Fairy Bridge, Isle of Man ( - Glen Farm) is a small bridge over the Santon Burn in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, located on the primary A5 Port Erin to Douglas road, at grid reference 305720, on the parish boundary between Santon and

Malew Malew ( ; ) is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the Island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of Rushen. Administratively, part of the historic parish of Malew is ...

(and also the boundary between the sheadings of Middle and Rushen). A superstition associated with the Fairy Bridge is that passers-by must greet the fairies as they cross it; it is considered bad luck not to greet them.

Superstitions

A superstition is to greet the fairies (an English term for the

Mooinjer Veggey is the Manx for '' little people'', a term used for fairies in Gaelic lore. The equivalent Irish and Scottish Gaelic are and . Manx folklore In Manx folklore, the are small creatures ranging in height, otherwise very like mortals. They w ...

("Little People"); historically never called fairies or ferrish by the Manx and not of similar disposition to the English fairies) when crossing the Fairy Bridge; it is considered unlucky not to greet them. From the 1950s, it was reportedly the custom to advise a visitor of the myth on the journey south from Douglas or north from the airport. This was timed so that one was required to say "Good morning Fairies!" just as the teller and his guest(s) crossed the Fairy Bridge. This would subsequently be repeated by the same or other tellers, leaving visitors perplexed as to the tellers' beliefs. Buses passing the Fairy Bridge make an automatic announcement before passing the bridge saying: ''"Please observe the Manx tradition by saying "Hello Fairies" as we cross the Fairy Bridge"''. Like many local superstitions on the Isle of Man, the Fairy Bridge myth is changing with the influx of new residents. It has always been a whimsical practice, never taken too seriously by residents, despite food write
A.A. Gill's repetition in London newspaper "The Times" of an urban myth
that taxi drivers will stop if the passenger does not greet the fairies. Motorcycle racers and spectators at the annual TT and Manx Grand Prix races tend to take the ritual seriously, in most cases making a point of visiting the bridge before setting up for practice and the races. In an example of

confirmation bias Confirmation bias (also confirmatory bias, myside bias, or congeniality bias) is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or Value (ethics and social sciences), val ...

, mishaps and crashes are readily attributed to the fairies' displeasure; likewise lucky escapes. It has been suggested that the location was on the boundaries of the land of the nearby Rushen Abbey, and the greeting is a folk memory of crossing oneself at the sight of the

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

marking the boundary of the monastery's land. This superstition may possibly have arisen at this location during the 19th century in response to the large number of tourists visiting the Island.

Alternative Fairy Bridge

The now commonly known '"Real" Fairy Bridge', shown as the "Fairy Bridge" on old Ordnance Survey maps, is located in the parish of

Braddan Braddan () is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located on the east of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of Middle. Administratively, a small part of the historic parish of Bra ...

across the Middle River near the footpath from Oakhill to Kewaigue.

References

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External links

* The

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

at the Fairy Bridge, August 196
Memories of our summer season heyday

BBC Isle of Man/Ellan Vannin History Do you believe?
Ariane Barua 4 August 2009 Geography of the Isle of Man Fairy Bridge Bridges in the Isle of Man Superstitions of Europe