town of Port St Mary. The simple stone bridge was covered in a colourful collection of messages and ribbons, among other oddities, and, according to local superstition, it’s considered bad luck not to greet the bridge’s fabled residents. The narrow country road was lined by an arch of rain-soaked trees, adding to the feel of an enchanted world. It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the Isle of Man: charming; mysterious; a little different.

     I’d made my way to this small island in the Irish Sea on a stormy August evening by ferry from Liverpool. Considering the Isle of Man is just 265 miles from where I live in London, I knew surprisingly little about where I was going.

     For all its proximity to mainland Britain, the Isle of Man and its roughly 85,000 residents seem to fly under the radar. It receives relatively few visitors: just more than 300,000 in 2018. That’s certainly not a number to be sniffed at, but it pales in comparison to the approximately 2.4 million who visited the Isle of Wight, which is two-thirds its size. And despite the island being ringed by the United Kingdom – Northern Ireland to west, Scotland to the north, England to the east, and Wales to the south – the Isle of Man is not actually part of it.

     The island was first settled by the Celts, then by the Vikings who eventually established the Kingdom of the Isles that stretched up the west coast of Scotland. In 1266, The Perth Treaty between Norway and Scotland officially recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, which led to nearly a century of tug of war between England and Scotland – a battle eventually won by the English.

     Today, like the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, the Isle of Man is a Crown dependency, meaning that while the United Kingdom is technically responsible for it, it remains separate, and politically autonomous – except in matters of defence and foreign affairs – even though the island’s inhabitants are British citizens. Likewise, as a dependency, it cannot be considered an individual Commonwealth nation, but because the UK’s Commonwealth membership includes the Isle of Man, it can compete in the Commonwealth Games – but separately from the UK of course. It’s also not part of the European Union, but is within the EU Customs zone.

By Olivier Guiberteau

Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

1. You should say hello to the fairies when crossing the bridge if you want to avoid bad luck.
2. The Isle of Man is bigger than the Isle of Wight.
3. The sovereignty of the Isle of Man has been English since the Perth Treaty.
4. The Isle of Man is completely autonomous from the United Kingdom.

Question 2: Answer the following questions in your own words according to the text.

1. Describe the writer’s arrival to the island.
2. Why is the Isle of Man not an individual Commonwealth nation?

Question 3: Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as the following.

1. Curiosities (paragraph 1)
2. Go (paragraph 2)
3. Surrounded (paragraph 3)
4. Agreement (paragraph 4)
5. Similarly (paragraph 5)

Question 4: Choose the correct option, a, b, c or d for each question.

1. According to local superstition…
a. greeting the bridge’s fairies will bring you bad luck.
b. not greeting the bridge’s fairies will bring you bad luck.
c. greeting the island’s residents will bring you bad luck.
d. greeting the island’s residents will bring you good luck.

2. The number of visitors to the Isle of Man…
a. is about 85,000.
b. is more than 85,000.
c. is less than 300,000.
d. is less than the number of visitors to the Isle of Wight.

3. The Perth Treaty, …
a. which recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, was signed in 1266.
b. that recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, was signed in 1266.
c. what recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, was signed in 1266.
d. by which recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, was signed in 1266.

Question 5: Where would you prefer to live, in a small island or in a big city? Write an essay giving your opinion. Write between 120 and 150 words.


KEY

Question 1
1. TRUE.  it’s considered bad luck not to greet the bridge’s fabled residents.
2. TRUE. the Isle of Wight, which is two-thirds its size.
3. FALSE. The Perth Treaty between Norway and Scotland officially recognised the Isle of Man under Scottish sovereignty, which led to nearly a century of tug of war between England and Scotland – a battle eventually won by the English.
4. FALSE. it remains separate, and politically autonomous – except in matters of defence and foreign affairs.

Question 2
1. The writer arrived in Port St Mary by bus as a recorded announcement said hello to the fairies. They crossed a stone bridge covered by colourful messages and ribbons and went along a narrow country road lined by an arch of trees.
2. The Isle of Man is not an individual Commonwealth nation because it is a Crown dependency.

Question 3
1. Oddities
2. Made my way
3. Ringed
4. Treaty
5. Likewise

Question 4
1. b
2. d
3. a