MNH questions King Orry statue proposals

Organisation says risks and impact would need evaluation

Manx National Heritage has questioned the proposal to place a statue of King Orry on a plinth next to Tynwald Hill.

It says it would first need evaluation of the potential risks and impact. 

The organisation also questioned the accuracy of media reports on what it terms a semi-legendary figure.

Plans for a statue of King Orry were submitted to planners by President of Tynwald Laurence Skelly earlier this year.

But in response to the planning application, MNH says it was not formally consulted on the detail of the application prior to its publication.

It discusses the archaeological assets around Tynwald Hill and says a development like this, along with the creation of a plinth and a buried electrical supply for lighting, will inevitably have a substantive archaeological impact.

It also questions the accuracy of the portrayal of Godred Crovan, and the lack of real evidence of his association with the Island outside of legend.

MNH says recent coverage has perpetuated and reinforced inaccuracies in the context of this application.