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Information from The Archibald Knox Forum:

ISLE OF KNOX – Order and Beauty

We are delighted to announce a momentous celebration of one of the Isle of Man’s most renowned artistic luminaries: Archibald Knox. From April 5, 2025, to March 1, 2026, the Manx Museum will host KNOX: Order and Beauty, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Knox's work ever assembled in the world

Archibald Knox: A Pioneer of Modern Design

The Pope has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Pope Francis told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus prayer: “Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for the people in the south who are forced to leave their villages,” Francis told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus prayer. He added “The Middle East has plunged into increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to affect the Palestinian population.” 

Image: Beirut under attack by Israel image courtesy RTE.

The President of Ireland President Michael D Higgins has said it is “outrageous” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to threaten the lives of Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon. This comes after Israeli forces invading Lebanon called for United Nations peacekeeping troops to move from areas of military activity for their own protection and safety.

A hoard of 36 Viking age silver coins has been declared a treasure at Douglas Courthouse. A number of the pieces, dating between 1000 and 1065 AD, were discovered in a field by metal detectorists John Crowe and David O'Hare in January, with the remaining retrieved between February and late April. The coins marked the second find to be declared treasure this year on the Isle of Man where, as pointed out by Manx National Heritage curator of archaeology Alison Fox "more Viking Age silver has been discovered per square kilometre than in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales".

Isle of Man Post Office (Manx: Oik Postagh Ellan Vannin) have issued a set of six stamps celebrating corvids and the mythology surrounding them in Manx Celtic folklore. The collection of six stamps features original artworks by local Manx artist Julia Ashby Smyth, depicting a Raven, Jackdaw, Magpie, Chough, Rook and Crow. On each stamp the Manx Gaelic name for each bird is woven into the artwork. As the Post Ofice description points out “Corvids have long been associated with the darker side of events in mythology and are often linked with war and battlefields.

Michael Collins (Irish: Mícheál Ó Coileáin; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was a leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence. He led the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence with Britain, which lasted from January 1919 until July 1921. His leadership came to be known for the successful guerrilla tactics used by his vastly outnumbered forces.  Following the War of Independence a Civil War took place in Ireland and Michael Collins was killed in an ambush in August 1922.

Revealing Labour's true colours Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to remove Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners from this year. Announcing the decision she said: “This is not the statement I wanted to give today, and these are not the decisions I wanted to make. But they are the right decisions in difficult circumstances,”.

Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha), winners of the All Ireland Senior Football Championship Final received a heroes welcome when they returned home yesterday. They won the Sam Maguire cup by a point, winning 1-11 to 0-13 over Galway. Thousands of fans packed into the Athletic Grounds in Armagh to witness the homecoming and street parties were held in Armagh as the City celebrated the All-Ireland success. It is only the second time Armagh have won the All-Ireland title. The last was in 2002, and fans have had 22-year wait for the victory.

The 2024 Olympic Games opened in Paris yesterday. In a break from tradition the ceremony did not take place in a stadium as hundreds of thousands of people gathered along the River Seine as a flotilla of 85 boats and barges carried the team delegations through the centre of Paris. The flag-bearers for the 133-strong Irish team were golfer Shane Lowry from Offaly and hurdler Sarah Lavin from Limerick.

US president Joe Biden’s great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt left Ballina in Ireland for Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the 1850s. Three years ago a mural of the president was painted on Ballina’s Market Square. Since that time and in protest against his support for the Israeli campaign of genocide and mass murder of Palestians in Gaza the picture has been vandalised three times with red paint and the words "Genocide Joe" daubed across it. Now there is a local petition garnering increasing local support for the mural to be removed.