Each month, Dr Chloë Woolley, Manx Music Development Officer at Culture Vannin, looks at a well-known Manx song and its history.

For centuries, the Isle of Man has been unequivocally associated with the fishing trade, with the herring in particular hailed as ‘King of the Sea’ (or Ree ny Marrey).

This is echoed throughout old songs and melodies, many of which were collected in the 1890s from ‘Bwoie Doal’ (blind boy) Tom Kermode, a fisherman from Bradda.

Along with farming, fishing was an essential part of the economy in the past, with priddhas an' herrin' (potatoes and herring) and pickled herring being staples for Manx families.

As the song tells us; ‘Red or kippered, fresh or pickled, Oh, the herring is king of the sea!’

For centuries the ‘Lil’ Silver Fella’ has been an essential source of income for both locals and the boatloads of Scottish women gutters, packers and kipperers who arrived for herring season.

The herring was highly revered in every tier of Manx society – “No herring, no wedding!” was a common expression.

As late as the 1980s, Gus Craine is remembered selling small herring from the back of his van in Douglas, where he sang; ‘Fresh herrings. Get a feed of them down ya boy; and you'll be jumping through two paper hoops!’

Fishing in the past could be dangerous, so cautionary folk tales of unexpected storms such as ‘The Witch of Slieau Whallian’ were re-told, and superstitious customs warding off bad fortune at sea were common.

The number three was considered unlucky by fishermen, as was meeting a red-haired woman or a Methodist vicar on the way to the boat. Many people on the Island still can’t say the word ‘r**’, as it was very bad luck to find a ‘longtail’ or ‘ringie’ on board.

The ‘Wreck of the Herring Fleet’ where 21 fishermen died near Douglas Harbour in 1797 is a tragedy retold through Manx balladry, and one of the most well-loved blessings today is ‘The Manx Fishermen’s Evening Hymn’, also known as ‘Harvest of the Sea’ or ‘Peel Castle’. 

First published in Manx National Songs in 1896, WH Gill’s hymn rose to fame when it was included in the Methodist Hymn Book of 1904.

Based on an old Manx air, the hymn asks for protection for the Manx fishermen: ‘Hear us, O Lord, from Heaven, thy dwelling place... Thou, Lord, dost rule the raging of the sea. When loud the storm and furious is the gale... we plough the land and plough the deep... by day the golden corn we reap, By night the silver harvest of the sea’.

This hymn has remained popular ever since, sung at harvest suppers and services, and recorded numerous times by choirs and ensembles. On manxmusic.com there are various versions to enjoy and learn.

Of course, fishing is a far safer occupation these days, and for the first time in 25 years, a new quota was agreed with the UK in 2023 which would allow Manx boats to fish commercially for the ‘silver darlings’ once again.