TT The Ultimate Road Race!
This has to be the World's greatest road race. Experienced circuit riders who race on perfectly prepared surface's would in my opinion refuse to race and would shudder at the thought of the TT riders racing at high speeds of approximately 180 miles per hour on narrow winding roads that have not been specially prepared. Farm animals on the other side of the barriers and small wild animals could freely cross the path of an on coming rider at any time and occasionally do.
Our first TT experience was in 2010 and we viewed the race from many different vantage points around the circuit. My very first thought as the first rider flashed by on his practice run, was they must be crazy. In fact to capture a rider on film took me several attempts because of the speeds they were travelling at.
The TT festival pulls in a global audience as the Island is transformed by the arrival of motor bikes of every conceivable make and colour creating an atmosphere of camaraderie second to none. Rallies, rock concerts, fun fairs and fireworks create the overall legendary Isle Of Man TT.
Held late May / early June this annual TT road race event has been held on the Isle of Man for over 100 years and draws many visitors to the Island on an annual basis, many booking their accommodation twelve months in advance.
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Tynwald Day
Norseman first came to the Isle Of Man in approximately 800 AD and ruled the Island for four and a half centuries. Viking Godred Crovan conqured the Island and imposed the Norse custom of such law giving gatherings on the people there.The annual outdoor sittings of Tynwald, the Manx Parliament, date back to Viking settlements which began in the eight century of the first millennium AD. A ceremony which has continued for more than a thousand years. No other Parliament in the world has such a long unbroken record. It is the oldest continuous Parliament tradition in the world.The Mound approximatley 12 feet ( 3.7 meters) in height is said to include soil from all 17 of the Islands Parishes and includes four circular platforms which are of successively decreasing size, there by giving Tynwald a somewhat conical shape.
For well over one thousand years the people of the Isle Of Man have gathered here at midsummer to hear the laws of their land proclaimed, to seek justice and to air their grievances. On Tynwald Day, Laa Tinvaal, (Manx) an important tradition is the reading out, in Manx Gaelic and English of the new laws passed within the legislative year. Tynwald day is also known as Midsummer's Court, (traditionally held on midsummer's day, now normally the 5th of July). It is attended by members of the two branches of Tynwald: "The House of Keys" and " The Legislative Council". The Lieutenant Governor, the representive of the Lord of Mann, presides except on the occasions when the Lord or another member of the British Royal Family is present. The Isle Of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but a Crown dependency and has no representative in Westminster. If Westminster is the mother of all Parliaments, then Tynwald must be the grandmother of all Parliaments.
Located in the village of St John's, Tynwald Day is a celebration of Manx national identity and independence. A national holiday known as "Fair Day" with traditional Manx dancing, music, market stalls etc for all of the Island's residents and guests to experience and enjoy.
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