Mona Douglas
| Mona Douglas MBE RBV | |
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Mona Douglas late in life, photographed by Valerie Cottle
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| Born |
18 September 1898 Much Woolton |
| Died | 8 October 1987 (aged 89) Nobles Hospital, Isle of Man |
| Occupation | Librarian and Journalist |
| Nationality | Manx |
| Genre | Poetry, songs, folklore, drama, novels, journalism |
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Mona Douglas MBE RBV (18 September 1898 – 8 October 1987) was a Manx cultural activist, folklorist, poet, novelist and journalist. She is recognised as the main driving force behind the modern revival of Manx culture and is acknowledged as the most influential Manx poet of the 20th Century, but she is best known for her often controversial work to preserve and revive traditional Manx folk music and dance. She was involved in a great number of initiatives to revive interest and activity in Manx culture, including societies, classes, publications and youth groups. The most notable and successful of these was Yn Chruinnaght.
Constance Mona Douglas (Connie) was born on 18 September 1898 at 49 Allerton Road, Much Woolton, Merseyside. She was the daughter of Manx parents, Frank Beardman Douglas (1863-1943) and Frances Mona (née Holmes - born London, Ontario, Canada of Manx parents) (1873-1953). Her parents had left the Isle of Man in order to find work in England, eventually setting up a bakery and confectioners in Birkenhead.
Because of ill-health Douglas was sent to live with her maternal grandparents, Ellen "Nell" Quayle and Patrick "Pat" Holmes [Listed as Thomas in the 1901 Census], when only a matter of months old. Her grandmother would influence her greatly through her knowledge of Manx folklore, song and dance. Her childhood was spent in the vicinity of Lezayre, and later Ballaragh near Laxey, where she received a very free and informal upbringing: "I never went to school and I used to just go round Ballaragh with the farmers and down to Laxey and went out in the boats with the fishermen, and wandering about pretty well as I liked."
Music was a central part of Douglas' upbringing, most notably through the musical evenings which took place at her parents' house when she visited them. Both of her parents were musical, with her father playing the violin and flute and her mother the piano and singing, as well as their both being members of a choral society. On Sunday evenings, from when Douglas was six years old, a number of other cultured people from the community would gather at their house "for poetry readings, discussion and music." Through this she gained a knowledge of "the great English and American poets" and the music of Handel, Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, Puccini and Verdi. Some Manx music also featured:
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