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There was a special award to Castell Howell food boss Brian Jones at the Carmarthen Town Sports Awards evening held at the Carmarthen Quins rugby clubhouse.

Born on this day 1880 in Pontardawe

Phil Hopkins - Welsh international rugby union wing who was part of Wales's Triple Crown winning side of 1909, scoring two tries.

AmeriCymru: Hi Lorin and many thanks for agreeing to talk to AmeriCymru. Can you describe for us some of the highlights of the forthcoming event?

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Lorin: Headlining the concert will be Siobhan Owen from North Wales, an award winning soprano and harpist. Siobhan has increased her visibility in Celtic and cross-over music throughout Australia, UK, United States and Japan. Topping charts, and performing at major festivals worldwide. Her new album Storybook Journey has been heralded as one of the best albums of 2012. Also to her credit she proudly sang the Welsh National Anthem for the Australia vs Wales rugby match in front of a sell-out Sydney stadium, televised worldwide. We are also very excited by the return of Paul Child, Wales biggest independent selling artist and 'Official Voice of Welsh Rugby'. Child will be performing tracks from his much anticipated new album The King of Wales. The Welsh Choir of Southern California (Cr Cymraeg De Califfornia) will be supplying us with angelic harmonies of our favorite Welsh songs and there will be a special screening of the 1962 award winning short film Dylan Thomas by Jack Howells & starring Richard Burton. .

AmeriCymru: This is both an indoor and outdoor event. Care to tell our readers a little about the location and the schedule?

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Barnsdall Art Park

Lorin: Barnsdall Art Park was selected for the architecture of Welsh-American Frank Lloyd Wright. Nestled atop a shaded hill and away from the city bustle, the park has a clear view of the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park (named for Welsh philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith) and near the infamous Gower Street to the west (known for the golden age of cinema and Welsh-American stars like Glenn Ford and Myrna Loy).

Outside the concert, visitors will be delighted in a free Celtic Marketplace, Welsh language classes by Jason Shepherd of the Learn Welsh Podcast, Celtic workshops,

Welsh Corgi demonstrations, Kids Crafts at the Ogden Nash Children's Area, and the LA Eisteddfod featuring poetry, storytelling, readings and performance at the Harold Lloyd Outdoor Stage. Welsh authors involved include Jude Johnson and Peter Griffiths. The Welsh Baker will be revealing a brand new tasty pastie to complement their delicious Welsh cakes, and there will be a special focus on Welsh nursery rhymes with sculptures by Kevin Caufield, Nichola and Sarah Hope from Barry. Additionally, there will be a book release party for The Childrens Voice by Peter Anthony Freeman featuring over 27 artists from Wales and the US depicting Welsh nursery rhymes.

AmeriCymru: Can you tell us more about this new book?

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Lorin: In 2011, A Raven Above Press released A Welsh Alphabet by Lorin Morgan-Richards, featuring artists from the US and Wales and including a special commentary and introduction by Peter Anthony Freeman. Through the poetry of Richards and knowledge of Freeman readers both learned the Welsh alphabet and gained a deeper understanding of the mythology and legend of Wales associated with each stanza. Each letter was beautifully depicted by the artists. The poem began,

A is for Afanc
Whose scales could not be pierced.
He flooded the harbors
set town ablaze
Terrorizing those he unearthed.

The cover was created by the very talented Welsh artist Jen Delyth.

In our second release The Childrens Voice byPeter Anthony Freeman the focus is now on Welsh nursery rhymes. Like its predecessor, the book features 27 different Welsh and US artists bridged together to depict the rhymes. This book includes an all-star cast of illustrators from Nathan Wyburn of Abergavenny jamming Y Broga Bach on toast, Anthony Richards of Ammanford dripping Bwrw Glaw, and Siobhan Owen rendering Fuoch chi Rioed yn Morio?, to name a few. Freeman is again at his best revealing the origin and background of the rhymes, and providing meaningful insight into what family life and the social and economic factors were like in Wales from early history to the rise of the rhymes popularity.

AmeriCymru: Do you plan to make this an annual festival? If so....have any plans been finalized for next year?

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Lorin: With the closure of the Welsh Presbyterian Church, a center for Welsh culture in Los Angeles for over a hundred years, and following the great success of the 2011 West Coast Eisteddfod I felt an urgency to rebuild and bring about more awareness of Welsh identity in Southern California. I believe there is a need to create an annual event, akin to our great Celtic cousins, where people of Welsh descent and fans alike can gather and celebrate while the greater community could benefit from learning about Welsh culture and grow a fondness for Wales as we have.

