The director of planning has resigned.
Michael Gallagher was appointed director of planning in May 2011. A government spokesman said: ‘Michael has resigned from his position as director of planning. We wish him well for the future. His deputy Jen Chance is to act as director pending the appointment of a successor.’
The Mountain Road will be closed to traffic for 13 days from Monday (April 11).
It will be closed from the Creg-ny-Baa to Ramsey Hairpin from Monday to Saturday, April 23, to enable improvements to be made in time for TT.
Work will include the resurfacing and re-profiling of the carriageway at the Waterworks and along the Mountain Mile of the road.
Department of Infrastructure officials say it will not only ‘ensure the long-term integrity’ of the route between Ramsey and Douglas, but also ‘improve ride quality and safety’ for motorists.
They will also take the opportunity to carry out other maintenance work such as on road signs.
A Braddan man has admitted calling emergency services several times and requesting an ambulance for a toothache.
On one occasion Jonathan Richard Fletcher dialled ‘999’ and asked for the ‘assassinations’ department.
Fletcher, aged 47, pleaded guilty in court to three charges of making annoying or nuisance telephone calls and one of conduct amounting to harassment.
The court heard how, on December 12 last year, at 12.47am, Fletcher called the emergency services joint control room.
It was said that he had no reason for calling but then made five further calls, at 1.03am, 1.08am, 1.09am, 1.11am and 1.15am to the control room.
In the calls, Fletcher was said to have talked about an Isle of Man advocate and used abusive language.
Fletcher continued with the calls, this time using 999, at 1.27am, 1.34am and 1.40am. None of the calls reported any emergency.
In the first call he complained about police being noisy, in the second he said there was an intruder at his home and in the third moaned that he should not have moved to the island.
More calls were made at 1.43am, 3.29am and 3.30am. After the 1.43am call police attended Fletcher’s home to do a welfare check on him, but he said he was OK and wanted to go to sleep. He then made another call using ‘999’ at 3.31am.
Fletcher was charged with making nuisance calls on January 10 and made no reply after caution.
On February 2, Fletcher made four more calls, two using the 999 number and two to the non-emergency line.
This time he complained about a dog barking in his neighbourhood. He was again arrested and charged.
Undeterred, Fletcher then made several 999 calls on March 15. In one he said he needed an ambulance but when it arrived he told paramedics that he had toothache.
In yet another call to 999, when asked which service he required, Fletcher said ‘assassinations’.
He also sent seven emails to police which were said to have made little sense.
In a police interview Fletcher said: ‘I only do it when I’m anxious and I’ve stopped now.’
Convictions were recorded but Fletcher’s advocate, Peter Russell, asked for an adjournment to allow time for psychiatric and probation reports to be prepared before sentencing takes place on May 24.
No application for bail was made.
One of Ramsey’s local politicians died today.
Commissioner for Ramsey north ward Christopher Mayers had announced he’d planned to stand again in the forthcoming election.
Board chairman Richard Radcliffe said: ‘Chris was an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the town commission since his election in 2015, and took great pride in his role as a commissioner for Ramsey north ward.
‘On behalf of the town commissioners and all the staff who have worked with Chris in his time as a member of the commission I should like to express our deepest sympathy to his family at this sad time.’
Mr Mayers’ death means there will not be an election for the north ward later this month.
There are now only six candidates for the six seats in the ward, so they are elected automatically.
The Steam Packet and the Sefton Group are trying to drum up business in Merseyside.
The latest package includes return foot passenger travel on the ferry and two nights’ accommodation, including dinner and breakfast, at the Palace Hotel and Casino from £129 per person.
Visitors can also bring their car for a what the Steam Packet says is a ‘small supplement’.
A jointly funded four-week campaign is promoting the package in the Liverpool Echo and Sunday Echo throughout April.
Sefton Group marketing manager Nicola Wilkinson said: ‘We have worked with the Steam Packet before to promote joint offers, and they have proved very popular with visitors. We hope our latest short break package is no exception.’
Brian Convery from Steam Packet Holidays added: ‘This package is great value, and there are many events on the island while the offer is on.’
Among the events during the offer period are the rock opera musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Gaiety Theatre from April 15 to 23, the Manx Music Festival, starting on April 22 at the Villa Marina, and Cyclefest, a cycling festival with activities for all the family, running between May 13 to 15 based at The Milntown Estate near Ramsey.
