To his friends in the 14 th century Dafydd ap Gwilym was paun cerdd, eos Dyfed, and penceirddwalch ‘the peacock of poetry’, ‘the nightingale of Dyfed’, and ‘the hawk of chief poets’. More than 650 years later he is still considered by many to be the finest Welsh poet ever. He is a delightful, at times hilarious, poet who explores the emotional complexities of love, especially unrequited love, with a self-mocking style that teaches us more than he seems, at first, to be saying. To say he loved nature is an understatement. He loved the world in all kinds of weather, which he also loved to complain about. He loved birds and trees and rivers. He loved the golden-haired Morfudd, perhaps for years even after she was married. He loved black- haired Dyddgu even though she seems to have been above his station in life. He loved to flirt with noble women and barmaids alike. And he continues to articulate for us the ubiquitous joys, doubts, and pains of love that most of us secretly harbor within ourselves.

This book includes the Welsh texts of 35 poems, accompanied by facing translations into English, an introduction in both Welsh and English, with explanatory notes, an afterword about Dafydd, and a brief introduction to Welsh metrics. The book is sumptuously illustrated by Anthony Griffiths with 70 evocative photographs of places that Dafydd himself knew and loved.

from the Preface by Dafydd Johnston, Director of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies:

“As one who has spent his academic career working on the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym, it is a rare pleasure for me to come across an entirely new way of looking at the subject, but I must say that this book has indeed made me see the poems with fresh eyes.... This collection provides a splendid introduction to the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym.”

Copies are available in bookstores in Wales and from the publisher, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, at

https://carreg-gwalch.cymru/ .

In the US, signed copies are available from the author at

https://sites.google.com/site/themabinogi/home

Also by Bollard and Griffiths

The Mabinogi: Legend and Landscape of Wales (Gomer Press, 2006)

Companion Tales to The Mabinogi (Gomer Press, 2007)

Tales of Arthur (Gomer Press, 2010)

Englynion y Beddau / The Stanzas of the Graves (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2015)

In this video, Llywelyn travels to Wales in 2018 on a Kingdom of Wales diplomatic passport to issue a challenge to the UK after the UK Cabinet Office acquiesced (1) on the fact that Llywelyn is the true King of Britons.

The UK was unable to charge Llywelyn with fraud or having a fake passport because it is an established fact (manifesta probatione non indigent) that he is the de jure sovereign of Wales. By placing himself at risk Llywelyn was able to extract a declaratory recognition of sovereignty (2) from the UK. Any other person would have been charged with a crime for traveling on a self issued passport. The UK did not want him to have a trial, as a trial would reveal a lack of jurisdiction and expose the fact that the UK is only an acting government and not the true sovereign government of Wales.

Under international law, a government in exile has the authority to perform all normal acts of state. Including the issuing of identifications, passports, and creating treaties and alliances with other governments. 

The paramount take away from this video is that the United Kingdom is not the sovereign government of Wales. Their presence in Wales is an occupation under international law (3).  The Kingdom of Wales exists in present day, entitled to all of the signs and symbols of sovereignty and independence. 

Cymru am byth!
_________________________________________________________________

(1) "Delay by an individual claimant in the presentation of a claim has at times been held to bar the right of a state to present the claim subsequently as a valid one in international law. The grounds for the refusal to allow claims under these circumstances have been variously expressed. At times the disallowance is merely stated in terms of the claimant's non-action or laches, and at other times in terms of prescription or of a limitation on international claims.”
Marjorie M. Whiteman, Damages in International Law 236 (1937)

(2) “The declaratory doctrine of recognition can be stated in simple terms. A State exists as a subject of international law-as a subject of international rights and duties-as soon as it "exists" as a fact, that is, as soon as it fulfills the conditions of statehood as laid down in international law. Recognition merely declares the existence of that fact. These propositions are regarded by the adherents of the declaratory view as self-evident.”p. 423
H. LAUTERPACHT, “Recognition of States in the International Law”, “Yale Law Journal”, Volume 53, Issue 3, Article 1,  (1944)

(3) “Occupatio bellica, or belligerent occupation, is “quintessentially a temporary state of fact arising when an invader achieves military control of a territory and administers it on a provisional basis, but has no legal entitlement to exercise the rights of the absent sovereign.” Nehal Bhuta, The Antinomies of Transformative Occupation, 16 Eur. J. Int’l L. 721, 725 (2005)” 
See  Melissa Patterson, “Who’s Got the Title”, Harvard International Law Journal, Volume 47, Number 2, Summer 2006