A RAVEN ABOVE PRESS

Presents the

Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival - National Day of Wales

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant, Los Angeles - Diwrnod Cenedlaethol Cymru

March 3, 2013

Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd.,

Los Angeles, CA, 90027

Interview by Ceri Shaw Ceri Shaw on Google+

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Cardiff's great featherweight boxer, Peerless Jim Driscoll died on 30 January 1925. He had won the British and Commonwealth tiles and narrowly missed the world title. Known as The Prince of Wales in Cardiff, 100,000 fans lined his funeral cortege which was led by the military band of the Welch Regiment.

Jim was born in 1880 into an Irish Catholic family on Ellen Street in Newtown, between the railway line and Bute West Dock. His father died when he was still a baby and his mother worked unloading vegetables from ships at Englands Potato Wharf. He started boxing in street fights during his teens and at seventeen he was fighting in boxing booths for a sovereign a time. For an extra crown he would fight with one hand tied behind him but to win you had to hit him on his nose within 60 seconds. He turned professional in 1901 and won 12 fights in his first year with no defeats. He won the British featherweight title in 1906 and the Commonwealth title in 1908.

In 1910 he toured the USA for four months. Although he won ten fights (In four months!) he just failed to take the world title from Abe Attell on a technicality. He refused a re-match because he was due to attend a fund-raiser for the Nazareth House Orphanage in Cardiff. "I never break a promise" he said. American boxing fans loved his fighting style and it was the American press that called him "Peerless".

He won the Lonsdale Belt in 1910 and boxed for the army during the Great War. He gave up professional boxing in 1919 and died of pneumonia just a few years later at his wife's pub, The Duke of Edinburgh on Ellen Street just a few doors down from the house he was born in. As a professional he won 58 matches of which 39 were knockouts. He lost just three. He fought more than 600 fights as an amateur.

Jim lies in Cathays Cemetery and a statue honours his memory. Sadly, the houses on Ellen Street were torn down after the War but Englands Potato Warehouse still stands as a smart apartment block.

Lots more about the life and times of Cardiff at cardiffonfoot.com

The Bristol Channel floods of 30th January 1607  resulted in an estimated 3,000 people downing.  It is thought that the cause may well have been a tsunami type wave as high as 25ft high and travelling at 38mph. Houses and  whole villages were swept away, with the devastation particularly severe along the coast from Laugharne to Chepstow.  Cardiff was particularly affected, with the foundations of  St Mary's Church destroyed.  The event is recorded on plaques in the Monmouthshire Churches of Goldcliff, St. Brides, Redwick and Peterstone. 

On this day 1826, The Menai Suspension Bridge was opened.  It was designed by Thomas Telford and it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.

The bridge was important for the economy of Anglesey, as previously it was difficult to move goods from the island, in particular, cattle had to be swum across the Menai Straights.  Also after the Act of Union of 1800, it was increasingly important to secure more reliable transport between Ireland and Britain and as Holyhead was one of the principal terminals, easier access to and from it was essential, in fact, it reduced the journey time from London to Holyhead from 36 to 27 hours.  

Born this day 1974 in Haverfordwest

Christian Bale, an actor best known for his starring roles as Batman (Bruce Wayne) in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.   

On 30th January 1164, David Fitzgerald, Bishop of St David’s, was among the signatories of the Constitutions of Clarendon, which was an attempt by Henry II to exert state control over the Church in England and ultimately resulted in the disagreements between Henry and Thomas Beckett.

David FitzGerald was the son of Gerald of Windsor and Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewder and the uncle of Gerald of Wales whom he took into his household and arranged for his education.  Fitzgerald was bishop of St David's from 1148 to 1176 and is described as a greedy man, ambitious and a despoiler of his bishopric, who used the lands of the bishopric to endow his family with lands and offices.  He was also involved in the politics of the invasion of Ireland.

St David's was the seat of Welsh bishops from the eighth century.  The first Norman bishop was Bernard, appointed in 1115, who built a cathedral church at St David's in 1131.  The second bishop was David Fitzgerald who was consecrated bishop on 19 Dec 1148 at Canterbury by Archbishop Theobald, with the understanding that he abandon the efforts of St David's to be elevated to an archbishopric.

In 1162 Fitzgerald took part in the consecration of Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury and in Sept 1171, Henry II made a pilgrimage to St David's and is recorded as dining with David FitzGerald at his court.  David fitzGerald was said to be constantly at loggerheads with his chapter and as his diocese was poor and suffered from plundering by local magnates, in particular, Mahel, the Earl of Hereford who forced Fitzgerald to flee into exile in England.  However Mahel was killed in 1175 when a stone fell on his head in Bronllys Castle, and Fitzgerald was able to return.  Fitzgerald died 23 May 1176 and there is a monument to him in the cathedral. 

Born on this day 1836 in Caernarfon

Lewis Jones, one of the founders of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia.