A popular Manx band is celebrating after coming runners-up in a prestigious international music competition.
Glaishtin, more familiar here as The Fecktones, represented the island at the Pan Celtic International Song Competition, held in Carlow, Ireland.
The competition invites each of the six Celtic nations to submit an original song, written in Gaelic.
Glaishtin’s song was ‘Graih Millish Gorish Pint dy Lhune’ or ‘Love is sweet like a pint of beer’.
Featuring singer and multi-instrumentalist Andy North, singer Nicola Kinley, fiddler Paul Rogers, drummer Gerry Quinn, guitarist Gary Quilliam and bassist Lee Brooks, Glaishtin are well known around the island for their inventive and catchy interpretation of Manx traditional folk music, and their unique style certainly seemed to make an impression.
‘It was great’, said Andy. ‘It was at least a 10 out of 10. In the end, we came second. The Scottish and Cornish judges both gave us full marks, so we knew we would do well.
‘The judges and the crowd really liked the mix of music. Our song is made up of all kinds of influences, folk, gypsy, ska, funk.
‘The weirdest thing was the Irish girl who sang before us. She performed this beautiful, heart-breaking song, which was amazing and then we had to go on straight after her, playing a very fast very upbeat, mad song. It was all a bit crazy!’
He said the other groups were ‘really good, a lot more professional than us’.
‘The Welsh singers who won the competition were this group of 18-year-old vocalists who had won a £10,000 prize competition to represent Wales, and Swaggers, from Cornwall were also really good. They were professional singers and really good characters.’
Glaishtin also played alongside another Manx band, Mec Lir, at a packed and lively O’Loughlin’s Bar the night after the contest.
And they received an unexpected bonus from their success – they have been invited by a talent scout to join the line-up for the Irish-based Electric Picnic festival in September.
‘He said that bands like us, with our look, energy and sound are just what he wants for his Salty Dog stage,’ Andy said.
The band hope to play gigs in the island over the summer.
Some of the island’s top musicians and dancers joined forces on Saturday to stage a lively display of Manx culture.
The Manks Concert took place at the Empress Hotel, in Douglas, as part of the 2016 International Celtic Congress, which saw people from the six Celtic nations meet to share their cultures.
The line-up for the concert saw performances from Ny Fennee, Caairjyn Cooidjagh, Marlene and Dilys, Isla Callister & Friends and The Mollag Band.
The programme also saw an Interceltic Concert with musicians Roddy Campbell from Scotland, Maire Nic Fhinn and Ciara Theimhneain from Ireland and fiddlers Salt and Sky from Scotland.
Delegates also enjoyed excursions to some of the island’s landmarks and a series of lectures.
l Order copies of these pictures and more taken by our photographers at www.iomtoday.co.im/buyaphoto
Some might argue Gordon Graham does not have the most popular of jobs.
Gordon has recently started his own one-man business called Isle of Man Debt Solutions.
He is quick to point out that in this line of work you have to treat people with respect and fairness.
He says people who do the job he does have got to be respectful ‘because we are an island and try to build up a rapport with people’.
He told Business News: ‘I’m proud to say I have a very strong bond with my clients and also I must say that I have a very good relationship with debtors.’
He went it alone in January and since then he’s been busy with new inquiries and clients have had more work for him.
He says some ‘well known’ businesses in the island have come to him for help.
Previously he was with the corporate risk consultants and forensic investigations company Expol doing similar work.
He stresses he left there on the very best of terms before deciding to venture out on his own.
A lot of business he picks up is based on ‘word of mouth’.
He told Business News he could be dealing with recovering debts for businesses ranging from corporate service providers to building merchants and even sole traders and one man businesses.
‘You have to be polite with people.
‘You get the people who can’t pay and you get the people who won’t pay and they seem to bury their heads in the sand.
‘I find that having a third party involved can be helpful.’
Mr Graham said that once he has talked things through with people then often solutions can be found to problems. He said: ‘I went to collect my last payment from a chap and he said: ‘‘I’m actually going to miss you Gordon. I’ve enjoyed the chats and the rapport that I’ve had with you’’.’
Straight-talking Scotsman Gordon’s background was in banking and he spent some of his time in the Outer Hebrides where he says the way of life is similar to that of the Isle of Man. His wife Kathleen is general manager of the Curraghs Wildlife Park and they have a son who is six.
Gordon is also passionate about fishing and has instructed people in the art of fishing for trout and salmon.