Cardiff based aggro-Glam band, unleash their stunning debut single ‘Cherrytight’ this November, a debut statement from a band that are starting to stand out in the Welsh music scene. Produced by Tom Rees (Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard) during the blistering summer of 2019 ‘Cherrytight’ lights the touch paper with thudding baselines, bombastic drums, caustic gyrating guitars and vocals that drip with attitude and sexuality. The track explodes into an insatiable chorus that wraps itself around your heart and won’t let go. Comparisons to the throbbing roar of early Hole, and the rawness of L7 with an outstanding, storming outro. TELGATE have a duty to start riots in 6” platforms. They embody a fierce challenge on societal norms along with music which is unapologetically queer, loud and brutally honest; with ‘Cherrytight’ they make an unmissable introductory offering.

“Cherrytight is a metaphor for the backlash and social reaction to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The song is a poetic discussion of how the crisis which grieved the LGBTQ community was twisted to promote fear-mongering of homosexual and bisexual people and laid blame on our community. The lyrics relate to the excessive marginalisation which came from the discriminative reactions that pushed the queer community into the shadows. Amongst the catchy bassline and powerful flange is a protest for those queer lives who died in the shadows and those who are emerging from them today.” 

- Casper James, vocals & lyrics

Working with the artist developers of the Forté Project in 2019, TELGATE have been quickly developing a reputation in South Wales over recent months with a series of riotous shows across the region and the band have now started branching out to shake venues and festivals across the UK. They stand apart from the typical local guitar bands with their dramatic performances, their androgynous and glamourous looks and their incendiary rock and roll sound.  TELGATE’s work takes influences from 60s psychedelic, 1970s glam rock, post-punk of the ‘80s and riot grrrl of the ‘90s. Their music is wrapped in the hungry imaginations and outspoken personas of TELGATE. These androgynous young musicians, each one with a defined sense of style and appreciation of music’s rich tapestry, are here to play with perceptions of gender, sexuality and what music can be. They craft blistering righteous anthems for eccentrics and outcasts. Paint your lips red and prepare to fall in lust with the queerest side of rock and roll.

FFO: Jefferson Airplane, Bikini Kill, Hole, L7

Band members:

Casper James - vocals & lyrics

Chris Norton - guitar

Jay J. Sweeney - bass

Tom Cove - drums

TELGATE perform at Swn Festival this weekend, downstairs at Clwb Ifor Bach on the 19th of October at 8.30pm. 

“Cherrytight” is released 22nd November worldwide

The Welsh response to the vandalisation of the iconic mural near Llanrhystud was the spark that inspired Mari Emlyn’s new bilingual book - Cofiwch Dryweryn: Wales Awakening  (Y Lolfa). 

Author Mari Emlyn says:

“We are indebted to the group of young people who went and rebuilt and then repainted the wall. Perhaps the vandals did us a favour, as a mass patriotic awakening has snowballed as a result of their heinous act. Even when some of these new murals have been defaced, the Welsh people have returned quietly, and with dignity, to repaint their tributes.” 

The original slogan was painted by author Professor Meic Stephens, who was a student at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth at the time, as a protest against the decision to drown the Tryweryn Valley in order to provide water for the people of Liverpool. Despite all his literary work, Meic Stephens swore: ‘This is my most famous statement, my most eloquent poem, my most important political act’. 

The book places the mural phenomenon in the context of Capel Celyn’s history, with contributions by three whose roots are firmly in the Tryweryn Valley: Eurgain Prysor Jones, Gwyn Roberts and Elwyn Edwards. Their stories make up the early chapters of the book, as well as a chapter by Emyr Llywelyn who was imprisoned for a year for his part (with Owain Williams and John Albert Jones) in trying to stop the development of the dam in February 1963. There’s also a chapter by radio and television presenter, Huw Stephens, who is the son of the original mural painter. 

Following these contributions, elements of this year’s story are presented in the form of pictures and short written pieces by the public who have been appreciating other people’s efforts during the spring and summer – from Bridgend to Bwlch-y-Groes, from Llangrannog to Llanuwchllyn – and even Chicago! This book is only a taster of the hundreds of murals which continue to be created. 

