3 days ago
Poems inspired by Manx patron saint to be revealed at festival
A series of new poems are set to be revealed as part of a festival celebrating the "the story and heritage" of the patron saint of the Isle of was expelled from Ireland by St Patrick and landed on the Manx coast - off Maughold Head - in about AD450, bringing Christianity with Manx Bard Michael Manning, who was selected to be the inaugural poet in residence for St Maughold's Week, will perform seven new pieces of work inspired by the tale and the area in the north of the Dr Ian Faulds said the festival organisers had been "looking for a different way of marking the celebration to put Maughold and the patron saint on the map".
First held in 2020, the festival, which runs until 3 August, is set to include lectures and a bilingual service to mark the 260th anniversary of the Manx Prayer Book, a translation of the English Book of Common Prayer in Manx will also be a mini-pilgrimage to St Maughold's Well, where the saint gave thanks for his safe journey across the Irish Sea after an attempt to kill St Patrick - a patron saint of Ireland.
Rev Faulds said "the records tell us he was not the sort of person you would want to meet" so he was put in a boat in a storm and "washed up on the shore around Maughold Head". He said the patron was rescued and then his story became "a very powerful tale of conversion", with him eventually becoming an example of religious devotion and a bishop on the Isle of Man. "It's part of our Manx story and heritage, and something we ought to be proud to celebrate", he Manning said his new pieces had been "written in a variety of styles and on a variety of themes".He said they had been inspired by Maughold's story of "arriving poor and penniless" in a boat, and his conversion story, but some would also reflect on the "beautiful surroundings" of the readings will be given at a garden party on Saturday and during a supper on 31 July - the official day for the saint.
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