Police in the UK will be able to find out who really owns Manx-registered companies, the island’s government insisted today.
The Isle of Man Government says it has today committed to ‘enhancing the effectiveness of arrangements’ for sharing ‘beneficial ownership’ information with the UK.
The island has so far resisted having a public register of beneficial ownership, which would mean anyone anywhere could find out the identities of Manx company owners.
Only law enforcers would have such access.
The issue is in the news after the release of the so-called Panama Papers, which revealed details of companies based in tax havens.
The Manx government denies the island is a tax haven. It says that it’s a ‘low-tax jurisdiction’ with good regulation.
Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK said the Manx government’s commitment to sharing information with the UK had been achieved through ‘ongoing constructive discussion’.
He said: ‘It is an important demonstration of our long-standing partnership to tackle corruption, tax evasion and other serious criminality.’
The arrangement being finalised will commit to providing Isle of Man and United Kingdom law enforcement agencies with adequate, accurate and current beneficial ownership information on all corporate and legal entities incorporated in their jurisdictions.
Arising from this commitment the Isle of Man will be establishing and maintaining a central electronic database of beneficial ownership information.
‘The Isle of Man is not a place where criminals can find a welcome,’ the Chief Minister added.
‘We have a strong track record of compliance with international standards and this commitment with the United Kingdom will further strengthen our defences against criminal activity.
‘A truly global approach to tax transparency and information sharing is needed to fight the scourge of serious crime. As a well-regulated and internationally responsible country, the Isle of Man is committed to playing its part in efforts to achieve meaningful progress.’
More than 50 island cheerleaders took to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom to show off their skills in the Cheerdance UK competition.
Youngsters from Intensity Blue Cheer Squads at Move It Dance, on Westmoreland Road in Douglas, went up against over 1,000 cheerleaders from across Britain in a variety of different sections.
Children from age three to 14 competed individually in the solo sections and three children’s teams, Intensity Blue Starlings, Intensity Blue All Stars and Intensity X-Treme, all took part.
In addition, one team of mums competed in the competition doing a James Bond inspired routine.
Kate Caine, who runs Move It Dance with Linzi Brown, said they had been training since December in preparation. ‘We entered a Cheer dance UK competition for the first time ever in November last year, and after great success we decided to compete again in March hoping we would still do as well, as our training time for this competition was almost half the time we had for November.
‘This time we absolutely exceeded expectations with 12 out of 32 of our students winning a place in a final and a trophy.’
The five and under Intensity Blue Starlings also took home a second place trophy.
Move It Dance had over 90 students and supporters on the day and Kate said the atmosphere in the ballroom was ‘electric’.
‘Linzi and I have worked so hard with the students and their hard work and dedication was very much apparent on the dance floor. Despite there being an audience of around 3,000 people not one of our students was fazed and they made us all very proud.
‘We didn’t expect to ever see an Isle of Man group triumph in a grand way and as their coaches, it’s something me and Linzi thought we would only dream about achieving. It was most definitely a day none of us will forget in a hurry. Exhausted, but elated, we finally left the Tower Ballroom at 10.15pm, feeling very proud of what we just achieved!’
Kate also wanted to give recognition to Lewis Clare who took home a third place trophy. She said: ‘Cheer isn’t just for girls. [Lewis] was most definitely doing it for the boys!’ The company is now holding classes for the next competition in November. If you are interested in joining, no experience is necessary, call 615989.
A reprinted guide to the Meayll Peninsular and the Sound has been produced by Rushen Parish Commissioners.
The authority first printed the guide - ‘Features and History of the Meayll Peninsular and The Sound with a walkers’ guide’ – in 2000.
Former commissioner and MHK John Rimington compiled the guide with the help of local people who had knowledge of many interesting and historical aspects of the area.
This reprinted version includes a new chapter (also written by John) ‘The People of the Peninsula’ which explores the lineage of the people who once populated the peninsula from prehistoric times through Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age to Celtic and Christianity.
The book sheds new light on the familiar, from the Neolithic chambered tomb (the Meayll stone circle) through to what Churchill described as ‘his castles in the sky’ the radar installations of the Second World War.
The commissioners thanked John for compiling this book which is available at local book shops for £ 5.95.
All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the ‘Thousla Cross’ charity. The book is also available from clerk Gill Kelly, phone 834501.