Siôn Jobbins, Chaiman of Yes Cymru said:

“Destroying the Cofiwch Dryweryn mural was an attempt to destroy the memory and idenitity of Wales as a nation. This book shows that we will never let that happen again. It documents the brave and challenging words on walls across Wales that commemorate our history and demand a better future for our nation.” 

The author and actress Mari Emlyn originally comes from Cardiff, but has long since settled in Y Felinheli with her husband, and has raised three sons there. The Treweryn story has intensified her belief that Wales, if it is to be a proud and confident nation, needs to know its own history. 

Cofiwch Dryweryn: Wales Awakening  will be launched at 7pm in Studio 1, Galeri Caernarfon on Friday, 18 ^th  October.  

Cofiwch Dryweryn: Wales Awakening  by Mari Emlyn (£7.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

'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 your fears. SERA's new songs will continue to follow in this theme of the mythic-surreal rooted in very real experiences. The track is taken from SERA's collection of songs for 2019 and from her new collaboration with producer Andi Bonsai.

SERA hails from Caernarfon in North Wales and is a busy bilingual (Welsh and English) performer and songwriter, part of the CEG Records family. Earlier this year SERA was selected as a part of BBC Horizons programme, in which the BBC back a dozen of the freshest acts in Wales and provide them with festival showcases and industry opportunites.

Read More about SERA on BBC Horizons/Gorwelion Here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/ncQVrLc42RKXRWlrspzP67/sera 

In addition to great support from Welsh media and festival such as BBC Radio Wales/ Radio Cymru, S4C and Focus Wales, support for SERA's music has come from Chris Hawkins BBC 6 Music, Claire Blading BBC Radio 2, Janice Long, Lisa Gwilym, Bethan Elfyn & Adam Walton BBC Radio Wales, BBC specialist shows, North American Festival of Wales, 'How the Light Gets in' Festival, Festival Number 6, Henley Festival and more and continues to grow....

For all social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Soundcloud) go to @serasongs

Live Dates/Dyddiadau Byw
Sept 15th - Fresh on the Net Showcase, Edinburgh
Sept 24th - Live Session - Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen (Arts Council Funded)
Sept 26 - BBC Music Day - Wynne Evans Show - BBC Radio Wales
Sept 27 - Freshers Week, Cardiff
Sept 28th - Clwb y Bont, Pontypridd
Oct 4th - New Single 'Into The Woods' Release Date  

'Into The Woods' i'w sengl newydd SERA yn dilyn 'Rabbit Hole' a nath gael clod arithrol gan y wasg a cymorth helaeth gan radio, yn cynnwys Chris Hawkins, BBC 6 Music. Bydd caneuon newydd SERA yn parhau i ddilyn yn y thema hon o'r swreal-chwedlonol sydd wedi'i gwreiddio mewn profiadau go iawn, a fydd yn cael ei rhyddhau yn ddigidol drwy CEG Records / Pyst ar y 4ydd o Hydref.

Mae SERA yn hanu o Gaernarfon yng Ngogledd Cymru ac mae'n berfformiwr a chyfansoddwr caneuon prysur dwyieithog (Cymraeg a Saesneg) ac yn rhan o deulu CEG Records. Yn gynharach yn 2019 nath SERA cael ei dewis i fod yn rhan o umgyrch BBC Gorwelion/Horizons 12, lle mae'r BBC yn cefnogi 12 artist mwya ffres Cymru a rhoi cyfle iddynt chware lwyfannau newydd. Ma'r trac yn cael ei gymerid o gasgliad o ganeuon gan SERA am 2019 ac o gyd-weithio a'r cynhyrchydd Andi Bonsai.

Darllen mwy ynglyn a SERA a BBC Gorwelion/Horizons fan hyn:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/ncQVrLc42RKXRWlrspzP67/sera

Yn ogystal â radio a'r cyfryngau yng Nghymru, megis BBC Radio Wales/Radio Cymru a S4C, mae cefnogaeth i gerddoriaeth SERA wedi dod gan Chris Hawkins, BBC 6 Music, Claire Blading BBC Radio 2, Janice Long, Lisa Gwilym, Bethan Elfyn A Adam Walton BBC Radio Wales, Rhaglenni Arbenigol BBC, Gŵyl Cymru Gogledd America, Focus Wales, How the Light Gets in, Festival Number 6, Gŵyl Henley a mwy ac yn parhau i dyfu...

