Speaker McKeeva Bush is in Isle of Man as a guest for their annual Tynwald Day, that island’s national day celebrations.

·        Hon. Bush and his wife are invitees of the President of Tynwald, the Isle of Man Parliament.

·        The celebrations have a shipping theme this year.

Grand Cayman (GIS) – Legislative Assembly Speaker, Hon. McKeeva Bush, OBE, JP is representing the Cayman Islands at Tynwald Day 2019, the ongoing Isle of Man national day celebrations.

Mr. Bush was invited, along with his wife, Mrs. Kerri Bush, by Hon. Stephen Rodan President of Tynwald, the Isle of Man Parliament, to attend the annual celebrations that run from today (Thursday, 4 July 2019) to Sunday, 7 July 2019.

With a “shipping” theme this year to reflect the island’s rich history and maritime heritage, the celebrations pay tribute to a tough yet successful sea journey 40 years ago to the Isle of Man from Norway.

That journey in 1979, accomplished aboard the replica of a ninth century Viking ship found in Norway, was crewed by Manx and Norwegian sailors, according to the Tynwald office.

Celebrations will include unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the landing.

The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The island’s rich and diverse history goes back to before 6,500 BC when it was first inhabited by hunter-gatherers and fishermen. Artefacts from this era are among those preserved in the Manx Museum.

Established in 1765, the island’ bicameral legislature Tynwald claims to be the “oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world”.