A retired HGV driver who was mis-sold payment protection insurance has proved that persistence pays off after winning his claim for compensation.
Michael Christian, 71, had been told by the island’s financial ombudsman scheme, operated by the Office of Fair Trading, that his claim was time-barred.
But his son Allan, pursuing the claim on his dad’s behalf, was able to secure £6,215 in compensation from Barclays after dealing with the bank directly.
Allan said: ‘My father paid for spurious protection that would never have paid out.
‘There could be people entitled to fistfuls of money who might not otherwise make an application and they are being discouraged to do so by the OFT. The clock is ticking. Anybody who was sold a mortgage product from the late 80s onwards should be entitled to make a claim.’
The island ombudsman, however, claims that complaints cannot be considered for PPI sold before November 2008.
His dad Michael said from his home in Bowring Road, Ramey: ‘I want to know why my complaint was time barred by the OFT’s financial ombudsman scheme and yet was upheld by the bank.’
He took out PPI on a mortgage with Barclays in the early 1990s. In April 2013 he put in a complaint with the bank alleging the product was mis-sold. Between that date and January this year more than 18 contacts were made with the bank and the ombudsman both here and in the UK.
In February this year, the bank wrote to him apologising for the time taken to resolve his complaint. He received a cheque within seven days including a £250 ex-gratia payment for all the inconvenience he had been put through.
The UK financial ombudsman had ruled itself out on jurisdictional grounds but the island’s ombudsman scheme told him his claim was out of time.
Two time limits must be met for claims to be eligible. It must be within six years from the date of the act about which the complaint is made and within two years (rather than three in the UK’s ombudsman scheme) from when you became aware of the issue. The ombudsman told him: ‘If PPI was sold before November 2008 then I regret to advise the scheme will be unable to consider any complaint.’
Mike Ball, chief officer of the OFT, said: ‘The Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme works within strict legal boundaries.
‘We cannot comment on an individual case. However, in general, the complainant must raise the matter with the ombudsman Sscheme within two years of becoming aware of the mis-sale. This time limit is different to that applying in the UK (where it is three years) and next time the legislation is reviewed we will consider whether we need to change that limit.
‘In addition the ombudsman scheme is unable to consider a complaint where the mis-sale which has given rise to the dispute occurred more than six years ago. This does not prevent the consumer from seeking redress via other means including through the courts.’
The popular Ramsey motorcycle show returns this bank holiday Monday, May 2.
This year the bikes will line up on Queen’s Promenade near the Sure Strike Bowling alley, starting from 10.30am and the show officially gets under way at 11am, finishing at 3pm.
Organisers are asking for entry forms for the show to be returned to Outdoors in Ramsey by April 25.
Chris Kirk, speaking on behalf of the organisers said: ‘We are excited that the biking community will welcome the chance to clean off and show their bikes ready for the season.’
So far around 150 entry forms have been handed out. There will be sand racing on the beach and an old photo exhibition in St Paul’s Hall.
A retired midwife died from complications after a fall at her home in Castletown, an inquest has heard.
Beryl Kinvig, who was 77 and lived in Malew Street, died in Noble’s Hospital on November 14 last year from pneumonia after being laid up with an injury to her hip.
A statement from her neighbour Anne Davis said she spotted Mrs Kinvig lying on her kitchen floor as she passed to take her dog for a walk on October 16.
Carers arrived and Mrs Kinvig was helped up and into a chair, but the court heard despite suffering considerable pain, she was reluctant to go to hospital.
One of her carers returned later the same evening and spent 45 minutes persuading her to go to hospital, agreeing to accompany her there.
But the court heard Mrs Kinvig had a variety of medical problems. In addition to her hip injury, she suffered from Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease and arthritis. Her hip was not broken and she was deemed too unwell to undergo a full hip replacement so a lesser procedure was carried out to stabilise the damage.
A statement read out in court supplied by Noble’s hospital, said after initially improving, Mrs Kinvig’s health had deteriorated and she did not recover.
The court heard Mrs Kinvig had been born in the Isle of Man but later moved to Cheadle and worked as a midwife at Manchester Royal Infirmary. When she retired she returned to the Isle of Man living initially in Peel but after a bout of ill health bought a smaller property in Castletown. Mrs Davis’ statement said Mrs Kinvig had initially been an active member of the WI and was still able to drive, do shopping and walk her dog when she first moved to Castletown but her health had gradually deteriorated and she became almost house bound.
