Foxdale Primary School unveils mural celebrating the Manx language

Foxdale Primary School has unveiled a new mural celebrating the Manx language, as part of Blein ny Gaelgey, the Year of the Manx Language 2026, Isle of Man Today has reported.

The artwork is by island artist Kate Summerville and fills a large wall alongside the school playground. A special grant from Culture Vannin, the body that supports Manx culture and heritage, paid for it.

The design shows green countryside, with a waterfall feeding a river. Above it is ‘Forsdal’, the Manx name for the village. The name comes from Old Norse and means ‘Waterfall Valley’.

The school’s four core values are written in Manx on clouds in the sky: Ammys (respect), Kenjalys (kindness), Ynrickys (honesty) and Treisht (trust).

Carl Clague, the deputy head teacher, said the Year of the Manx Language had prompted the school to do something for the wider village that reflected island culture. He said staff were “absolutely delighted with Kate’s mural”.

Ms Summerville said art on public display could do people good, especially in schools. “It lifts people’s moods, it makes people feel happy, and it gets kids talking together,” she said.

Jacob O’Sullivan, a member of the Culture Vannin board, described the language as “one of the island’s treasures, which enriches us all, regardless of whether we speak it or not.”

Passers-by can see the mural from Mines Road in Upper Foxdale. Culture Vannin has published a short film on its website in which pupils give their reactions to the artwork.