A NEW map of Cornwall in the Cornish language has been created – in what is likely to be "the last map" the creator ever makes.
Cities, towns and features across the region are written with accurate Cornish placenames, as are the legend and other map details.
Paul Kavanagh, the writer of the Wee Ginger Dug blog, created the map over the span of ten years along with an academic authority covering the Cornish language.
He told The National: "I hope this map can promote interest in the Cornish language and allow Cornish people to see a map which is consciously of Cornwall as a country with its own language, and not just another English county.
"I hope it can become a source of pride in a Cornish identity and provide a means of viewing Cornwall through the prism of the Cornish language."
On his blog, he wrote: "[It is] a map of Cornwall as a country with its own distinct language and culture, meaning that for the first time ever, Cornish people – and the rest of us – can see Cornwall through the prism of Cornwall’s own language."
It comes after the Gaelic-language maps of Scotland he produced, which he still sells.
Kavanagh included several elements to celebrate Cornish culture and national identity.
The border is a Celtic knotwork, in black and white as a nod to the colours of the Cornish flag.
The Celtic compass contains a chough, Cornwall's national bird, grasping a globe.
Kavanagh wrote in his blog that this is meant to symbolise that Cornish is a "language for the modern world".
He told The National that creating the map was important for him: "For me personally it's a bit emotional getting this map published.
"I drew and designed the body of the map years ago and in the intervening period I have had a stroke, which means I no longer have the use of my dominant hand.
"Realistically this is the last map I will ever publish. I am no longer able to do a new map from scratch."
Kavanagh started working on the map during the trying time in his life, as he was caring for his late husband during his struggle with vascular dementia.
He wrote: "Celtic language maps were something I could do on the computer in the corner of the living room where Andy could see me.
"If he lost sight of me he panicked because he could not remember where I was."
The project seemed "manageable" to him, telling The National the Cornwall's small size was appealing, but around 300 place names sat untranslated, stalling the project.
Then, life got in the way – Kavanagh's husband passed, he moved house and started writing for The National, got married again and suffered a stroke.
However, the incomplete map kept nagging at him, and in autumn of 2023 he looked up Dozmary Pool, a place name that had always bugged him.
Kavanagh discovered that the Akademi Kernewek, the academic body that sets standards for the Cornish language, had translated many of the place names that evaded him earlier.
Soon, and in partnership with the group to ensure translations were accurate, he was back to work on the map, and finished out the project in recent months.
The map will be launched at Kresen Kernow, the Cornish Archive Centre, in Redruth on June 26, between 1pm and 4pm.
Kavanagh will travel down from Scotland for the event, and the map will be distributed for sale across Cornwall soon after.
The map costs £22 for customers in the UK, and payment can be made on PayPal to weegingerbook@yahoo.com with a posting address included.
International customers are encouraged to contact Kavanagh on weegingerbook@yahoo.com to discuss postage costs.
