Teacher David Foley works on animation with a satirical edge on Carlisle's history

David Foley is usually better known for his musical talents, but has now turned his attention to a different form of creativity.

David now lives in Penrith, but was born in Carlisle. He has created a not-for-profit animation with the lottery-funded Gate project.

David explained how the inspiration for the project came from a remark his grandmother made – way back in 1965!

He said: “It was as the BBC broadcast Winston Churchill’s state funeral that 12-year-old me learned a salutary lesson in the complexities of class, ideology, and history.

“My grandmother remarked: ‘You know, I have only ever hated two men – Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill.

“I, of course, had grown up in an education world where Churchill as the nation’s saviour was the accepted narrative.

City landmark: A Carrs table-water moon rises above Dixon’s chimney in David Foley’s animation

“This moment proved the inspiration for the project – a historical record of the often marginalised folks of Caldewgate and Shaddongate.”

David, with support from Tullie House and the Records Office, worked with animator Helen Woolston to explore the attitude of the Foley family.

Despite their affinity with Irish nationalism, three of David’s family went to war.

He added: “Three left Carlisle, only one came home.”

The tale begins in 1895 Carlisle. David has attempted to recreate the energy of life outside the city walls, with a ‘pub crawl’ featuring ‘the blue lugs’ – or the Joiners Arms – The Pheasant, The Sailor, and the infamous bear that was kept in the 1980s behind the Green Dragon got a mention too.

The animation is part of a short ‘folk opera’ to tell the story of folk from Shaddongate and Caldewgate.

Unsurprisingly, David, who is Workington Academy’s English teacher, has used the opportunity to showcase his musical talent once more.

Bustling centre: The opening sequence of the opera, an animation of Carlisle in 1895

The singer/songwriter has produced a number of CDs over the years, including Nothing Else Is in 2013 and Cragfast in 2012.

However, for the folk opera’s first song, he acted as composer, while local singer John Stubbs sings They Nivver Wadd Dee As Theer Telt as the animation features a tram journey past the brewery and the Carr's biscuit works, before heading under the Port Road railway bridge.

Here, a poster of the strongman Apollo turns into a poster of the Gaelic Irish Ó Foghlú meaning 'plunderer'.

At this point David – now as a modern-day pirate – takes over to sing the son F.O.L.E.Y.

The song forms the basis of the narrative, telling the story of Grandma Foley and the lads who went to war.

David added: “It has an intriguing animation that is funny, but with a satirical edge. There is a wonderful moment when a Carr's table-water moon rises above Dixon’s chimney.

“I reflected on my relatives' passionate love of football, beer, their city, and their country, and the debt we owe to those who didn’t come home.”

The animation ends with a poignant message from the past for the future:

Nostalgic sights: A tram and the poster of Apollo in David Foley’s animation

“There are lessons in our history – if we don’t learn them we are doomed, you see, to repeat mistakes in perpetuity.”

The Gate is a National Lottery Heritage fund project focusing on the development of Shaddongate, an area to the west of Carlisle outside Irishgate.

The website explained that Shaddongate, Caldewgate and Willowholme grew as a result of the industrial revolution along the river Caldew, feeding textile mills, factories and power stations.

With industry came people, labour originally from Irish and Scots background who made this area their home.

The animation can be watched on The Gate website at https://shaddongate.weebly.com