Artist and illustrator Alice Quayle has been working with Yn Chruinnaght to brand their Celtic festival this July – and this is the fabulous design she’s come up with. Over the past few years, Manx artists have been commissioned to produce designs inspired by the event and its Celtic roots. Alice’s design takes the festival’s location in Peel as the inspiration, showcasing the natural beauty and heritage as well as the fantastic food, drink, music and atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.

Alice is becoming well known as a freelance illustrator, noted for her work on illustrated maps & infographics. She has an uncanny knack of connecting people with a product or an idea, and has been commissioned by local businesses such as Noa Bakehouse and Pinewood Studio, and has mapped the Douglas Arts Quarter as well as villages such as Laxey. She has also produced animations for Biosphere Vannin and the Manx ICT Association. Alice likes to be able to highlight, interpret and promote aspects of the Isle of Man through her work - people often commenting that what she produces is clear, fun, and engaging.

Alice said: “I wanted to help promote Peel and Yn Chruinnaght to a wider audience that might not have heard of one or the other of them. I thought that a lot of Celtic music festivals probably happen in fairly ordinary towns, whereas the unique selling point of Yn Chruinnaght is that it's now based in Peel. This means that if you visit you don't just get music, there's the seaside, castle, ice cream, kippers, seals, narrow winding streets, pubs, etc - a whole seaside experience – so I wanted to show this off. The challenge was to try and get all this information across clearly with a jolly, lively seaside style.”

Yn Chruinnaght is a not for profit event and is supported by Culture Vannin and the IOM Arts Council as well as local businesses. Start planning your summer now to ensure it is filled to the brim with Celtic music and culture – you’ll find full details of the festival line-up at www.ynchruinnaght.com (or just Google Manx Celtic festival). Happening between 13-17 July in Peel, you can enjoy a whole load of energy, attitude and talent from Dublin’s finest folk miscreants Lynched, Welsh superstars Calan, exceptional Cornish singer-songwriter Kezia, and Brittany’s delightful An Tri DipoP and much, much more. A limited number of Gig Passes are available to buy online now at a very special price of ?45 which will get you into four nights of top-class gigs, saving precious pounds and any worry of missing out.

Alice is currently working on an illustrated map for Peel Town Commissioners. The idea is that the map can be used online as well as for print. It will be used to promote the town to visitors and tourists, highlighting some of the things that should be better known off-Island.

She’s also working on a couple of Archibald Knox maps for the Department of Education to show some of the key Manx locations in Knox's life. As a huge Knox fan, Alice is keen to work on ideas which illustrate and promote the Island's connections with Knox, his work here, and the Island's influence upon him.

Anyone interested in having a chat about commissioning a design, buying a print, or discussing ideas, are welcome to email Alice at alice.quayle@gmail.com or send a text on 317352. You can also find Alice’s Illustrations on Facebook.

Photo - Alice Quayle's design for Yn Chruinnaght.