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Please Sign This Petition


By Ceri Shaw, 2009-08-14

To: UK National Lottery, Cadw An important Welsh national historic site, the home of the poet Hedd Wyn, Ellis Evans, visited by more than 3,000 people a year, was rejected for funding by the UK National Lottery and Cadw.

As Evans' family has kept up his home and maintained it open to visitors, as Evans' last surviving relative has become too old to maintain it alone, as this building is a monument to Evans and his work and an important cultural and historic site and the cost of maintaining it for visitors was quoted as only 50,000.00, we the undersigned respectfully request that the maintenance of this site be funded by the UK National Lottery, which was created for just such projects as this and that a grant in that amount be approved by the lottery funders.

Sign the petition HERE .

MORE HERE

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Hendy Productions

Dear Customer, So many of you who purchased the DVD The Land of Your Fathers asked to be kept informed of new films we produce. We are proud to tell you that our latest film will be premiered at the Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland, Oregon this August. We thought you might like to know more about it and have a chance to pre-purchase your copy!......Its called: Cymru: Dau Arwr a Thrysorau / Wales: Two Heroes and Treasures..... MORE HERE

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Help! Sat 15th & Sun. 16th


By Byn (Bynbrynman)Tavarn Ty Elise, 2009-08-13
I will need a hand in my bar on Sat. 15th & Sun. 16th for a concert and hog roast. Also musicians welcome.
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DYLAN THOMAS IN WALES
VISITING AMERICAN STUDENTS PROJECT


Dylan Thomas in Wales is a 12-week literary seminar offered by Knox College (Illinois, America) in cooperation with the Carl Sandburg Birthplace (America),The Seventh Quarry Swansea Poetry Magazine (Wales), Cross-Cultural Communications (New York) and Wales International Center (New York). In the U.S., students will study the life and literary works of Dylan Thomas; in Wales, they will study the impact of Wales natural history and cultural dynamics on Thomas work.


To launch this new and exciting Project
American poet Robin Metz and Swansea poet Peter Thabit Jones will give readings of their poetry and talk about the Project.

Plus songs about Dylan Thomas
by Swanseas singer-songwriter Terry Clarke

at the Dylan Thomas Centre

7 p.m., Friday 4th December, 2009

Free entry
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Gwyl Merlod A Chobiau Cymreig Aberaeron 2009


By Gareth Williams3, 2009-08-13
The Aberaeron Festival of Welsh Ponies & Cobs On the Sgwar Alban (Alban Square) field in Aberaeron

Sgwar Alban Field side roads closed off to accomodate horseboxes this side

And Stalls on the other sideAnd the side road on any other normal day

Tristar Hackney (Cerbyd Hurio)

Rockin' Horse Equestrian Stunt Team


View Aberaeron in a larger map
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Border Boss

OK so "The Lone Ranger" is a fictional character but the fact remains that he is probably based on John Reynolds Hughes whose life and exploits are recorded in Border Boss . John Reynolds Hughes whose family were of Welsh descent was born in Illinois on February 11th 1855. Dafydd Meirion, writing in Welsh Cowboys and Outlaws observes that.:- "Hughes grandparent had left Wales for America and his father, Thomas Hughes, had visited Wales twice to see his relatives."

"Border Boss" is essential reading for anyone wanting a detailed account of Hughes'' adventures. John Reynolds Hughes single-handedly tracked and subdued two gangs of murderous cattle-rustlers before deciding to do it professionally and joining the Texas Rangers. After that his career reads like a history of the old Wild West. He knew tthem all:- Butch Cassidy, Judge Roy Bean, Pancho Villa, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, John Wesley Harding etc. Not only that but he survived to tell the tale. After his retirement he lived in Austin, Texas where he died in 1946 having reached the ripe old age of 91.

And the Lone Ranger connection?

" The famous western writer Zane Grey spent some time with Hughes while he was on the job. Later, his friend Grey wrote the famous book The Lone Star Ranger and dedicated it to Hughes and the Texas Rangers. It is written that his book was also the basis for the character of radio and movie fame, the Lone Ranger. Thus, some have concluded the Lone Ranger was based on the life of John R. Hughes. "

( Quoted from SIPES Houston http://www.sipes-houston.org/story_behind_the_photo.htm )

