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Welsh Links Page
BRIDGEND & DISTRICT AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Friday April 25, 2008
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Gollwng cynllun dadleuol i ledu ffordd yr A494 yn
ardal Queensferry yn Sir y Fflint, medd Gweinidog
Trafnidiaeth.
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Learn Welsh
The Big Welsh Challenge
Meet the celebrities and enjoy the interactive video course for
beginners
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Welsh History
Click on Flag
Wales has been described as one of the oldest
countries in the world.
Gwrymiau darluniwyd fel hun chan 'r 'n hynaf beuoedd i mewn 'r byd
For centuries in Wales Lovespoons have been hand carved in wood with
symbols of love to be given as gifts, and the tradition is now
spreading quickly around the world as people look for a truly
special way of celebrating a Wedding, Anniversary, Engagement,
Birthday or just to say Thank You.
Cychwynnodd y traddodiad o gerfio a rhoi Llwy Garu fel anrheg yng
Nghymru gannoedd o flynyddoedd yn ôl, ac yn awr mae'r traddodiad
wedi lledu trwy gydol y byd. Maent yn anrhegion delfrydol ar gyfer
Penblwydd Priodas, Priodas, Dyweddiad, Penblwydd neu yn syml rhodd o
Ddiolch.
A website that lets people upload and view videos on Welsh culture
and news.
Watch Better than
TV! Watch what you want, when you want! -
Quickly upload and tag
videos in almost any video format
Easily share your videos
with everyone, public or private.
Examples!
Top watched In Sport Channel
Transformed house to honour Bevan
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Architect Sophie Teague holds an Aneurin Bevan statuette
outside Bedwellty House |
Plans have been unveiled to transform a
former ironmaster's mansion in Blaenau Gwent into a centre honouring
"local heroes" and its industrial past.
£5m is being spent upgrading the Grade-11 listed Bedwellty House and
park and consultation has begun.
Architect Sophie Teague said it was hoped to celebrate its links with
MP Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS, who had used the house when a
councillor.
Blaenau Gwent Council said it was an important step forward for
tourism.
The house at Tredegar was built in 1818 for Samuel Homfrey, the
ironmaster at Tredegar Iron Company.
But was gifted to the town at the start of the 20th Century and has
been used by the town council ever since.
Bevan, already a union activist and who worked intermittently as a
miner, was elected as a member of the town council in 1922, a first step
on the political ladder.
The regeneration the house and its 26-acre park is due to be
completed by 2010, and funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund
and other bodies.
Events are being arranged to mark the 60th anniversary
of the NHS |
The aim is to make the house a key destination in the Heads of the
Valleys area, which has recently received £12m from the assembly
government to promote tourism.
South Wales architects Austin-Smith: Lord are creating the designs for
Bedwellty House.
Ms Teague said; "We want to celebrate Aneurin Bevan and other
Tredegar heroes like Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock, as well as the
community of ordinary working people."
She said Bevan based some of his ideas for the National Health
Service after World War II on the example of the cottage hospital in his
home town.
The house will reflect Bevan's life and his political career which
began there with the town council, she added.
Among the items on show would be the model of the life-size statue of
Bevan in Cardiff's Queen Street.
More than £5m will be spent on improvements at Bedwellty
House |
"Aspects of his life will be interwoven into the house. There will be
an audio visual experience as well as artefacts from Bevan's life .
" The aim will to be to show how great an orator he was and what an
outstanding politician he became."
She said the regenerated Bedwellty House would, above all, reflect
the life of the town, demonstrating the journey the area has made from
traditional industries to the modern age.
Once finished it is expected the house will become a focal point for
visitors and locals, said Ms Teague, and the plans include a coffee shop
on the site of the former Orchid House nearby.
Project leader Dave Watkins from Blaenau Gwent Council said the
house's regeneration was an important part of the plan to transform
tourism across the Heads of the Valleys.
He said consultation is already underway and people living across
Blaenau Gwent will be asked to participate in questionnaires about the
development in May.