A statement from Mrs Kinvig’s son, John Bruckshaw, said his mother spent seven months in hospital following an earlier fall downstairs in December 2014.
Delivering his verdict, coroner John Needham said despite there being a number of contributory factors in Mrs Kinvig’s death, he did not believe she would have died when she did had she not fallen down and injured her hip.
‘I think she fell through general frailty. Help came quickly but she did not want to go to hospital, which is understandable. Surgery went according to plan but she had pre-existing problems which got worse,’ Mr Needham said.
Recording an accident verdict, he thanked Mrs Kinvig’s neighbour, Mrs Davis, and the carer, Donna Cooper, who had persuaded her to go to hospital.
Offering condolences to Mrs Kinvig’s family he said: ‘She clearly had happy memories and strong, strong feelings for the Isle of Man.’
Police warned of icy conditions on the roads this morning (Saturday) after two separate collisions in 10 minutes led to the Mountain Road being closed.
Police, fire and ambulance crews attended the scene of the incidents, one of which resulted in the road being blocked between the Bungalow and Lheaney Road. The driver and her two dogs were uninjured in that collision.
A spokesman for the roads policing unit said the temperature dropped below freezing last night and the roads were slippery in shaded areas.
As I listened to ‘the Daily Bell’ droning out of Manx Radio a few months ago ruminating about the roll-out of Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation, I thought about Aer Lingus Flight EI-712 ‘St Phelim’.
In 1968 the Aer Lingus flight was undertaking a routine trip from Cork to London when just off the Irish Coast it crashed into the sea.
All 61 on board died and for several days a recovery operation was under way to retrieve debris and bodies.
As time passed, speculation switched to why a passenger aircraft (a Viscount) with a good safety record could just fall out of the sky.
There were just some perfunctory and confusing communications although the aircraft which was travelling at above 12,000 feet and must have taken several minutes to hit the sea. Attention turned to the British military testing ranges at Aberporth and the missile theory ‘grew legs’ by not being ruled out by the first official Irish government inquiry.
After a while the dust settled and it was quietly forgotten about by all but the grieving relatives. Then in 1982 when the Celtic League started to research military activity in the Celtic countries we looked at military bases and there, like ‘a ghost from the past’, was ‘St Phelim’.
Now this was in the days before FoI but we pieced together evidence from wherever we could and, of course, bombarded the Ministry of Defence and others with requests for information.
That’s when it became interesting! As it was pre FoI you were very much at the mercy of the poor sod dealing with your request. Get a civil servant cheesed off with their lot, having a bad day, etc, and you got a perfunctory reply. However, get someone sucked into the intrigue of the issue and ‘bingo’ – you hit the jackpot.
That’s just what happened with EI-712. A ‘get lost’ reply from the UK’s Department of Transport was followed by a veritable tranche of material from the MOD including copies of log books in use at the time at Aberporth and also details of log-books of ships in the area that were (and still are) missing. Indeed one of the vessels’ locations could not be established at all.
I won’t protract the story because there is a lot of stuff online about this and an absolutely cavernous file deposited by us with Manx National Heritage library.
However, suffice to say that one of the myths that our cooperative MOD civil servant debunked was that Aberporth closed (as the first enquiry had been told) on Friday evening. It had, in fact, stayed open into Saturday. The window of operations was still too tight to put the base in the frame but it did (together with other things, not least the missing logs) allow for that important ingredient to be sown – doubt!
We continued the campaign for many years and eventually there was a further official enquiry. Again military activity was ruled out but questions remain unanswered.
So why did I think about this when our ‘dear leader’ was conducting his daily interview (surely this man gets almost as much media air time as the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez – noted for hogging the airwaves)?
Well, Allan said basically FoI had to be rolled out slowly so departments could get their systems in order – i.e. manage what they release.
My experience of FoI since it was introduced in the UK is that has actually made it less likely that you get those serendipity moments like our EI-712 information release.
FoI means departments have specific officers who determine what is not covered by the request. You often get irritating replies which simply makes you more frustrated as they tell you what they won’t tell you. A case in point was a recent request I made for information on the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
Allan can waffle on about this government releasing more than any other but you still won’t learn much. Anyone who thinks a vast trove of Manx government ‘family secrets’ will be released is deluding themselves.
A Douglas man is running 207 miles for MacMillan Cancer Support, following the route of the Trans Pennine Trail.