A Cautionary Tale


By iain williams2, 2009-08-10
A Cautionary TaleThe young man hesitated before taking the challenge that Gwyn had offered. The sound of the flute had been moving and spoke of something that touched him but something he could not give full name to. Gwyn sat on his mound, his green silks about him, making his rock a special place.- Here the veil is torn and one can hear such music for ever he saidThe young man stepped into the mist and he danced, oh how he danced, until he felt dizzy with the sound. And they feasted; wine and mead flowed from the otherworld and Gwyn laughed at the young man but not cruelly taking pleasure. Was it the magic mushrooms that grew on the soggy hillsides at Dinas Oleu that had given a portal into this world? He reeled and fell into the trap until the vision faded and he was on the denuded hillside quite alone.Gwyn had changed his appearance. He was no longer shining but appeared in rags.-how do I find my way back into fairyland? ... the young man enquired.-tell no one the King of The Tribe repliedThe young man lacked confidence in the vision and when he went down from the hill he saw The Mawddach slithering behind misty hills as it meandered its way to the heartland. A man passed him-you have the dew on your face. You have been in the land of the younghe said-yesreplied the young man- The young must grow oldsaid the manThe man told him that Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of the Fairies, was a shapeshifter. The young man had betrayed his word.Ever since then the young mans family had kept an iron pot outside the door to prevent intrusion from the otherworld. The young man never found his way back to Fairyland and Gwyn ap Nudd remained a memoryMy response to folk memory and the power of myth. The magic mushrooms did grow on the hill sides above Bermo and were readily used by the resident hippy population. Dinas Oleu lies on a hillside above Bermo and was a place of mystery at least in the minds of older local storytellers, the majority of which I assume to be dead now. Folk memory embellishes of course yet leaves a stain on our native imaginationsand I think this is what I have written about.Iron, according to the Old Folk, was protection against the fairy people.
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Read the article here:-

Oceans Apart a highlight of the Scottish Festival

Catch Oceans Apart at the Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland Oregon on Saturday August 22nd. For details go here. To check the bands website go here.

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( This is not an official press release but rather the personal observations of a Cymuned supporter )

The Eisteddfod week is coming to an end, and we are looking forward to a period just a tiny bit quieter after the frenetic preparations of stands and magazines.

Firstly then, its great to report that Cymuned had the most successful Eisteddofd since Meifod, with donations coming in, and thousands signing the "Deffro'r Ddraig (Waking the Dragon)" petition against the plan to build houses in the North East of Wales for commuters to Chester and Liverpool. A huge thank you goes to the volunteers who worked on the stand during the week - for their hard work and their interesting company! The fine weather was a blessing, and it was especially encouraging to get signatures from some National Heavyweights, including Dafydd Iwan, Dafydd Wigley and Robin McBryde. It was great to meet more of our supporters and hear your stories and complaints - thanks to everyone who called in.

Talking of the Deffro'r Ddraig petition, Pol, one of the organisers, has this to say: "We now have our Assembly petition on line. You can sign it by following the link from www.righttobewelsh.com . As well as signing on line people will also be able to sign on paper. We aim to get at least 100 000 names to show that this issue is a political timebomb.

"Obviously to achieve this will not be easy but it is essential strategically that we achieve this objective. So can anyone who can help us to collect signatures or deliver leaflets with info about signing online please contact us as soon as possible?

"We have a real opportunity in Wales here and now to begin a process of taking our country out from under the shadow and into a bright Welsh future. Through this wretched plan and the kind of thinking behind it WE can turn a corner that has taken hundreds of years to reach. It just takes all of us to see this chance and do our little bit."

Words to stir the heart, so sign the petition now! For those of you not in the North East, who think that this issue doesn't affect them, think again! The tendrils of this particular plan go right the way into the Welsh heartlands of the North, and there are similar plans in the pipeline for the Mid Wales / Birmingham area and South Wales as well so the more people who sign the better to stop this official bit of colonisation.

And finally, we've received an email from Pete who wrote to Sainsbury's about their publicity for the new store in Lampeter, a town that was, until recently, a bastion of the Welsh language in Dyfed. No prizes for guessing the subject matter - the total lack of Welsh in their flyers. I'm particularly keen on this little gem from his email: "The flyer," he says "was rather old fashioned in that it was a monolingual English pamphlet." - accusing someone's publicity department of being 'old-fashioned' is a sure-fire way of drawing attention to the failures of their campaign.

Thank you Pete - please let us know of any reply you get.

Until next time then!

Iestyn

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Dewi Sant told us to "Do the little things."

To see what he had in mind, have a quick look at

:

www.cymuned.net/ymlaen/dewisant

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new album now available on Rhapsody.com


By Darren Parry, 2009-08-09
new album..."Matters Of The Heart" now available on Rhapsody.com***ONLY AVAILABLE TO US RESIDENTS***Click on links below to listen/buy: http://www.rhapsody.com/darren-parry/matters-of-the-heart http://mp3.rhapsody.com/darren-parry/matters-of-the-heart/slippin-away
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