Ar gyfer yr holl gyfryngau cymdeithasol (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Soundcloud) ewch i @serasongs

Live Dates/Dyddiadau Byw
Sept 15th - Fresh on the Net Showcase, Edinburgh
Sept 24th - Live Session - Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen (Arts Council Funded)
Sept 26 - BBC Music Day - Wynne Evans Show - BBC Radio Wales
Sept 27 - Freshers Week, Cardiff
Sept 28th - Clwb y Bont, Pontypridd
Oct 4th - New Single 'Into The Woods' Release Date  

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 Wales, CADW, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum of Wales, and is written by some of Wales’s foremost historians and archaeologists.  Wales and the Sea  contains archive photographs drawn largely from the vast collections of the National Monuments Record of Wales, the National Library of Wales and the National  Museum of Wales, but also from libraries across the world. 

Archaeological finds from Wales – including Bronze-Age boats, Roman ships and their cargoes, the medieval Newport ship and the seventeenth-century royal yacht  Mary  – all testify to the long history of Wales as a seafaring nation.  Wales and the Sea  brings to life the age of ocean-going liners, the cable-laying ships that connected Wales to the rest of the world, the pleasure steamers, racing yachts and the seaside piers as well as the busy docks that supplied Welsh slate, coal, iron and steel to the world. 

Heroes and villains from the book include the buccaneer Henry Morgan, the smuggler William Owen and the infamous Bartholomew Roberts, known as Black Bart, who is reputed to have captured 400 ships in a two-year period before eventually being shot by the Royal Navy in 1722. There are also figures such as the red-cloaked Jemima Niclas, who, armed with a pitchfork, famously helped to see off the last French invasion during the Battle of Fishguard on 24 February 1797. 

Beautifully illustrated with over 300 images, the 348-page large-format book also looks at the impact of the sea on the artistic imagination through naval paintings, seascapes, poetry, song and popular seaside souvenirs. It aims to raise the profile of the Wales’ maritime heritage in the public consciousness and celebrates the hard work of those who safeguard  this legacy for the nation, through recording, site protection and museum curation. 

In his foreword, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Welsh Assembly Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, congratulates the contributors to  Wales and the Sea  for “reminding us that Wales has a proud maritime history” and that the Welsh seas cover a greater area than our land area (marine area 32,000km² / land area 20,375 km²). 

“ Wales and the Sea  is an incredibly comprehensive and accessible history of every aspect of Wales’ connection with the sea, from the creation of land mass to the present day,” says Nicola Roberts, Public Engagement Officer at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. 

Wales and the Sea  is rooted in scholarship but written to be enjoyed, and is packed with stories and pictures that remind us of the vital role that the sea has played in Wales’s distinctive history. 

Wales  and the Sea  will be launched at the National Waterfront Gallery in Swansea, at 2:30pm on Thursday 24 ^th  October 2019. For further details, please contact Nicola Roberts:  Nicola.roberts@rcahmw.gov.uk  

Wales  and the Sea  (£24.99, Y Lolfa) is available now (also available in Welsh-language version:  Cymru a’r Môr: 10,000 o flynyddoedd o Hanes y Môr )

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 landmines that are still there. It is in the process of being restored by its sole inhabitant. 

Right Hand Left Hand  are back with a brand new album. Following on from their self-titled, Welsh Music Prize-nominated second album, their third offering,  ‘Zone Rouge’  released on the 15th of November, tells the story of humanity's contempt for the earth beneath us, the air above us and the people around us.

Our fractured planet lays the groundwork for the 11 new tracks on  'Zone Rouge'.  Each referring to a location on Earth where something bad has happened: An act of corruption against the planet, an act of evil against fellow humans and occasionally both. 

Recorded and produced by  Charlie Francis  ( Future of the Left, REM, Robyn Hitchcock ) at Cardiff’s Musicbox Studios,  Andrew  Plain  (drums/ guitars) and  Rhodri Viney  (guitars/vocals/ drums) continue to build and develop their trademark sound: looped and layered guitars and driving powerful drums that are intercut with atmospheric ambience. 

’Chacabuco'  is available to buy and stream digitally on 27th September. The album will follow on 15th November, 2019. It will be available digitally, on CD, and on limited edition double clear vinyl.