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Snowdonia
Accommodation - This site offers information
about where to stay in Snowdonia as well as various types of
accommodation, Hotels, Guesthouses, Country Houses, Bed and
Breakfast (B&B), Inns and Self Catering Cottages many of
which have been inspected each year by Visit Wales (formerly
the Wales Tourist Board) and have been awarded with a
quality star grading. All accommodation is located in the
Snowdonia National Park and provides a perfect base from
which to explore all of Snowdonia including the mountain
scenery and the spectacular beaches and coast. Snowdonia
has so much to offer the visitor why not come and see for
yourself.
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Glamorganshire,
former county in south
Wales;
Cardiff was the county
town. Glamorganshire comprised a hilly area in the north and
a fertile lowland area, including the Gower Peninsula, in
the south along the
Bristol Channel.
Glamorganshire was conquered by the Normans beginning in the
late 11th century. It was made a county in 1536. The
county's mineral wealth (especially coal) was exploited in
the mid-19th century and was responsible for the growth of
the towns of
Port Talbot, Cardiff, and
Swansea. In 1974
Glamorganshire was divided between the new counties of
West Glamorgan,
Mid Glamorgan, and
South Glamorgan.
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Welsh
Links Abroad
       
Wales, country and principality, part of the
United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
united politically, legally, and administratively with England,
and occupying a broad peninsula on the western side of the
island of Great Britain.
Wales also includes the island of
Anglesey,
which is separated from the mainland by the narrow Menai Strait.
Wales is bounded on the north by the
Irish Sea;
on the east by the English counties of
Cheshire,
Shropshire,
Herefordshire,
and
Gloucestershire; on the south by the
Bristol
Channel; and on the west by the
St George’s Channel
and
Cardigan Bay.
The maximum north-south length of the Welsh mainland is about
220 km (137 mi); in an east-west direction the width of the
country varies between 60 and 155 km (36 and 96 mi). The total
area of Wales is 20,760 sq km (8,015 sq mi).
Cardiff is the
capital, largest city, and principal seaport of Wales
Bridgend
(county borough)
(Welsh, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr),
unitary authority and county
borough, South
Wales, bounded on the east and
north by the county borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taff, on the south
by the county borough of the
Vale of Glamorgan and the
Bristol Channel, and on the west
and north by the county borough of
Neath Port Talbot.
The county
borough came into existence as a unitary authority on April 1,
1996, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994, which
changed the structure of local administration in Wales from a
two-tier system of county and district councils to a single-tier
system of unitary authorities. It comprises all of the district of Ogwr in the south-west of the former county of
Mid Glamorgan, apart from some 20
sq km (7�
sq mi) in the south-east of the district which were transferred to
the Vale of Glamorgan. Before 1974, when Mid Glamorgan was created
under the local government reorganization implemented in that
year, the territory covered by the county borough was part of the
county of
Glamorganshire. Bridgend borough
has an area of 264 sq km (102 sq mi).
The coastal area of the
borough, around
Bridgend and Porthcawl, is
low lying; in the north the land rises to fairly high hills,
with deeply incised valleys running from north to south.
Flowing through the borough are the rivers Llynfi, Garw, and
Ogmore, which meet at Bridgend before continuing to the
Bristol Channel. There is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
at Merthyr Mawr Warren, one of Europe’s largest sand dune
areas and a wildlife habitat. The dunes are part of a 23-km
(14-mi) stretch of coastline of Bridgend and the Vale of
Glamorgan that has been designated as the Glamorgan Heritage
Coast by the Countryside Council for Wales.
The climate is moderate, with
temperatures averaging 5° C (41° F) in January and 17° C
(63° F) in August. Annual rainfall in the coastal area is
quite low, averaging 750 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in); in the
uplands of the interior it rises to 1,000 to 1,520 mm (40 to
60 in). The uplands are also colder and less sunny than the
coastal stretch.
