SS Ellan Vannin (1883) SS Ellan Vannin (1883) SS (RMS) (the Manx name for the Isle of Man) was built as an iron paddle steamer in 1860 at Meadowside, Glasgow for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was originally named "Mona's Isle" - the second ship in the Company's history to be so named. She served for 23 years under that name before being rebuilt, re-engined and renamed in 1883. As "Ellan Vannin" she served for a further 26 years before being lost in a storm on 3 December 1909 in Liverpool Bay. "Mona's Isle" was built by Tod and McGregor Ltd,
The Lady of the Wheel The Lady of the Wheel The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia) is a 2012 historical fiction novel by Sicilian American author Angelo F. Coniglio. The book follows the life of a girl who was abandoned as an infant, with the major themes of the book including poverty, exploitation and family values. Coniglio's work has been compared to the verismo (realism) of Sicilian author Giovanni Verga. A mother abandons an infant girl, placing her inside a 'foundling wheel' to be cared for in a foundling home, and the woman's husband gives up a young son as a carusu, a virtual