New film: St. Patrick and the Jouyl

New film: St. Patrick and the Jouyl

Wed, 17 Mar 2021

An unusual film celebrating the Isle of Man’s connection to St. Patrick has just been released for St. Patrick’s Day.

It tells the little-known story of how the Isle of Man was created when the Jouyl (the devil) took a “particularly lovely” piece of Ireland for himself, only to be halted by a confrontation with St. Patrick.

Created by Culture Vannin, it is a new direction for the cultural charity’s films about Manx folklore and history, prompted to the current restrictions of Covid-19 lockdown.

James Franklin of Culture Vannin explains:

“Necessity is the invention of creation, so our not being about to get out to make our normal sorts of films celebrating our distinctive Manx stories gave me the opportunity to get creative with my family in the back garden.”

Created with his sons, Orry and Finn, the film was made as a family project involving papier-mâché heads, a pillow off the couch, a mug of water to throw and more.

“The more ridiculous, the better. It had to be something fun to keep the boys engaged and involved, and I hope that this comes across for the viewer in watching it.”

The film has been created in two versions, in English and in Manx, with both featuring the boys’ own voice-over, sound effects and theme song.

“As well as being something fun, it is this sort of stories which is a part of what makes the Isle of Man so special. Culture Vannin prides itself on making films which celebrate these parts of our identity, but it is nice to now have the opportunity to try something different and, I hope, fun for everyone else to enjoy too.”

The two versions of the film are available from the Culture Vannin website and on YouTube (English version / Manx version).