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"... both Irish and Welsh sources portrayed it as a tribal migration of the Irish Dessi or Deisi headed by their own king and, from the Irish viewpoint, a suitable 'expulsion' saga was adduced. The direct line of Irish rulers of Welsh Dyfed went on into the 7th and 8th centuries. An interesting mix arose; by 400 Irish and British were fully differing languages, and additionally Christians from both nations used different scripts (Latin and Ogham) for their memorials. Irish never replaced British in Wales the way it did in Scotland, but relative numerical strengths do not necessarily explain why;...

Genetic markers for the Clan MacDougall... descends from Dougall, King of the Isle of Man and founder of the ancient Scottish Kingdom of the Isles and Lorn. Dougall (c1140-c1207) was the eldest son of Somerled, the ancient warrior sea-king and progenitor of the MacDonald, MacAllister, and MacDougall clans. Somerled expelled his Scoto-Norse rivals from Argyll, Kintyre and the Isles but was himself a Norseman paternally, having a genetic signature that is more common in Scandinavia than in Scotland. The first genetic signature for Somerled was discovered and published in 2005 by researchers at the University of Oxford, and since then,...

In times past, the sight of cavorting knights fighting to the death would have been a familiar sight in the streets around the island over Christmas. Once a firm fixture of the island’s festive and folkloric calendar, this year a group of Manx cultural enthusiasts are planning to bring the traditional Whiteboys plays back, and will perform the play on a number of occasions throughout this coming Saturday (December 14). The plays themselves would always feature a central figure, who would be identified as a doctor, and he would narrate and oversee the performance, which would be based around a...

A silver medieval ring thought to be up to 600 years old has been unearthed by a man who took up metal detecting after watching a TV sitcom. The gold-gilded ring was found by Gordon Graham in a field in the north of the Isle of Man. Archaeologists believe the piece, which is engraved with geometric shapes, dates from between 1400 and 1500 AD. An inquest hearing at Douglas Courthouse declared the ring can be officially classed as treasure. Allison Fox, a curator of archaeology at Manx National Heritage, said it may date back to the time when the first...

The Isle of Man TT was for many years the most prestigious motor-cycle race in the world. Between 1907 and 2009 there have been 237 deaths during official practices or races on the Snaefell Mountain Course. Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively.

Former University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian was on the inside of an elaborate international network designed to conceal funding for terrorist organizations, a federal investigator claims in a newly released court document. The network used ``a convoluted web of multiple transactions'' by a network of companies, trusts and charities - mostly run by the same few people - to hide money going to two militant Palestinian groups, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the investigator says. The suspect organizations were part of ``a complex coalition of overlapping companies in northern Virginia controlled by individuals who have shown support...

The Finnish authorities have impounded an Isle of Man-flagged ship bound for China with undeclared missiles and explosives, officials say. Police are questioning the crew of the MS Thor Liberty after what were described as 69 Patriot anti-missile missiles were found aboard. Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen said the missiles were marked "fireworks". The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week. Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked "fireworks". The managing director of the ship's owner, Thorco Shipping,...

Later this month [July 2010] Foreign Secretary William Hague and his EU counterparts are expected to release more details about the latest round of European sanctions aimed at halting Iran's military machine and possible development of weapons of mass destruction. But a File on 4 investigation has discovered questions over whether the Iranians have already sidestepped the international arms embargo, on the UK's own doorstep by setting up companies in the Isle of Man to register ships for its fleet. The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) has been under increasing levels of international sanctions during the past two...

Why did you stop? Well, I was recompiling my kernel and got a segfault...Mavizen has decided to offer a new electric bike based on the previous winner of the TTXGP so that other teams can have a solid foundation to build on for next year. The TTX02 is based on the KTM RC8 with a Agni powerplant. The twist is that they call it a "laptop on wheels" because of all the electronics it packs on top of what is strictly required to control the electric motor (dash-mounted computer that runs Linux, has wifi connectivity and a web-server, etc)....

Pytheas visited the Isle of Man in 300BC - claim ANCIENT GREEK: The explorer Pytheas By ADRIAN DARBYSHIRE AN Ancient Greek explorer's extraordinary voyage took him to the Isle of Man 300 years before the birth of Christ, new research claims. Scientist and geographer Pytheas (pronounced Puth-e-as) is now believed to have visited the Island in about 325BC to take sun measurements during a three-year voyage – the first recorded circumnavigation of the British Isles. Pytheas was born in the Greek settlement of Massalia, now Marseille, about 360BC and was a contemporary of Alexander the Great (356-323BC). Marseille at that...

Jihadi Journalist: The Real Peter Jennings By Debbie Schlussel While the rest of the world is blindly singing the praises of Peter Jennings, here's a reality check: Peter Jennings did more for the cause of Islamic terrorism than any media figure today. And that's nothing to celebrate, honor, or even memorialize. Before there was Al Jazeerah, there was Peter Jennings. From the beginning of Jennings career until his death, Jennings' biased coverage went beyond the pale, bending over backward in "understanding" the terrorists who hate us-- from seeing "their side" when he covered the seige and then murder of innocent...

The space industry has landed firmly on the Isle of Man. Andrew Corlett reports on how proposed changes to Manx law will encourage further investment from global companies Space has become big business. In 2005, the sector generated in excess of $125bn (£70.66bn) for the global economy, and the Isle of Man has been quick to recognise this trend. Over the past five years, the island been steadily building a portfolio of space-related businesses and incentives. Inmarsat, Boeing, Sea Launch and Loral already have operational structures there, and 2006 should see the emergence of the island as a recognised niche...

ASHINGTON, Oct. 17 — Federal law enforcement authorities said in court documents unsealed on Friday that they suspected a group of Islamic charities in Northern Virginia of laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars or more from Saudi Arabia to help finance terrorist attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.The authorities said in documents that they suspected that the network of charitable and educational institutions known as the Saar group in Herndon, Va., used an elaborate system of domestic and overseas financial transactions to "blur the trail" of its revenues and disguise the fact that it was sending money to aid...

<p>Ptech came under scrutiny chiefly because of the role of an early financial backer, Yasin al-Qadi. He helped run a charity, the Muwafaq Foundation, that the Bush administration has alleged financed Al Qaeda, the terror organization. Al-Qadi, who has denied being connected to terrorism, previously served as a director of Ptech investor Sarmany Ltd., an investment company registered in the Isle of Man.</p>