15th April 2026: Runaway Brides, Midge Apocalypse, and Bono's Daughter Comes to TT 😽

Morning yessirs, Paws Morgan back in your inbox for your weekly-ish dose of Isle of Man news. Hope you've recovered from the beer festival. This week:

Kettle on. Let's go.

The big political story of the week: Tynwald is being asked to consider whether to legalise and regulate recreational cannabis on the Island.

First off, drugs are bad. In an ideal world we'd all be teetotal, in bed by 9, and addicted to pilates. People would be sipping kombucha and snorting lines of vitamin B12. But we don’t live in that world. We live in a world where people do drugs. And they will continue to do so regardless of their legal status. How should this be managed?

Weed is not harmless. It can impair memory and concentration, especially with heavy or early use, with studies linking regular teenage use to lasting effects on brain development. It can trigger or worsen anxiety and psychosis in people predisposed to mental health conditions. Long-term heavy smoking carries respiratory risks similar to tobacco.

But what if we compare it to the world’s most socially acceptable drug? If I told you there is a drug that kills around 3 million people globally every year, around one in twenty of all deaths worldwide, and it is directly linked to liver disease, heart failure, stroke, and at least seven types of cancer, would you think it should be legal?

Because that drug is alcohol, and we sell that in Tesco next to the Wotsits.

The question with both alcohol and cannabis - neither of which are going anywhere - is whether it's better for them to be purchased via a regulated shop that pays tax and checks ID, or via a bloke called Dave in a car park behind Co-op.

No, not the Julia Roberts film. And not a real bride legging it from the altar in a blind panic either (admittedly a weekly occurrence in Port St Mary). Runaway is a short film shooting in the village on April 28th, and it's got the road closure to prove it. The plot involves a couple on a strained road trip who become the getaway car for a fleeing bride, which means Athol Street will be shut for up to eleven hours while someone drives a car the wrong way down a one-way street. It’s always fun to see anything shot locally, and Port St Mary has quietly had quite the cinematic history — the village featured in Come Home Charlie and Face Them, a 1990 TV mini-series, and a 2009 feature film called Albatross. Turns out the south has range.

There's only one thing worse than war in the Middle East, a fuel crisis, and a fortnight of storms. Midges. It might be the mild winter, wet spring, or the chance to get a taste of Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt. But whatever the reason, the tiny biting menaces are gearing up for their best summer in years, and if you've ever tried to enjoy a pint in a beer garden in July only to be eaten alive between sips, you already know how this ends. Stock up on Smidge, avoid still water at dusk, and consider whether the indoors life was actually fine all along. On the plus side, the bats are eating well.

Last week it was Channing Tatum. This week? Eve Hewson — aka Bono's daughter and the one off Bad Sisters — will be on the Island next month as filming gets underway on the big Amazon TT movie. Between her, Tatum, and Brad Pitt's production company lurking somewhere in the background, this summer the rock is going to look less like a race track and more like a Vanity Fair cover shoot. If you spot a woman with suspiciously good cheekbones hanging around, play it cool. She's with the film.

A woman from Las Vegas has launched a GoFundMe to fly her Manx boyfriend over to America so they can actually be in the same country for five minutes. Shay Vitale and Jack Kelly have been doing the long-distance thing, and Shay has decided enough is enough — she needs $700 and the internet's goodwill. At time of writing they’ve already hit 705 American buckeroos. So we’ll queue two hours for slightly cheaper diesel but will also crowdfund a stranger's transatlantic love story without blinking. Godspeed, Jack. Watch out for ICE. At least he didn’t try and jet ski over there.

Douglas Council has announced it's ready to sign a formal friendship and co-operation agreement with Dublin this summer. Which is lovely, if slightly random. Are we… twinning with Dublin? Are we their little sibling city? Either way, expect some mayoral handshakes, a plaque somewhere on North Quay, and possibly a discount on Guinness at the next St Patrick's Day do. Given how the new Larne route is flying — over 1,000 passengers in its first week — the Irish connection is clearly having a moment.

Plans have been submitted to turn the former Buchan School in Castletown into an 85-home housing development. On one hand, the Island genuinely needs more housing. On the other, there's something a bit melancholy about watching old school buildings get converted into apartments — every former pupil is about to have a very specific version of a midlife crisis when the classroom they failed GCSE maths in becomes somebody's open-plan kitchen diner.

Plans to temporarily use the former Summerland site as a car park have been rejected by planners. Douglas Council had objected, and now the application has been waved away. Summerland remains, as it has been for many years now, an oddly shaped bit of land with a very heavy history and no agreed-upon future.

The CAMRA Beer & Cider Festival at the Villa Marina wrapped up over the weekend, and two local brews took top honours amongst the 150+ ales on offer. Bushy's 'Star of India' claimed the local beer title, while Burnside Brew Shed's 'Laxey Peach Party' took the keg award — proof that you don't need to ship in fancy stuff from the mainland when the Island is making cracking beer right here. If you were one of the thousands who staggered gently out of the Villa on Saturday night, well done. You've done your bit for the local economy. Your liver will forgive you eventually.

🚢 First Cruise Ship of the Season (Wed 22 April, Douglas) — The Hamburg docks in Douglas Bay with 420 passengers and 170 crew, kicking off a season of 46 ships in total. Expect confused Germans on the prom asking where the castle is. Be kind, point them at Peel.

🏛️ Thinking of Becoming an MHK? (Wed 22 April, 6.30pm, Ballakermeen Studio Theatre) — Professor Peter Edge and Dr Catriona Mackie are running a free info session for anyone considering standing in September's election. Two hours of practical advice on what the job actually involves. Spoiler: a lot of emails.

🗳️ Local Authority By-Election Nominations Close (Wed 22 April, 1pm) — Last chance to put your name forward for seats at Ballaugh, Bride, Garff, or Jurby Commissioners. If contested, polling is Thursday 21 May. If you've ever wanted to have strong opinions about bins in public, this is your moment.

🐟 Fish Farm Open Day — The fish farm has re-opened. Head on down between 9.30am and 3.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

🕯️ Vigil for Palestine — Campaigners gathering to mark the plight of Palestinian prisoners. Starting at 6pm this Friday, April 17th.

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That's your lot for today yessirs. Stock up on Smidge, be nice to the cruise ship tourists, and if a runaway bride sprints past you on Athol Street, it's just the film crew. If you didn't like this week's newsletter, there's a boat in the morning.

See you next time.

— The Daily Tail 😽