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Click here to visit the Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail page
Interview With Gwynedd Tourism Officer, Alun Fon Williams - Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour
Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour - An Interview With Rhys Williams , Dunoon Hotel Llandudno
An Interview With Jean Blundell, Friends Of Fort Belan Association - North Wales
An Interview With Alwyn Griffiths of Celticos Tours - North Wales
An Interview With Gareth Roberts of Celticos Tours - North Wales
Celticos/AmeriCymru Trail Tour - An Interview With Peter Lavin , Castle Hotel Conway
Dont forget to send your St Davids Day Ecards
( image by Peter Lewis of WalesIreland Design )
( image by Peter Lewis of WalesIreland Design )
COMING IN MARCH FROM AMERICYMRU AND KINDLEAUTHORS
A NEW BI-ANNUAL MAGAZINE FEATURING ORIGINAL WELSH FICTION
Given the focus on President Lincoln in the Oscars, you might be interested in his welsh roots :
see BBC Ysbyty Ifan
DAFYDD AP LLYWELYN
On 25th February 1246, Dafydd ap Llywelyn 'tarian Cymru' - the shield of Wales, died.
1212 - Dafydd was born , the son of Llywelyn Fawr and Joan, daughter of King John of England, shortly after Easter, at Castell Hen Blas, Coleshill, Bagillt in Flintshire,
1220 - Llywelyn Fawr broke with traditions (which stated that a man's property passed to all his sons equally) and named Dafydd as his sole heir, which had the support of King Henry III of England, but alienated Dafydd's illegitimate half brother Grufydd.
1228 - While fighting in Ceri nr Newtown Dafydd and Llywelyn Fawr captured the Marcher Lord Will de Braose, of the de Braose who fought with William the Conqueror and subsequently aquired lands in Brecknock, Radnor, Abergavenny and Buellt. During the ransom negotiations, it was agreed that Dafydd would be betrothed to de Braose's daughter, Isabella,
1230 - Dafydd and Isabella married and as part of the marriage agreement Dafydd received Buellt (Builth) Castle.
1240 - Llywelyn Fawr died and Dafydd became Prince Of Gwynedd, but the political scene was changing, Llywelyn Fawr had always accepted oaths of homage from the other Welsh princes, however, King Henry III of England would only allow them to swear the lesser oath of fealty to Dafydd.
1240 - Gruffydd, moved to stake his claim to Gwynedd and his eldest son Owain Goch, led an army against Dafydd as civil war broke out
September 1240 - The Church arranged for Dafydd, Gruffydd and Owain Goch to meet to discuss terms to end the war, however Dafydd broke the truce, capturing and imprisoning Gruffyd and Owain at Criccieth Castle, as the capture had taken place under the church's protection, Dafydd was excommunicated.
August 1241 King Henry III, with the support of Gruffydd's wife, Senena and their supporters, invaded Gwynedd. Invading forces were usually hampered by the great marsh at Rhuddlan, but that summer was very dry and the English had no trouble crossing the marsh. Dafydd was forced to retreat into Snowdonia, destroying Deganwy Castle to prevent it falling into English hands. After a short campaign, Dafydd was forced to submit.
August 29, 1241 - Dafydd obliged to sign the terms of surrender, the "Treaty of Gwerneigron", which included the handing over of Mold Castle, Lower Powys, Meirionydd, Buellt Castle & Ellesmere. He also had to release Gruffydd and Owain into Henry's custody, who imprisioned them in The Tower Of London, using the threat if their release as a means of forcing Dafydd to keep the terms of the treaty.
March 1st, 1244 Gruffydd fell to his death while trying to escape from The Tower Of London, which allowed Dafydd to enter into an alliance with other Welsh princes including Gruffydd's son Llywelyn, to attack English possessions in Wales and regain lost lands. Dafydd also began diplomacy with Pope Innocent IV, the result of which was the lifting of his excommunication and a recognition by the Vatican of his right to rule over North Wales and he was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.
1245 - The Pope however soon needed England's support in his dispute with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick, and withdrew his protection from Wales. Henry reacted by sending an army to invade Gwynedd, but he couldn't cross the river Conwy and in October, with their supply lines being ambushed by the Welsh, the English withdraw.
