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Y Lolfa and Seren are Wales two leading publishing houses. Seren tends to concentrate on Anglo-Welsh literature whilst Y Lolfa publishes a wide range of general titles about Welsh culture and history and also a great many first rate Welsh language titles. In the interests of promoting knowledge of Wales and its leading book publishers we are featuring the press release reproduced below.
The latest title from Y Lolfa concerns a case with which many members of Americymru may be unfamiliar. In 1987 three men were convicted for the vicious murder of a Cardiff newsagent and sentenced to life imprisonment. Their sentences were subsequently overturned on appeal amidst concerns over the way the investigation was handled.
It must be stressed that the 1980's were a turbulent period in Wales' history. Social discontent and unrest manifested itself in many forms includindg national strikes by the steelworkers and mineworkers, the holiday home burning campaign conducted by Meibion Glyndwr , the Welsh language TV station protest movement, the formation of radical Welsh Republican movements and in the late 80's the beginning of the Anti Poll Tax protest movement. It is against this backdrop that a series of the most spectacular miscarriages of justice in Welsh history occurred. The case of the Cardiff Three is perhaps the most infamous of these. Another more politically charged incident involving the prosecution of members of Y Faner Goch for conspiring to produce explosives has been documented in Y Lolfa's excellent Police Conspiracy . The forthcoming title by Michael o' Brien deals with the case of the Cardiff Newsagent Three.
Whilst these cases should never be forgotten and can never be excused it should be pointed out that owing to the turbulent nature of the era, police resources were stretched to the limit and unreasonable pressure was probably brought to bear to obtain speedy convictions. It should also be pointed out that the South Wales Police have a record for intelligent and sensitive crowd control at major sporting events which should be the envy of every police force in the world.
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Books gets author out of prison and into publishing...
Michael Obrien, who was imprisoned for 11 years for a murder he didnt commit will give a full account of his ordeal and his fight for justice in the forthcoming book called The Death of Justice. The autobiography will be published by Welsh publishers, Y Lolfa in September, and the author is glad of the continuing support of the publishers as a book they published in 1984 played a crucial part in his release from prison.
Michael Obrien said: When I went for bail it was bought to my attention that there was a similar case of misscarriage of justice that had happened many years earlier described in the book Police Conspiracy published by Y Lolfa.
The book was used at the appeal and at the bail hearing and convinced the judge to free me on bail, pending an appeal. There were striking similarities between both cases which bought police investigations into question. Theres no doubt that Police Conspiracy went a long way to establish my innocence in the courts and helped to uncover what had gone on in the case. It played a significant part in my release.
Michael Obrien also feels that had the judges of the original trial know about the case in Police Conspiracy they may have reached a different verdict. He added: Im very greatful to Y Lolfa for what theyve done, and I hope my book will bring attention to all cases of miscarriage of justice in Britain.
Michael Obrien received the highest compensation payout ever for miscarriage of justice in 2006, a sum of near a million pounds, and in his book he reveals how he lost everything, including his family while in prison, and then turned to study law to work on his case. He was released in 1999 after eleven years behind bars.
The Death of Justice will be published by Y Lolfa on 19 September and is written with Greg Lewis.
Let's start getting ready for the Welsh element of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2009
By Kelvin Williams, 2008-06-09
Out And About In Oregon (1)
OK so this is a little off topic but I thought I'd post an album of photographs taken during a visit to The Painted Hills a few years ago. It is a singular tribute to my prowess with a camera that I am able to take fairly ordinary photographs of even the most "visually stunning" subject matter 
Painted Hills, Oregon, Gallery
I want to make these photos available to friends and family back in Wales (and elsewhere) and this is the first of an occasional series of travel blogs which will appear on my Out And About In Oregon page.
Here is some more info about the area from the Wikipedia:- "Painted Hills is one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, located in Wheeler County, Oregon. It totals 3,132 acres (1,267 ha) and is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Mitchell, Oregon. The Painted Hills are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon." More here:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_Hills
Fortunately the book does not concern itself solely with these superstar desperadoes, colorful though they may be. There are short sections here on Welsh cowboys, ranchers, prospectors, miners and railway workers all of whom played their part in the building of the West.