Lewis Jones (1836-1904) worked as a printer in Holyhead and Liverpool and during his time in Liverpool, he became a prominent member of a group looking into the establishment of a Welsh settlement. In 1862, he and Captain Love Jones-Parry travelled to inspect the selected land in Patagonia, returning in 1865 with Edwin Cynrig Roberts to get things ready for the first settlers.

The initial period proved extremely difficult for the settlement and some the settlers became discontented, blaming Jones for their hardship. Disillusioned, Jones left Patagonia and became a printer in Buenos Aires, but on hearing in 1867, that some of the settlers were going to to leave, he came back and persuaded them to stay, returning himself with his family in 1871.

Jones later established the Settlement's first printing press and newspapers and was also instrumental in the construction of the railway from Porth Madryn to the Chubut Valley, with the new town at the end of the line named Trelew in his honour and a statue of him erected and a statue of him erected in the town's Parque Centenario. Jones's daughter Eluned, later Eluned Morgan, later became a prominent figure in the life of the Welsh settlement and is considered to be one of the finest Welsh language writers produced by Patagonia.

Born on this day 1813 in Falmouth

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles - Biblical scholar, textual critic, and theologian.

For a time, Tregelles worked at the ironworks at Neath Abbey, where in his spare time, he learnt Welsh, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.   Tregelles was a devout protestant and used his Welsh to spread the word of God amongst the local Welsh people who he considered being under threat from atheism, Roman Catholicism and Mormonism.  

Born on this day 1878 in Crickhowell,

Reg Skrimshire, who was a Welsh international rugby union forward who was the only Welsh representative on the 1903 British Lions tour to South Africa.

He later became a civil engineer, building railways and bridges for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Ceylon, Southern Africa and India. His most notable work being the railway from Johannesburg, which included the famous bridge over the Victoria falls . 

From Ninnau & Y Drych ( www.ninnau.com )

The Welsh North American Association is holding the 2013 NAFOW in Toronto from Thursday, August 29, through Sunday, September 1, 2013, and will present the 2013 Eisteddfod Competition at the headquarters hotel, the Fairmont Royal York. The Eisteddfod itself will be held on Friday, August 30, and Saturday, August 31. It is expected that a large number of people will be interested in joining the competition, especially entrants from Canada. All competitions involve cash prizes.

Recitation competitions include: Solo Recitation, Solo Youth Recitation, and Welsh Learners Recitation. The Youth competition involves reciting a poem in English from memory, while the others similarly involve poems written in Welsh. The Learners' competition is a recent addition, and is designed for those persons who are active in learning the Welsh language but not yet at a significant level of conversational ability. Singing Competitions include: Hymn Singing, Solo Voice, and Solo Voice/Semi-Professional. The winner of the Solo Voice/Semi-Professional Competition will be awarded the David G. Morris Memorial Award, which offers the David G. Morris trophy and US$3,500 specifically for travel to compete in the 2013 National Eisteddfod of Wales.

All the competitions will be adjudicated, and a professional piano accompanist will be available if required. The adjudicators and accompanist will be announced as soon as possible. There will be rehearsals on Thursday, August 29, and Friday, August 30 (times to be set with the accompanist in Toronto). The capstone event of the Eisteddfod, the Winners Concert, will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 31. This involves performances from winners from all of the Eisteddfod competitions. The winner of the Solo Voice/Semi-Professional competition may also be required to perform at other events during the weekend, and other winners may be offered the possibility of singing during the morning service and/or the Gymanfa Ganu on Sunday.

There is again expected to be a dedicated singing competition solely for members of the visiting performance choir from Wales, on Saturday afternoon. This event, first introduced in Portland in 2010, has become a way to get to know the members and enjoy their specialities in vocal erudition. It has proven to be a huge entertainment and a nice diversion of sorts for choristers and spectators alike.

The Eisteddfod Information package will be available early in 2013, and the entry form can be downloaded from the WNAA website for the North American Festival of Wales at http://www.nafow.org/ . Entries must be received by July 30, 2013. An entry form can also be ordered by mail; write to WNAA, P.O. Box 1054, Trumansburg, New York 14886.

Applications are encouraged from everyone who wishes to put their singing or linguistic talents to the test. Simply competing has proven to be a highly rewarding experience for those who have participated, as every single competitor benefits from a very personally-oriented, professional, constructive critique from adjudicators who present an overwhelming depth of experience in the singing and recitative arts.

For additional information and general queries regarding the competition, contact: Alan Upshall, Chairman of the Eisteddfod Committee (425) 488-7288; e-mail, eisteddfod@nafow.org. Alan and the other committee members, Myfanwy Bajaj, Janet Figini, Ian Samways, and Lezlie Wood, look forward to your participation and wish you great success !