The Isle of Man Public Record Office, part of the Department for Enterprise’s Central Registry, are creating an exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tynwald Millennium. ‘A Thousand Years, A Thousand Welcomes’ will be on display in the Tynwald Library from Monday 1 – Thursday 4 July. Entry is free and will be from 9am-5pm each day.
In 1979, the Isle of Man celebrated 1,000 years of Tynwald, the oldest continuous parliament in the world. Forty years on, the Public Record Office is revisiting this memorable time in Manx history. Laurence Skelly MHK, Minister for Enterprise, commented:
‘The Millennium celebrations were very important – they made 1979 a boom year for tourism, and encouraged the Manx diaspora to return and re-connect with their roots. Today’s exhibition promises to be an evocative experience for anyone who took part in or simply remembers its wealth of events, from Celtic Week to the creation of the Arboretum in St John’s.’
The exhibition will unfold the story of Millennium year: the key organisational figures, the special events and projects, and the succession of VIP visits, culminating in Queen Elizabeth II presiding over the Tynwald Day ceremony. Also covered is the epic voyage of Odin’s Raven from Trondheim to Peel, undertaken in honour of the Island’s Viking heritage.
The exhibition will consist of selected records of the 1979 Millennium Committee (and sub-committees), as well as information boards and a small display of memorabilia.