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Population
and Administration
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The population of the
borough is 128,650 (2001). Approximately 20 per cent of
the population are Welsh–speakers according to the 2001
census. The main towns are Bridgend (population, 1991,
35,841), which is the administrative centre of the
unitary authority, Maesteg (1991, 20,576), and Porthcawl
(1991, 15,922).
The police authority is
the South Wales Constabulary, which has its
headquarters in Bridgend.
The Glamorgan
Nature Centre, headquarters of the Glamorgan
Wildfowl Trust, is a short distance north of
Bridgend. A number of ruined Norman castles can be
seen in the district. Coity Castle was built in
the 12th century and, despite subsequent
alterations, has retained distinctive features of
a Norman ringwork fortification, such as the
battlements and the wall-walk. Largely rebuilt in
the 14th and 15th centuries, following a siege by
the Welsh nationalist leader
Owain Glyn Dŵr
(Owen Glendower) in 1404-1405, the castle was
abandoned in the 16th century and fell into
disrepair. Other historic buildings in the area
include Kenfig Castle and town, built by Robert,
Earl of Gloucester, in the 12th century and now
mostly submerged by sand dunes. To the south of
Bridgend, Ewenny Priory was founded in 1141 as a
Benedictine
abbey. Much of the original structure still
remains and the site is considered to be one of
the finest fortified buildings in the United
Kingdom. Bryngarw Country Park covers an area of
46 hectares (113 acres) and the landscape includes
areas of woodland, grassland, water features, and
formal gardens.
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What does (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch)
mean;
"St.
Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and
the Church of St.Tysilio near the red cave."
North Wales boasts some of the most beautiful and
spectacular scenery in Britain.You can sail on a
mountain lake, helm a narrowboat across a towering aqueduct, cycle
by the water or walk through valleys and over peaks - all in one
holiday.
The dramatic wooded valleys and rugged peaks of the Snowdonia National
Park are a peerless destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Pack your
hiking boots and walk beside plunging waterfalls, crystal-clear
mountain lakes and burbling streams. Or go sailing in the shadow of
Wales' tallest mountain and some of the best scenery in Britain. For
a gentler break, the Llangollen Canal - one of the most popular
waterways in Europe - boasts scenic beauty and breathtaking
engineering in equal measure. The 46-mile canal meanders gently
through rural Cheshire countryside, into the dramatic valleys and
mountains of the North Wales Borderlands. A highlight not to be missed
is the journey across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Wrexham, a
proposed World Heritage Site. Two hundred years old in 2005, the
masterwork of the great engineer Thomas Telford still wows visitors
today.
But what really makes a visit to North Wales special is the welcome
you'll receive. Culturally and delightfully Welsh, the area has
welcomed visitors from England and further afield for centuries. Enjoy
fresh local produce in unspoilt market towns and villages; discover
history in the ancient sites and modern museums of the area… you'll
never be short of things to do.
Finding out more
- Waterscape.com has hundreds of suggestions for
days out, cycle rides and walks by the waterways of Wales. Visit
our Waterways
Guide to find out more.
- For more information on the North Wales Borderlands, call 01978
292015 or visit www.borderlands.co.uk.
- Discover Snowdonia at www.visitsnowdonia.info.
- For further information on Wales call the Visit Wales Centre on
08701 211251. Or go to www.visitwales.co.uk.
See also Paul Toomer Links
http://llangollen.canalpics.mysite.orange.co.uk
http://brecon.canal.wales.mysite.orange.co.uk
Discover Wales
Discover the secret waters of Wales.
Rushing rivers, idyllic canals and natural
lakes are set amongst mountain, hill and vale. And from north to
south you’ll find a host of water-based activities, from canal
cruising to white-water rafting.
Waterway highlights
One of the best ways of exploring southern
Wales is along the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, through the
picturesque villages of the Brecon Beacons National Park. In North
Wales, the Llangollen and Montgomery canals transport you through
green border country into the folds of the mountains, crossing the
breathtaking Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
Wales’s classic rivers include the Wye and the
Dee. From its source high in central Wales, the Wye flows through
farmland and forest on its long, looping journey to the sea. The
Dee, in contrast, takes a more rapid course as it tumbles from its
headwaters at Llyn Tegid, Wales’s largest natural lake.
