Tynwald Day: Encyclopedia II - Tynwald Day - Participants

Tynwald Day - Participants

Midsummer Courts were sometimes presided over personally by the Lords of Mann, but, more often, by representatives, as the Lords of Mann were often British aristocrats or monarchs who were not resident on the island. After the Duke of Atholl presided in 1736, over two centuries passed before a Lord of Mann participated in Tynwald Day ceremonies. George VI presided in 1946; his successor Elizabeth II, presided in 1979 (the millennial anniversary of Tynwald's establishment) and again in 2003. In some rare instances, a member of the Royal Family may preside, as HRH The Prince Edward did in 1986, and HRH The Prince of Wales did in 2000. Normally, it is the Lieutenant Governor, the representative of the Sovereign on the Isle of Man, who presides over the ceremony.

The Lieutenant Governor (or whoever else presides) is preceded by the Sword-Bearer, who wears a scarlet uniform and bears the Sword of State. The Sword of State probably dates to the fifteenth century and may have been made for Sir John Stanley. The Sword, which is blunt for the sake of safety, includes the Manx triskelion (the traditional "three legs" symbol which also appears on the Manx flag).

Members of the House of Keys and of the Legislative Council are also in attendance. The Speaker of the House of Keys wears a wig and black robes with gold decorations. Similarly, the President of Tynwald, the presiding officer of the Legislative Council, wears a wig and blue robes with silver decorations. The President's robes also display the three legs symbol.

The Isle of Man's highest judicial officers—the Deemsters—participate in the ceremony, wearing scarlet robes and long wigs. There are two Deemsters, known as the First and Second Deemsters. Their office is of great antiquity, as is reflected by the curious phraseology of their ancient oath, during which they promise to "execute the laws of this isle justly ... betwixt party and party, as indifferently as the herring's backbone doth lie in the midst of the fish."

Some individuals are invited to participate as "Guests of Honour." Guests of Honour include representatives from the United Kingdom and of other nations, normally including the Republic of Ireland and some Scandinavian countries. In recent years, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have sent separate representatives, in addition to those for the United Kingdom. Notable guests in recent years have included: The Lord Waddington (1998), The Lord Williams of Mostyn (1999), Dr Rory O'Hanlon (1999/2005), Senator Liam T. Cosgrave (2002), HM The King of Norway (2002), The Lord Steel of Aikwood (2002) and The Rt Hon. Jack McConnell (2003).

Other participants include clergymen, leaders of local governments and several other officials. All participants wear on the left breast the mugwort, the Manx national flower, which is referred to as yn bollan bale, literally, the white wort, in the Manx language. Detachments and bands from the Constabulary and the military also take part in the ceremony, which is attended by members of the general public.

The ceremony is coordinated by the Tynwald Ceremony Arrangements Committee. The President of Tynwald is the ex officio chairman; the Committee's other members include the Speaker of the House of Keys and the Chief Minister. Recently, a Tynwald Settings Enhancements Sub-Committee was constituted to improve Tynwald Day celebrations; the President and Speaker both serve on it, with the former serving as Chairman.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Participants", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki