Poetic new mural in the heart of Ramsey
A beautiful new mural has been unveiled in the heart of Ramsey celebrating one of the Island’s great poets.
Visitors to Parliament Street in Ramsey will now be met by a large mural celebrating the poet known as Cushag, close to the very place where she lived.
Commissioned as a Treisht26 project in celebration of Blein ny Gaelgey – Year of the Manx Language, the 5 metre high mural was created by Ramsey based illustrator, Jo Davies. It offers a striking image of Cushag incorporating one of her best-known poems, which celebrates the Manx national flower.
Located at the end of Auckland Terrace, opposite the little Co-op and close to Christian Street, the mural has been put up by The Snug, the Island’s longest-established wood-burning stove showroom and installation company.
Kim Kneen, co-owner of The Snug is also a renowned Manx author, perhaps best-known for ‘Story From Stone,’ a collection of tales from Ballure Chapel, co-authored with Vicky Lloyd-West.
She says:
“Jo’s mural is going to bring Cushag’s work and the Manx language to a whole new audience. We’re already seeing shoppers scan the QR code and listen to the Manx and English versions of the poem on their phones. It’s so interesting watching peoples’ reactions as they pass by the shop and experience not only the artwork but the spoken word, too.”
Cushag was the name under which Josephine Kermode published her poems, plays and stories 100 years ago. She was born just two doors down from the mural – where a plaque can now be found – in 1852. Coming from a family of brilliant siblings, Kermode published her first book of poems in 1907 and was immediately hailed as the successor to the crown of Island’s foremost poet, following T. E. Brown’s death. Through her friendship with Sophia Morrison, Kermode produced a steady stream of poems and plays which were taken to Manx hearts and are still to be heard performed around the Island today.
The opening poem of her first book of poems was about the Manx National Flower, entitled ‘To the Cushag’s Friend.’ The poem celebrates the flower’s virtues, including its beauty and place in Manx folklore. It is its second verse, about the cushag’s magical transportive qualities, which features on the mural.
Professor Jo Davies, illustrator, author and academic, says:
“It was important for me to make an artwork that wasn’t just a picture to decorate a wall but to celebrate, and literally elevate a Ramsey born woman who made an important contribution to Manx culture. If, like me people, passing don’t understand the Manx words I hope that they will appreciate them as things of beauty and over time begin to recognise and connect to them as part of their lives.”
The poem as it appears on the dress of the poet in the image is in Manx. A recognition of Cushag’s lifelong love of the language, its beauty and its connection to the Island’s soul, it is launched as part of Blein ny Gaelgey – Year of the Manx Language, a year-long celebration of the Manx language. It was produced as a special ‘Treisht 26’ project funded by Culture Vannin and generously supported by The Snug.
James Franklin, Online & Educational Officer at Culture Vannin, says:
“Although it is certainly a beautiful image which enhances the experience of Parliament Street, this mural is so much more. In confidently placing Cushag, her poetry and the Manx language at the centre of it all, this piece by Jo Davies empowers us to connect to one of the Island’s great poets whilst tying us to the treasure of the Island’s language and the sense of place.”
The mural was unveiled on the 174th anniversary of Kermode’s birth last week with a small gathering of poets, musicians and members of the creative community. A plaque will soon be added, with a QR code leading to more information and recordings of the poem in English and in Manx. The specially designed and hand-painted accompanying window-display based on the mural will be in place until mid-October and includes the QR code to hear the poem read in English and Manx.
The mural is already now on permanent display close to The Snug on Parliament Street, Ramsey.