For further information on Wales call the
Visit Wales Centre on 0870 121 1251, or go to www.visitwales.co.uk.
English Language
One of Europe's foremost open-air museums representing the life and culture of
Wales
and situated in 100 acres of parkland.
Welsh Language
Un o'r amgueddfeydd awyr agored pwysicaf yn Ewrop, yn cynrychioli bywyd a
diwylliant Cymru,
ac wedi'i lleoli mewn 100 erw o barcdir.
Welsh Slate Museum
The Welsh Slate Museum at Llanberis has recently been relaunched
following investment of a £1.6 million lottery grant, bringing back to
life the inheritance of the North Wales slate industry which roofed
the industrial revolution.
The Museum building is sited in the Victorian workshops built in
the shadow of Elidir mountain, site of the vast Dinorwig quarry.
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Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru
Ail-lawnsiwyd Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru Llanberis yn ddiweddar, yn sgîl
grant loteri o £1.6 miliwn. Mae'r grant wedi rhoi einioes newydd i
dreftadaeth diwydiant llechi Gogledd Cymru.
Lleolir yr Amgueddfa yng ngweithdai Fictoraidd hen chwarel Dinorwig,
yng nghysgod Mynydd Elidir.
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A Last Tribute to Concorde
BBC Link that covers Keeping up to date
what's happening in South Wales.
Here you will find Links not
related to Amateur Radio.
'ma canfyddi Ddolennau mo 'n gytras at Amatur Radio.
 Wales
Online Brings you Community and Sports Pages plus much more .
Wales Online was the very first resource site based in Wales. We try to make
life a little easier, and more fun,
for those interested in community and sports with a Welsh flavor.
Best
in Wales - The Best Web Sites
Review
My Site
Bridgend OGWR - Penybont.
Coity Castle - History and current condition.
Brackla Harriers - Running club, with profile,
history and location, race descriptions and reports, and upcoming fixtures.
Bridgend Valleys Railway - Overview of
restoration work.
Island Farm POW CAMP 198 / Special Camp 11 -
World War II German POW camp and site of the biggest escape attempt in Great
Britain. Includes newspaper reports, prisoner biographies, description of the
camp and its fate since the war.
Coity Castella Hanes a cerrynt chyflyra.
Brackla Harriers Yn hidlo bastynu , ag profile , hanes a leoliad , cenedl
darluniadau a adroddiadau , a upcoming fixtures.
Pen-y-bond ar Ogwr Bantiau Chledrffordd Overview chan adferiad gweithia.
Hynys Amaetha POW GWERSYLLA 198 'n Anad Gwersylla 11 Byd Rhyfela II Almaenwr POW
gwersylla a safle chan 'r 'n fwyaf ddianc anela i mewn 'n Fawr Prydain. Includes
newyddiadur adroddiadau , carcharor buchdraethau , darluniad chan 'r gwersylla a
'i dynghedu er 'r rhyfela.
Welcome to the largest
Welsh web directory in the world today.
Whether you are a local, are planning a visit, or have moved
and just plain miss the place, this is where you start.
Chroesawa at 'r 'n fwyaf Cymraeg gwe chyfeiriadur i mewn 'r byd heddiw Whether
ach a 'n lleol , ydy yn arfaethu hymweliad , ai ca moved a jyst faestir fetha 'r
chyflea , dyma ble chychwynni.
Welcome to the largest
Welsh web directory in the world today.
Whether you are a local, are planning a visit, or have moved
and just plain miss the place, this is where you start.
Chroesawa at 'r 'n fwyaf Cymraeg gwe chyfeiriadur i mewn 'r byd heddiw Whether
ach a 'n lleol , ydy yn arfaethu hymweliad , ai ca moved a jyst faestir fetha 'r
chyflea , dyma ble chychwynni.