February 25, 1246 - Dafydd died suddenly in the royal home at Abergwyngregyn and was buried with his father at the abbey of Aberconwy, he was succeeded by his nephew, Gruffydd's son, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd.
RESURGUM SINKS OFF RHYL
On this day 1880 the Resurgum, a mechanically powered submarine sank off Rhyl.
Resurgam ( "I shall rise again") is the name given to two early Victorian submarines, which were constructed from iron plates fastened to iron frames, with a central wooden section and powered by a steam engine.
After successful trials, it was planned that Resurgam II should make her way from Birkenhead to Portsmouth for a demonstration to the Royal Navy. However, during the voyage, it developed mechanical problems and was forced to dock at Rhyl. On completion of the repairs, the Resurgum was being towed out of Rhyl harbour, when the towing ship developed engine problems, so the crew of the Resurgum transferred to assist, but the entry hatch on the Resurgum could not be fastened from outside and the submarine began to ship water, eventually causing it to sink.
There is a replica of the Resurgam on display close to the Woodside terminal of the Mersey Ferry in Liverpool.
BORN THIS DAY - MIKE PETERS
Born on this day 1959 in Prestatyn
Mike Peters - musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm and Big Country.
As a survivor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Peters co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation (a charity that raises funds and awareness for people with cancer and leukaemia).
BARON WOGAN PHILLIPS OF LLANSTEPHAN
Born this day 1902 Wogan Phillips 2nd Baron Milford - the only communist to sit in the House of Lords
Phillips was born at Manor House, High Street, Brentwood, Essex. His father had estates in Llanstephan in Radnorshire, which Philips regularly visited as a child. He read history at Oxford for two years until his father decided that this was an unprofitable use of time, as Phillips, even though tall and handsome, was not known as a clever man.
For the next few years, Philipps toured around Wales with Augustus John and also travelled to Normandy, the Adriatic, Greece and Spain. Then, like many other upper class people, Philips worked during the General Strike of 1926 but was made to reconsider his politics by London dockworkers who persuaded him that their cause was just
Throughout the early 1930s, Phillip's politics became more radical and he volunteered to assist Spanish Medical Aid during the Spanish Civil War during which he was wounded. On his return, he joined the Communist Party, at which his father disinherited him, but when his father died in 1962, Philips became the 2nd Lord Milford and subsequently took his seat in the House of Lords, becoming its first communist member.
'THE PROUD VALLEY - RADIO PREMIERE
On 25th February 1940, "The Proud Valley" became the first film to have its première on radio, when the BBC broadcasted a 60-minute version.
The film starring Paul Robeson was filmed on location in the South Wales coalfield and tells the story of David Goliath, a Black American miner who arrives in Wales in 1938 in the aftermath of the 1926 general strike and the Great Depression and wins the respect of the local Welsh people through his singing. He becomes a hero and sacrifices his own life to save fellow miners in an underground accident. Robeson later remarked that, of all his films, this was his favourite.
Arts Council of Wales are hosting four Sgwrs Gelfyddydol OPEN SPACE events across Wales.
Mae'r Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yn cynnal pedair Sgwrs Gelfyddydol or enw Ein Lle Ni ar ddraws Cymru.
Gwilio fideo #sgwrsgelf yma http://www.culturecolony.com/ein-lle-ni-open-space/videos
Watch Arts Conversation videos here http://www.culturecolony.com/ein-lle-ni-open-space/videos
Mae Ein Lle Ni yn fath newydd a gwahanol o gyfarfod ymgynghori. Bydd gennych gyfle i siarad a chymerir eich safbwynt o ddifrif. Maen fforwm arloesol a democrataidd i drafod eich syniadau chi am ddyfodol celfyddydau Cymru. Addawn ddiwrnod difyr ac ysbrydoledig ichi lle cewch gyfrannu go iawn i greu strategaeth i gelfyddydau Cymru. Rhown sylw arbennig ir celfyddydau Cymraeg au lle i gynnal a hyrwyddor iaith.
Open Space is not the usual form of public consultation meeting where people from the Arts Council talk at you - or where you turn up to talk about one thing and its never discussed. Its a pioneering form of democratically organised consultative meeting where you bring your ideas about where the arts in Wales should be heading and how we get there and are guaranteed to be able to discuss them. We think youll find the day stimulating and inspiring and it will allow you to really contribute to the process of creating a strategy for the arts.
