UK artist Luke Jerram’s touring artwork ‘Mars’ will be on display in St Germen’s Cathedral in Peel from 7 February to 1 March.
The Cathedral will be open most days for everyone to come and see Mars, one of Luke Jerram’s astronomical artworks, and there will also be special music, arts, and social events at various times over the 3 weeks. (Scroll to the foot of the page for Luke Jerram’s description of his Mars artwork.) The display is supported by grant funding from Business Isle of Man’s Domestic Event Fund, and Isle of Man Arts Council.
Full details will be published soon and you can keep updated on the Mars in Peel Facebook page. Here are some dates with additional details below.
20 February – Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle with special guests Smooinaght Mie
24 February – Close Encounters : Alex Brown’s new one-man show
28 February – CEILI FO’N PHLANAiD JiARG / A Ceili under Mars! : Yn Chruinnacht
20 February Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle with special guests Smooinaght Mie
Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle are sharing the gig with SMOOINAGHT MIE. In announcing their special guests, they describe them as “the premier up-and-coming Manx trad band on the Island: SMOOINAGHT MIE!!!!! (‘Good idea’ in Manx Gaelic)”
They go on to say that, although Smooinaght Mie are a relatively new act, they have already performed at Lorient Interceltic Festival, the Pan-Celtic Festival, and the Isle of Man’s own Yn Chruinnaght.
In addition, nearly all of the members have performed at Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival, and they are set to record their debut album in Wales later on this year!
20 February Tickets – Tickets £14 each : £10 Child (5-16) +booking fee
24 February Close Encounters : Alex Brown’s new one-man show
Just this week, Alex announced his next One-Man-Show which starts its journey with Peel Cathedral.
He describes this as “an evening of laughter, fun, and openness to explore or deepen faith – framed by my crumbling attempts at being a person of faith myself.”
Alex takes us through a mix of his own stories and stories from the New Testament, in this fast-paced, hilarious account of his ever-crumbling attempts to live the life of faith that he wants to.
24 February – Tickets free via Eventbrite
28 February CEILI FO’N PHLANAiD JiARG / A Ceili under Mars! : Yn Chruinnacht
Yn Chruinnaght will be raising all the energy of the “Red Planet” for a spectacular Manx Ceili night that will be out of this world! With Mars in position at St German’s Cathedral in Peel, the Mega Manx Ceili Band will be bringing the tunes… All you will need to bring are your dancing shoes, stamina and own refreshments! [BYOB]
Doors will open at 6.30pm for anybody to come and find out more about how to get involved in Year of the Manx Language / Blein ny Gaelgey #yearofmanx
This ceili is a fundraiser for Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering which will take place in Peel and Douglas from Monday 27 July – Sunday 2 August 2026
28 February – Tickets £15 each (£5 under 16s) +booking fee
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the artwork features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Martian surface. At around one million times smaller than the actual planet, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 10 kilometres of the surface of Mars.
The artwork allows us to view Mars from the air, as though we are a satellite mapping and studying the surface in perfect detail. Every valley, crater, volcano and mountain is laid bare for us to inspect. The artwork transports us to this desert wasteland, to imagine what it’s like to step foot on this incredible planet.
Mars follows on from my other touring astronomical artworks Museum of the Moon and Gaia, and allows a close encounter with the martian planet. I hope that visitors will feel transported to its inhospitable desert wasteland and in comparison, really value our life on Earth.
Luke Jerram