Welcome to the largest
Welsh web directory in the world today.
Whether you are a local, are planning a visit, or have moved
and just plain miss the place, this is where you start.
Chroesawa at 'r
'n fwyaf Cymraeg gwe chyfeiriadur i mewn 'r byd heddiw Whether ach a 'n lleol ,
ydy yn arfaethu hymweliad , ai ca moved a jyst faestir fetha 'r chyflea , dyma
ble chychwynni.
Welcome to the largest
Welsh web directory in the world today.
Whether you are a local, are planning a visit, or have moved
and just plain miss the place, this is where you start.
Chroesawa at 'r 'n fwyaf Cymraeg gwe
chyfeiriadur i mewn 'r byd heddiw Whether ach a 'n lleol , ydy yn arfaethu
hymweliad , ai ca moved a jyst faestir fetha 'r chyflea , dyma ble chychwynni.
Other Portal & Listing Sites
A Pictorial
Guide to
The Garw Valley.
An ex mining valley in South
Wales.
The Garw valley is a small ex-mining valley in Mid Glamorgan which is in South
Wales which is a part of the United Kingdom.
When I set out to design this site the idea was to create a snapshot of images
of the Valley. The main reason for this was that the ' Garw ' has changed very
much in the last 30 years and has changed from an industrial mining village to a
mainly commuter village for industry further down the valley although there is
still some work in the valley with the new small units that have sprung up, also
there is a long well established company in the form of T.D. Rotomoulding,
however all the Mining has now disappeared from the valley and with the
reclamation going on it has also almost disappeared from sight.
An ex yn cloddio bant i mewn Dde Cymru.
'r Garw bant ydy feinedd ex - yn cloddio bant i mewn Mid Morgannwg sy i mewn Dde
Cymru sy bannod chan 'r 'n Gyd Brenhiniaeth. Pryd Chyflea i maes at arfaetha hon
safle 'r ddrychfeddwl was at chrea a snapshot chan ddelwau chan 'r Bant. 'r main
adla achos hon was a 'r Garw ' wedi cyfnewid iawn lawer i mewn 'r bara 30
blynedd a wedi cyfnewid chan an 'n ddiwydiannol yn cloddio bentref at a mainly
commuter bentref achos ddiwydiant ymhellach i lawr 'r bant serch mae gostega
rhyw gweithia i mewn 'r bant ag 'r 'n grai feinedd hundodau a wedi tarddu i fyny
, hefyd mae a ddyhea bydew 'n sefydledig chwmni i mewn 'r ffurfia chan T D.
Rotomoulding , hagen pawb 'r Yn Cloddio has awron ddifanedig chan 'r bant a ag
'r reclamation ar gerdded caiff hefyd agos ddifanedig chan drem.
Saint David and Saint David's Day
Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus! Happy St David's
Day!
If you were lucky enough to be in Wales on March the first, you
would find the country in a festive mood. Every self-respecting man,
woman and child would be celebrating St. David's Day in one way or
another. But who was St. David, and why is he so important to the
Welsh? And just how is St. David's Day celebrated in Wales today?
Well, Saint David, or Dewi Sant, as he is known in the Welsh
language, is the patron saint of Wales. He was a Celtic monk, abbot
and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. During his life, he was
the archbishop of Wales, and he was one of many early saints who
helped to spread Christianity among the pagan Celtic tribes of
western Britain.
For details of the life of Dewi, we depend mainly on his
biographer, Rhigyfarch. He wrote Buchedd Dewi (the life of
David) in the 11th century. Gerallt Gymro (Giraldus Cambrensis), who
wrote a book about his travels through Wales in the 12th century,
also gives some information about Dewi's early life. Dewi died in
the sixth century, so nearly five hundred years elapsed between his
death and the first manuscripts recording his life. As a result, it
isn't clear how much of the history of Dewi's life is legend rather
than fact.
