Manchester artist's mosaic art trail celebrates Irish icons across city

Seventeen mosaics have been placed in Manchester's museums, cafes and theatres

A series of hand-crafted mosaics celebrating Irish icons from the worlds of literature, music, sport and history has gone on show in Manchester.

The Irish Nation art trail is being displayed in cafes, theatres and museums in the city centre throughout March.

George Best, Oscar Wilde, and Shane McGowan are among the figures featured in mosaic artist Mark Kennedy's work.

The Manchester artist said his city and Ireland were "utterly interwoven".

The mosaics by artist Mark Kennedy are on display throughout the city

The trail was by commissioned by cultural organisation Irish Mancunian.

Mr Kennedy, a mosaic artist in city for more than thirty year, said the Irish Nation series felt like a "natural extension" of his work on identity in the north-west of England.  "Researching and undertaking this project over the last decade has been an education into Irish culture which has certainly enriched me," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

"The story of the Irish nation and the Irish people is one of the most wonderful stories I've heard."

The collection was commissioned to celebrate major Irish figures

Each of the mosaics has been placed in a setting deliberate setting to highlight certain links, with John F. Kennedy, for example, found at the Science and Industry Museum in a nod to the part he played in the moon landings.

The works will be on display until the end of March

The works will also feature QR codes to help people learn the stories behind the mosaics.

A spokesman for Irish Mancunian said the city had a long-established Irish connection, "with an estimated 35% of the city's population having some Irish ancestry".

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