David Harrison, aged 25, will run around 42 miles a day, for five days in a row, more than a marathon and a half each day.
The route goes from Southport on the west coast, up and over the Pennines, to Hornsea on the very east coast.
He will start the challenge on Monday, April 11, hoping to finish on Friday, April 15.
David said: ‘This is my own challenge. I’m running it solo. The reason I’m taking on the challenge is because my Nana is currently battling with cancer.
‘I previously lost my Granny to cancer. I wanted to give something back to the teams who offer so much to people who suffer from cancer, and their families.
‘Each day will take me between seven and 12 hours to run. I’m likely to burn anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 calories a day as I run.’
David was born in the island and lived with his family in Douglas until he was 18.
He went to Buchan Primary School and then King William’s College, before going to Newcastle University for four years to study history and politics.
David then completed a masters degree in journalism and returned to the island, working as an intern for a year between 2012 and 2013.
After that he moved back to England to work for the BBC in Hull in November 2013 and is currently working at BBC Look North TV for a year.
David’s father, Phil, is a retired GP and his mum, Marilyn, is a special needs teacher who used to work in the Castle Rushen special needs unit.
His sister, Grace, is a gymnast who competed for the island in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
David has raised £1,000 so far in the build up to his challenge.
‘I ran for 12 hours on a treadmill in a shopping centre in Hull to generate interest,’ he said.
‘I’m an endurance athlete in my space time and regularly compete in ultramarathons and adventure races. I ran a 100-mile race in September and completed the Parish Walk last year in around 22 and a half hours.’
You can donate at www.justgiving.com/207ctc
You can also follow David’s progress during his challenge on twitter by following @DaveHarrison43
One of the biggest selling productions to come out of the Youth Arts Centre is set to take to the stage.
Hairspray Jr, a fun and family-friendly musical that is piled bouffant high with laughter, romance, and deliriously tuneful songs adapted from the original Tony-award winning Broadway musical will be performed from Wednesday to Friday next week (April 13 to 15).
Sharing the lead role of Tracy Turnblad, the spunky plus-size teen with a dream of dancing on TV on the popular Corny Collins Show, are Megan Walker and choreographer Beth Brown.
The cast also includes Quentin Lucas as Corny Collins, Jamie Howe as Link Larkin, Ester Leece as Penny Pingleton, Phil Morrison as Edna Turnblad, Sophia Iankova as Little Inez and Alex Buchan as Seaweed J. Stubbs.
Hits include Good Morning Baltimore, The Nicest Kids in Town, Hairspray and of course You Can’t Stop the Beat.
Artistic director Jooles Morrison told Island Life: ‘Rehearsals are going fab-tastic! The kids have been working hard and attendance has been spot on. The kids are like little SpongeBobs, absorbing instruction and directions like mini pros.
‘I’ve tried to create a real life theatre company environment for them, teaching them stagecraft and basic theatre techniques along the way so not only are they having fun they are learning too... but don’t tell them that.
‘Thanks to musical director Laura Rowles and choreographer Beth Brown the cast is all finely tuned and step perfect, ready for an audience.’
Performances start at 7pm each night. Tickets (£5) are almost sold out.
A team of Irish dancers from the Isle of Man have competed against 60 groups from across the globe at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Glasgow.
Dancers Shannon Caren, Amy Convery, Charmaine and Chevonne O’Boyle, Megan Jones, Charlotte Irving, Erin Flynn and Amelia Kirwin from the Bailey Murray Academy of Irish Dancing came 39th overall at the competition held at the Royal Concert Hall.
The Ceili team, who practise at Crosby Hall, competed in the 13 to 16 age category and their teachers said they were overwhelmed with their performance.
The team are currently training to attend the All Ireland Championships, the Great British Championships and the qualifiers for the World Championships once again in 2017next year.
A Ramsey woman is taking part in the London Marathon to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, in support of service personnel, veterans and families.
Lisa Dunwell, aged 43, is a member of Northern Athletics Club and has been training since January for the 26.2 mile race, which takes place on Sunday, April 24.
Lisa is one of 130 runners aiming to complete the challenge in aid of the Legion.
The 43-year-old has completed four triathlons and was female winner of the GraniteMann off-road triathlon last Autumn.
An 11-time finisher of the End to End Mountain Bike Challenge, she decided to take on the challenge of a marathon and successfully completed her first in London last year.
If you would like to sponsor Lisa visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/