However, both sources say, so we can be relatively certain, that
Dewi was a very gentle person who lived a frugal life. It is claimed
that he ate mostly bread and herbs - probably watercress, which was
widely used at the time. Despite this supposedly meagre diet, it is
reported that he was tall and physically strong.
Dewi is said to have been of royal lineage. His father, Sant, was
the son of Ceredig, who was prince of Ceredigion, a region in
South-West Wales. His mother, Non, was the daughter of a local
chieftain. Legend has it that Non was also a niece of King Arthur.
Dewi was born near Capel Non (Non's chapel) on the South-West
Wales coast near the present city of Saint David. We know a little
about his early life - he was educated in a monastery called Hen
Fynyw, his teacher being Paulinus, a blind monk. Dewi stayed there
for some years before going forth with a party of followers on his
missionary travels.
Dewi travelled far on his missionary journeys through Wales,
where he established several churches. He also travelled to the
south and west of England and Cornwall as well as Brittany. It is
also possible that he visited Ireland. Two friends of his, Saints
Padarn and Teilo, are said to have often accompanied him on his
journeys, and they once went together on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
to meet the Patriarch.
Dewi is sometimes known, in Welsh, as 'Dewi Ddyfrwr' (David the
Water Drinker) and, indeed, water was an important part of his life
- he is said to have drunk nothing else. Sometimes, as a
self-imposed penance, he would stand up to his neck in a lake of
cold water, reciting Scripture. Little wonder, then, that some
authors have seen Dewi as an early Puritan!
He founded a monastery at Glyn Rhosyn (Rose Vale) on the banks of
the small river Alun where the cathedral city of St. David stands
today. The monastic brotherhood that Dewi founded was very strict,
the brothers having to work very hard besides praying and
celebrating masses. They had to get up very early in the morning for
prayers and afterwards work very hard to help maintain life at the
monastery, cultivating the land and even pulling the plough. Many
crafts were followed - beekeeping, in particular, was very
important. The monks had to keep themselves fed as well as the many
pilgrims and travellers who needed lodgings. They also had to feed
and clothe the poor and needy in their neighbourhood.
There are many stories regarding Dewi's life. It is said that he
once rose a youth from death, and milestones during his life were
marked by the appearance of springs of water. These events are
arguably more apocryphal than factual, but are so well known to
Welsh-speaking schoolchildren that it is worth mentioning them here.
Perhaps the most well-known story regarding Dewi's life is said
to have taken place at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi. They were to
decide whether Dewi was to be Archbishop. A great crowd gathered at
the synod, and when Dewi stood up to speak, one of the congregation
shouted, 'We won't be able to see or hear him'. At that instant the
ground rose till everyone could see and hear Dewi. Unsurprisingly,
it was decided, very shortly afterwards, that Dewi would be the
Archbishop...
It is claimed that Dewi lived for over 100 years, and it is
generally accepted that he died in 589. His last words to his
followers were in a sermon on the previous Sunday. Rhigyfarch
transcribes these as 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed.
Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I
will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the
little things' ('Gwnewch y pethau bychain') is today a very
well-known phrase in Welsh, and has proved an inspiration to many.
On a Tuesday, the first of March, in the year 589, the monastery is
said to have been 'filled with angels as Christ received his soul'.
Dewi's body was buried in the grounds of his own monastery, where
the Cathedral of St. David now stands. After his death, his
influence spread far and wide - first through Britain, along what
was left of the Roman roads, and by sea to Cornwall and Brittany.
St David's Day, as celebrated today, dates back to 1120, when
Dewi was canonised by Pope Callactus the Second, and March 1st was
included in the Church calendar. After Dewi's canonisation, many
pilgrimages were made to St. David's, and it was reported that two
pilgrimages there equalled one to Rome, and three pilgrimages one to
Jerusalem. March 1st was celebrated until the Reformation as a holy
day. Many churches are dedicated to Dewi, and some to his mother
Non.
It is not certain how much of the history of St. David is fact
and how much is mere speculation. At the end of 1996, bones were
found in St. David's Cathedral which, it was claimed, could be those
of Dewi himself. Unfortunately, these were later found to be
medieval remains.