Gallwch nawr lawrlwytho, gweld a rhoi sylwadau ar adroddiadau a gyflwynwyd yn ein digwyddiadau ar y wefan arbennig hon http://sgwrsgelf.wordpress.com/
You can now download, view and comment on the reports presented in our events on our dedicated site http://sgwrsgelf.wordpress.com/
Tweet #sgwrsgelf
EXPLOSION AT PENTRE COLLIERY
On 24th February 1871 an explosion at Pentre Colliery, Ton Pentre, killed 39 men and nine horses.
The probable cause of the explosion was "Firedamp" which is a flammable gas, usually methane, found naturally in coal mines.
BORN THIS DAY - ALFRED LEWIS JONES
Born this day 1845 in Carmarthen
Sir Alfred Lewis Jones At an early age his family moved to Liverpool, he commenced his career as a ships apprentice and soon owned his own shipping business. He later became one of the leading figures in the shipping firm of Elder Dempster, through whose contacts he acquired considerable territorial and financial interests in West Africa, being dubbed the "Uncrowned King of West Africa". He also developed the tourist trade and the banana industry of the Canary Islands and was President of the British Cotton Growing Association. He was knighted in 1901.
CHEPSTOW RAILWAY BRIDGE OPENS IN 1852
On 24th February 1852, The Times reported that Robert Stephenson had approved Isambard Kingdom Brunel's design for the railway bridge at Chepstow.
Chepstow Railway Bridge was used for the first time on 19 July 1852, which allowed the Great Western Railway to open its London to Swansea line. It is considered as one of Brunel's major achievements, because the span of 300 feet needed to be self supporting, as the Monmouthshire side is low-lying sedimentary deposit subject to regular flooding and the height requirement of 84 feet above high water imposed by the Abmiralty ruled out an arched bridge.
Brunel therefore designed the bridge to be suspended by chains from two cast iron tubes, 9 feet in diameter. The new railway line and bridge reduced the travelling time between London and Swansea from 15 hours, by rail, road and ferry, to 5 hours by rail.
DR RICHARD PRICE
Born on this day 1723, in Tynton, Llangeinor, Glamorgan
Richard Price - described as one of the most influential intellectuals to have ever come from Wales.
Price was a moral and political philosopher, a nonconformist minister and a writer on issues of statistics and finance, being inducted into the Royal Society for both.
Dr Richard Price was progressive in his views on both religion and politics. He was a Presbyterian and an Arian, who championed religious toleration. He supported the French and American Revolutions and suggested that governments should rule by consent of the people, arguing for the creation of a British republic, votes for all adult males, women's rights and a basic welfare state. His death in 1791 was marked by a day of national mourning in France.
RON BERRY
Born this day 1920, in Blaencwm, Rhondda
Ron Berry, an author, who also wrote several plays for BBC television and he is regarded as one of the Wales' more significant post-war authors. He began writing later in life after attending Coleg Harlech after having had many jobs over his lifetime such as a miner, navvy, fitter, merchant navy seaman, swimming pool manager, boxer and footballer and this gave him a wide variety of life experiences from which to draw on. His books reflect the working class of the industrial valleys and although writing during a sometimes bleak period of Welsh history, he avoided falling into clichés of depressed miners and their families surviving everyday toil. Largely ignored during his lifetime, Berry's work has recently started to become more appreciated. '
MENINGITIS IN PONTYPRIDD
In February 1999, a severe outbreak of meningitis in the Pontypridd area resulted in three people dying.
A public health emergency was declared after public fears about the likelihood of infection, resulted in alarmed parents marching to demand blanket vaccinations. Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which is usually caused by infection with viruses or bacteria.
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CYMRU RYDD
In February 1911, a Welsh Nationalist League was founded, based in Caernarfonshire, to campaign for Home Rule. Up to this point recognition of Wales had made considerable progress, with the most significant developments occurring in the fields of education and culture. However in the immediate years following World War I, although Wales gained some administrative devolution, the movement for Welsh "home rule" lost significant momentum.
