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Situated on the west coast,
Peel has three reasons to celebrate its history –
its kippers, its castle and its cathedral. With
narrow streets and a fine beach, it once stood at
the heart of the island’s fishing industry and is
known as Sunset City because on some summer
evenings the fading sun casts a crimson glow over
the water all the way from Ireland.
Peel’s ‘city’ status stems
from the fact that it has a 13th
century cathedral on St Patrick’s Isle – joined to
the town by a causeway – with a roofless church
and a round tower beside it. |
Peel Castle - Photo: IOM Tourism |
St Patrick is thought to have
stayed here in 444 AD when, so legend has it, he
made his momentous decision to ban snakes,
converting pagan Manxmen to Christianity.
Neolithic flint weapons have
been discovered here as well as the basis of a
Viking palace. A replica of a Viking longship can
also be viewed in a building at the harbour.
Ruined Peel Castle – also
sited on St Patrick’s Isle – was built by the
Lords of Man in the 14th century but
fell to the forces of the English Parliament
during the Civil War – the first time it came
under siege,
Perhaps Peel’s main claim to
fame is its famous smokeries from where visitors
can purchase a Manx kipper or two.
A major attraction here is the
House of Manannan Heritage Centre which uses
audio, video and state-of-the-art display
techniques to show how early Celt and Viking
settlers shaped the island’s past.
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