The real strength of this volume is that it treats of characters who did not make it into the history books. You will find no Wikipedia entry for John Reynolds Hughes who single-handedly tracked and subdued two gangs of murderous cattle-rustlers before deciding to do it professionally and joining the Texas Rangers. Likewise, history does not record much about the exploits of Jack Farmer - railroad pioneer, who successfully treated his rheumatism with Kentucky Bourbon whilst surveying in the Rockies.
Published by Y Lolfa at $12 (approx) this book is an excellent introduction to the Wild Welsh in the old West.
Years ago a good friend of mine went to Tenby and brought me back a gift. The two prints reproduced below have hung on my wall ever since. I dont know much about them except that they came from an antique store in Tenby and that they are not very old. They are printed on paper and mounted on masonite board. Does anyone know if they are a reproduction of anythimg interesting or significant?The text, which I may get round to copying in a future post, is for the most part historically accurate ( apart for one howler which was pointed out to me by a friend ) and of course they both reference events in the 15th century which was a very turbulent period in Welsh history. The Mab Darogan ( or Son of Prophecy ) visited Wales twice in that period. If you read the Wikipedia article ( linked above ) you will find four candidates for the title listed in all. Unfortunately they all share the same legacy of failure ( heroic and inspiring examples notwithstanding ). They all failed to create a united and independent Wales. Indeed it could be argued that Tony Blair achieved more in that direction. Does this mean that Tony Blair was the true Mab Darogan?? ( only joking )
Owain Glyndwr
Henry Tudor
2006 Welsh Book of the Year winner Rhys Evans has just launched the biography of Gwynfor Evans, hailed by many as the ‘Welsh Gandhi’, at the Hay festival. The launch was chaired by newly appointed Director of Communications to Boris Johnson, Guto Harri. During the event at the Sky Movie stage Rhys was questioned on Gwynfor Evans and his vast contribution to Welsh politics.
Comparisons were made between the pressure Gordon Brown is presently under to what Gwynfor Evans suffered on numerous periods during his career. But Rhys Evans explained that Gwynfor just kept on going through thick and thin to become one of the main Welsh political figures of the 20 th century. Rhys Evans said: “For Gwynfor to be preseident of a nationalist party for 36 is unsurpassed anywhere in Europe as far as I know, except maybe for Tito in the old Yugoslavia!”
Regarding his contribution, Rhys Evans said: “Wales and Wales's position within a devolved UK would be unrecognisable were it not for the labours of Gwynfor Evans over four decades. The central argument of this book is that Gwynfor Evans should be critically regarded as one of the three Welsh architects of post-war Wales. Whilst the lives of the other two key figures, Aneurin Bevan and Lloyd George, have been dispassionately chronicled, this is the first attempt to tell the complex and often tortured story of Gwynfor Evans."
Gwynfor Evans propelled Welsh politics onto the UK stage. He was one of the rare politicians to have forced Margaret Thatcher to make a U-turn, when he threatened a hunger strike to campaign for a Welsh-language TV channel, and was the winner of one of the most famous by-elections when he became Wales’ first nationalist MP. His leadership of the Welsh resistance against the flooding of Welsh valleys gained Plaid Cymru UK-wide publicity, and he is credited with paving the way for our post-devolution UK-politics.
The 500 page hardback book, Gwynfor Evans: Portrait of a Patriot is published by Y Lolfa. The original Welsh version won Welsh Book of the Year award in 2006 and Hywel Williams in The Guardian described Rhys Evans’s “sumptuous new biography” as a “major event”. It has also been described as a “masterpiece, both comprehensive and extremely interesting” by International Politics lecture Dr Richard Wyn Jones.
Author Rhys Evans was born in Carmarthen and raised in Aberystwyth. He graduated at Hertford College, Oxford where he studied Modern History. He’s been a journalist in Cardiff for more than a decade and is currently BBC Wales’ Deputy Head of News and Current Affairs.