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A review of Welsh poet and novelist Mike Jenkins new anthology Barkin . " A former winner of the Wales Book of the Year competition for 'Wanting to Belong' (Seren), Jenkins is a former editor of Poetry Wales and a long-term coeditor of 'Red Poets'. "
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It is always a pleasure to welcome a new anthology from one of Wales most renowned and talented poets. But 'Barkin' is no ordinary poetry anthology. A quick scan of the contents page reveals that this collection comprises 31 poems and 3 short stories and the titles reveal a common theme. The poems and short stories,'Settin Fire t Tesco's' and 'The Girl oo become Blonde' to name but two, are all written in Merthyr dialect and mainly from the perspective of persons who are struggling, or perhaps failing, to survive economic hardship.
That is not to suggest that there is a lack of humour in these pages. Far from it. In 'Fish Foot Clinic, a patron of the Wyndham Arms ( one of Britain's "top 10 'ardest pubs" ) visits the recently opened clinic and announces:-
'I wan mine done!' ee demands,
'on'y make it f****n piranhas,
not them poncy fish yew do ewse!Aye, they cun feed off my tattoos.
On'y piranhas are ard enough
fr a pair o feet like these.'
In 'Settin fire t Tesco's' we find a beneficiary/victim of Britain's 'benefit culture' indulging in a form of individual protest against his straitened economic circumstances:-
I woz liftin clothes tha's all
coz I carn afford none:
arf my benefit goes to-a dealer
an the rest is jest f survivin.
The poems and stories all focus on ordinary working class life at the sharp end in Camerons 'condemnation' and if the protagonists all appear to be 'barkin' it is perhaps an inevitable response to impossible or overwhelming circumstance.
From his Wikipedia entry we learn that Mike Jenkins took voluntary redundancy from teaching in 2009 and 'now writes full-time capitalising on experiences gleaned from former pupils.' This collection demonstrates what a rich vein Mike is working and provided you can cope with the dialect, will provide chuckles, inspiration and food for thought for a paltry 7.50 GBP ( $12 US ). Unreservedly recommended!!
'Barkin' is published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch
LINKS
An interview with Mike Jenkins
'Journey of The Taf' Mike Jenkins
Review by Ceri Shaw Ceri Shaw on Google+
The government wants to encourage more building to increase the housing stock and help the building industry, which is feeling the pinch from the economic recession.
I've been watching a series on BBC Two, Wales,screened at eight o'clock on Thursdays. It'smain focus isthe decisions of Chester Council's Planning Department.
One episode showed how the Planning Committee decidedto grant permission for a development of new houses onfields that nearbyresidents wanted to protect,because they did not want to lose the views.Government guidelines were adhered to and there was no reason to refuse the developer going ahead.
By co-incidence, the following day,I came acrossa judgement of 1610 concerning ahouseholder who had built a pigsty (twlc) at the side of his house.Neighbours held that the pigsty took awaytheir view but the judge declared that, while views are a delight, they cannot be regarded as a right.
Chester is a town which has interesting old houses, lovely tiledroofs, unusual chimney pots and I was amazed when two retired doctors were granted permission to install solar panels into the roof of their old house. From the city walls it's possible to take a walk and look down on the tops ofhouses and these panels could be seen clearly, like a bloton theold building. (I'm not inferring that a newer house should not have panels, but a historic building is different - for me, if not the Planners.) I couldn't accept the argument of the doctors, who saidthis was the twenty first century, requiring residents to'move with the times.' People are lucky to live in an old house; if they don't respect it's agetheyshouldmove to a newer house.
Haverfordwesthasvery few old buildings thathave been preserved.Some of the 'modern' buildings in the town are little more than an eye-sore. I'm thinking particularly of the former tax office, a box-like constructioncomposed of blue,plastic lookingpanels with so many windows thatstaff found the rooms uncomfortably bright.
So many modern buildings look like a child's construction made of cardboard boxes.What I mourn arethe old stone cottages that used to be dotted around the Welsh country side, with earth floors and corrugated lean-to's at the side. Of course, they had no running water, electricity or any modern conveniences and St Fagan's has preserved many of them, but I know that many places brought 'up to date' in the fifties, just became ugly boxes rendered in pebble dash, possessing no charm.
I'm not advocating that we do nothing innovative architecturally but manynew buildings look tatty within a few years, whereas Georgian houses retain their elegance. And as forPlanning Committees? It is difficult to second guess them.
