Lore of the Rings
Exploring the Isle of Man, I felt as if I was in a perpetual childhood fantasy, rife with wicked fairies, seductive sirens, and shape-shifting bugganes. There was rarely a patch of land, building, or artifact that didn’t have some connection to local folklore, including a roofless chapel that still stands alone in the countryside near the center of the island. And the reality was as enchanting as the fantasy.
Cregneash is a well-preserved community capturing traditional Manx life in a type of countryside time capsule. Complete with thatched rooves, four-horned goats, Manx cats, and shire horses, the grounds feel like a living fantasy.
Native four-horned Manx Loaghtan goats at Cregneash village
Traveling north of Douglas by electric rail in quaint wooden cars, redolent of the popular street cars in San Francisco, I visited both historic and folkloric locations. King Orry’s grave is near the popular Laxey Wheel, located in Laxey, a small village near the coastline. Laxey Wheel is the largest surviving waterwheel in the world. Given I only had a half-day left to explore, I opted to visit the grave site over the wheel.
Smaller version of the nearby Laxey Wheel in Laxey village
King Orry’s Grave is a 15-minute walk from the electric rail station and tucked into a residential area. To the unaware observer, the site simply looks like a circular set of rocks beyond a backyard fence. In fact, it’s a neolithic grave site thought to be around 5,000 years old. I found it hard to imagine, which is largely what drew me to the location - the exercise of trying to wrap my head around what the area looked like back then, as well as the people that erected the megaliths, not to mention who might actually be buried underneath. As with other local historical/mythical figures in the region, the origin of King Orry is cloaked in mystery, and he is said to be based on an actual king.
King Orry’s Grave, one of two neolithic tomb sites in residential area near Laxey
Second nearby site of King Orry’s grave
On the way back to Douglas, I hopped off the railway in Lonan to visit St. Adamnan’s Church (Lonan Old Church), another somewhat hidden location roughly two kilometers down a quiet country road. Farmlands and the occasional farmhouse flanked the pathway, and there was more livestock than people visible on the route.
Sheep pasture adjacent to St. Adamnan’s Church in Lonan parish
St. Adamnan’s Church newly restored section among the ruins
The sole reason I went out of my way to see the church was to get a glimpse of one of the oldest and artistically revered Celtic crosses on the island. The cross stands, or rather leans, in the church yard, and was constructed in the 5th century AD. There are plenty of images on the internet, but I knew it wasn’t the same as seeing it in person. Aside from the cross, the scenery enveloping the church, and the church itself, were well-worth the trip. On a very drizzly and overcast day, it was the perfect closure for what was a memorable 4-day trip, dense with folklore, mysticism, and surreal scenery.
St. Adamnan’s Church with leaning Manx cross to the right of the church