On my cherished isle of rainbows flecked with words that were meant but not said the loveliest in all the tides salmon-swept and seal-circled-sealed I nurse my wounds in my Savlon non-Avalon an eminence in a deepening ocean whose delving trenches are becoming an even greater mystery a friendless dwindling rock  where I can play king so bring me my dynastic sword forgive me  but I can’t read the small print any more and those untutored minstrels of my language of 40 years ago where are they now? they burned brightly but briefly fireflies those guys and girls I...

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VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY TWO OF FIFTY-TWO, YELLOW FACED CANARY GIRLS Pembrey Country Park is a coastland parkland that has Cefn Sidan beach as its main attraction. During the Great War of 1914-18 the park was used as a base for a munition factory which gave women employment from all over West Wales. The Royal Ordnance Factory was developed on a large scale. Many of the women who worked there were stained yellow by the toxic chemicals that they were handling. They became known as the ‘canary girls’. In 2018 a community workshop provided by Lorraine King and Andy Edwards for...

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“Is there is any p-p-person here with a j-j-ust impediment then let him s-speak now or forever hold his p-p-peace” said the stuttering Priest. The Roman Catholic Holy Man, Ollie Water, didn’t normally have a stutter, but when he had been given the task of  marrying the daughter of one of the Heads of the Five Taffia Families to one of the those with links to the Provisional IRA- it was understandable. The Priest looked around him at the congregation of St Illtyd’s Roman Catholic Church in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil and noticed on the right side of the church the number of men...

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VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY-ONE OF FIFTY-TWO, AUNTY MAGS - PART ONE Margaret Lee is 89 years old, lives in Newcastle Emlyn but to her core is a Carmarthen girl, St Peter’s girl born in Priory Street. Her recall of her young life growing up in Carmarthen and her knowledge of families is legendary and unsurpassable. She is one in a million, as they say. In the video she sits with Andy, her first cousin’s son and browses through the Carmarthen Facebook page, giving a glimpse into the social history of the town and her family.

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At the start of the First World War in 1914, society in Britain remained much as it had always been since the beginning of the twentieth century.  Britain was rigidly class ridden, between the aristocracy. The middle classes who formed the professional and blue collar workers, doctors, lawyers teachers and scientists etc. Then there were the working classes – manual and factory workers, miners iron foundry workers, dock workers and those who maintained the roads and the railways.  Generally, these were the men who maintained the fabric of society.  Skilled and semi-skilled workers...

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'Into the Woods' is the follow-up to SERA's acclaimed 'Rabbit Hole' single which was released in June to acclaimed reviews, and extensive radio support. 'Into The Woods' is a continuation on the theme of twisted fairytales, and will be released digitally via CEG Records / Pyst Distribution on the 4th of October. 'Into the Woods' is a response to the reoccurring plot-line in stories and films, where women are often chased into the woods by bad men, pursued by monsters or face great peril amongst the trees. Into the Woods instead becomes a place to grow, gain strength and face...

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The most comprehensive study of Wales’ maritime history ever commissioned, taking over a decade to research and produce – sees publication this week. Entitled  Wales  and the Sea: 10,000 years of Welsh Maritime History , the volume delves into every aspect of Wales’ connection with the sea, from earliest history to the present day: from archaeology to paintings and poetry, from naval history to seaside holidays.  The volume was commissioned by the Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales working in partnership with the National Library of...

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The sun returning after churlish paltry rain people wearing cagoules in humid heat the end of summer tiding with the advent of autumn the shortening days of strengthening shadows the perpetuation of the population is the bar going to open? a radio is on but I can't quite make out the voices though I recognise Walking in Memphis the sea is close  I can see it through and over railings why do they have to culminate so often in spear points? a hotel employee vacuum cleans after a lunch or an afternoon tea the sky a faint blue cloud seagulls glide about  their cries...

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Right Hand Left Hand' s new single  'Chacabuco'  released on the 27th of September 2019, features former  Estrons front-woman Taliesyn Kallstrom on vocals. A simmering, brooding post-rock dark cloud full a gathering menace, the taught rhythms and an extraordinary vocal performance swirling into explosive crescendos. ‘Chacabuco’  is a Chilean ghost town set up to house workers for a nitrate mine, but was abandoned 14 years later as synthetic nitrate became widespread and decimated the industry. Decades later, Pinochet used it as a concentration camp and surrounded it with...

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