I’ve known Mark Kennedy for more decades than I care to remember. During those decades one thing has remained completely consistent. I wanted to have a chat with him about Irish Nation, a City-wide showing of his stunning mosaics depicting Irish icons which is on during March. I was in town and phoned him. “Can I pop in and have a chat about the show Mark?” “ ’course Rich. But do me a favour and pick up four cans of Guinness from the offy for me on the way.” Consistency. 

 

Mark showed me up to his studio in Hope Mill and the Guinness was opened. Now a chat with Mark is always wide ranging and philosophical. “I’m passionate about Man City, but there are far greater things in the world that really matter…particularly at the moment. There are always two sides, whether that’s in Ukraine or the Gaza conflict. Elsewhere in the world. But what really matters are the people trapped between those two sides.” What Mark was talking about was the people caught helplessly in the overlapping part of a Venn diagram. For the first time in the decades mentioned, Mark went on to talk about his family and folks. “They gave me my Socialist routes. My dad was on the workers marches, my mum was a talented artist. They’ve just celebrated their diamond anniversary. Dad worked all his life in engineering, Mum worked for Greggs – from before it was even called Greggs – for forty years as a cake decorator, using her artistic talents. But before those forty years she could have gone to college, to use her drawing skills professionally. But those sort of things weren’t even in the conversation. Working class people didn’t do that sort of thing.”

 

Now you will know Mark’s work if, for example, you’ve ventured into the Northern Quarter. His beautiful mosaics adorn the walls of Afflecks and NQ walls generally. His reputation now stretching internationally, far, far beyond Manchester. So, I asked, how did the Irish Nation works begin? Mark had previously told me that the body of 17 works had taken ten years to complete. “The first one was Samuel Beckett. The landlord of the studio I rented then,  Ray Boyle, saw that mosaic and suggested that I do a series – of Irish icons depicting Irish Nation. We didn’t get off to the best of starts because he’s a Man United fan…but now he’s a close friend and collaborator. Ray is passionate about Ireland and Manchester. The two places are socially and completely intertwined: social movements, politics, sport, film, music. You name it. A combined history.”

 

And so a decade on and with a body of stunning Irish Nation mosaics, Ray Boyle began securing venues for the work to be shown on a City-wide trail of public art to coincide with the Manchester Irish Festival. The timing had also, of course, to coincide with March and St. Patrick’s day on the 17th. I asked Mark if he’d done the rounds to see all of his own work yet, as the complete City trail that it is. He smiled, took another sip of his Guinness and said, “No. I’m leaving that to St. Paddy’s day.” That will be a day of celebration I’m certain. 

 

Mark is currently working on a diversion from his mosaics and has commissions for collage works. In his studio an almost life size paper print of ‘Pete the badge,’ Man City super fan is laid out on the work-table. The print is so far untouched,

un-collaged if there is such a phrase. “I heard an interview with a fantastic architect recently. He said that the problem with quality architecture is that a project is plunged into as soon as it is  commissioned. The architect said that it’s best to procrastinate. Take your time to think about it before committing to a design.” Another sip of Guinness. “I’m procrastinating.” 

 

I’m sure that, post procrastination, it will be another stunning piece of work with the Mark Kennedy pedigree. 

 

The Irish Nation mosaics are not to be missed, unless that is, you can catch up with them in possible future venues in Ireland and the USA, where it is planned that they will be shown as one complete exhibition. But surely the best way to see them is around Manchester on March 17th, accompanied by the odd pint of Guinness. 

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