Regardless of this, St. David was, and is, a very important
figure to the Welsh. Naturally, then, St. David's Day is a time of
great celebration in Wales. Societies all over Wales celebrate with
special meetings and events. In St. David's Hall, Cardiff, each
March 1st, there will be a concert featuring a 1000-member male
voice choir, specially formed for the occasion. Male voice choirs
are flown to all corners of the globe on St. David's Day, to
entertain Welsh communities. I have my own happy, vivid and very
special memories of St. David's Day as a child, which are typical of
how St. David's Day is celebrated in Welsh schools.
I should say that I was fortunate to be born into a
Welsh-speaking family. My mother tongue is Welsh, and it is only
when we have English-speaking visitors that any English is heard
within my home. Naturally, I attended a Welsh-medium primary school,
where all subjects except English are taught through the medium of
Welsh.
St. David himself spoke an old form of Welsh fourteen centuries
ago, and the Saint has become synonymous with keeping the language
alive, and all that is good in the Welsh way of life. Welsh is one
of the oldest living European languages, and although it has been
oppressed for centuries, it has refused to die and is alive and
growing today. The Welsh medium schools, which have largely been set
up during the past four decades, have played an important part in
making the language an everyday language as opposed to just an
academic one.
St. David's Day at the primary school began with a religious
service in one of the chapels or churches in Carmarthen. We went to
school dressed in our Welsh costumes. The girls looked charming in a
pais a betgwn - a petticoat and overcoat, made of Welsh
flannel, and a tall beaver hat, worn over a frilled white bonnet.
The boys wore a white shirt with a jabbot and wrist frills, a Welsh
flannel waistcoat, black breeches, long woollen socks and black
shoes. To complete the outfit we wore a flat beaver hat. I wore my
national costume with pride until I was seven years old, and after
that I had to be bribed to do so... I later wore a Welsh flannel
waistcoat in honour of the great day.
The pupils marched through the town, led by the Mayor and town
dignitaries. People gathered to see us marching past, and to wave us
on. Little did they realise that we, the sons and daughters of Welsh
Wales, almost froze to death on these mornings. After all, a white
shirt was little protection against the cold winds of a March
morning, despite having a woollen jumper underneath. If it rained we
were doubly miserable. To add to our discomfort the churches and
chapels were colder and the services long. Dewi was a strict
disciplinarian: he would have been proud of us.
But we went back to school for a bowl of cawl - or leek
broth: the traditional St. David's Day meal. After lunch we danced
Welsh dances, sang Welsh folk songs and recited Welsh poems. The
highlight of the day was the judging of the longest leek
competition, but I never envied the winner because he was cheered on
to 'eat some of your leek'. Again, Dewi would have approved, because
as you probably remember, he was also a vegetarian.
At my secondary school, which was also a Welsh medium school, it
was no longer compulsory to wear the Welsh costume on St. David's
Day. But we still celebrated: we held an Eisteddfod - a competitive
singing, dancing and reciting festival. This lasted all day and
ended with an inter-house choir competition. And needless to say,
all competitions were in the Welsh language.
Well, I hope that you now have some idea of who St. David was,
and why he is so important to the Welsh. Dewi's words still ring
down through the ages. So perhaps, as we go about our lives, we
would be wise to remember his very last words, and to do the little
things.
This work is licensed under a
Creative
Commons Licence.
Useful links:
-
Wikipedia: Saint David (gives
good historical context)
-
Schools resources from Data
Wales
-
Saint David's Cathedral,
Pembrokeshire, Wales
-
Welsh costume: a general
introduction
-
How to make cawl - always a
controversial topic
-
The annual National Eisteddfod of Wales,
held in the first week of August
- Urdd
Gobaith Cymru hold the national Welsh youth
eisteddfod in late May each year
-
The History and Status of the Welsh
Language
-
An online Welsh course
-
Welsh-language computer software
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