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Born this day 1893 in Nebraska (his paternal great-grandparents were Welsh)
Harold Lloyd, film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies.
Early in his career, he lost most of his right hand in an accident with a bomb, but went on to perform all of his own hair-raising stunts, including the iconic hanging from the hands of a clock in "Safety Last!" He made more films than Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin put together, and was dubbed "the king of daredevil comedy."
Died this day 1176, Strongbow (Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke)
Strongbow was a Cambro-Norman lord notable for leading the Norman invasion of Ireland, later becoming Lord of Leinster and Justiciar of Ireland.
1148 His father died and he inherited the title Earl of Pembroke.
1167 Diarmait Mac Murchada was deposed as King of Leinster and in order to recover his kingdom, he travelled to Wales and solicited the help of de Clare in exchange for the hand of Aoife, Mac Murchada's eldest daughter in marriage and the succession to Leinster.
1169 Strongbow's army included Welsh archers and landed near Bannow, County Wexford on 1st May. They were massively outnumbered but were able to kill 500 of their opponents and take 70 prisoners and in quick succession took the Viking towns of Wexford, Waterford and Dublin.
1171 (May) Diarmait died and Strongbow became the new king of Leinster. Henry II of England was concerned about Strongbow's growing power in Ireland and later that year he arrived with an army and forced Strongbow to supply 100 knights for the service of the crown in return for control of his land.
1171 (26 August) Strongbow married Aoife in Waterford; one of their daughters, Isabel, went on to marry William the Marshall, who later became the Earl of Pembroke as her consort.
1176 Strongbow died, he was first interred in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral but is now buried in Ferns Cathedral, Wexford.
Alice of Abergavenny.
Alice was the lover of a Norman Marcher Lord, who took her with him during Strongbow's invasion of Ireland in 1170 and was killed in action. In revenge, Alice took an axe and beheaded all 70 of the Irish prisoners that had been taken during the battle, throwing their bodies over a cliff.
‘The Song of Dermot and the Earl’, describes the incident.
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Today is the feast day of Saint Beuno.
Saint Beuno, c. 640 was born at Berriew in Powys, the grandson of a prince. After education in the monastery of Bangor on Dee, he became an active missionary, going as far as Somerset, but eventually founded an abbey at Clynnog Fawr on the Llyn Peninsula. He performed numerous miracles, among them restoring St.Winifred's head after she was beheaded.
Born this day 1957 in Swansea,
Geraint Wyn Davies , stage, film and television actor and a director. He moved with his family from Haverfordwest to Canada when aged seven and is best known for his portrayal of Nick Knight in the Canadian television series Forever Knight.
Born on this day 1938 in Port Talbot,
Andrew Vicari , an artist who has established a career painting portraits of the rich and famous, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where he has been the official painter to the Government and King.
The controversy surrounding the date of Easter;
Easter does not fall on a fixed date, but on the first Sunday after the full moon following the March equinox. However, the Celtic Church of the Early Middle Ages in Wales had developed its own method of the dating of Easter, and refused to conform to Archbishop Augustine's demand in 597 that the papal method be used.
Over the following century, when most of the churches in the Celtic-speaking lands came to accept the Roman Easter, Wales was the only territory still refusing to conform. Th English historian Bede claimed in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People in 731, that the Welsh "upheld their own bad customs against the true Easter of the Catholic Church."
Easter Eggs
The word Easter comes from the Saxon Ēastre and the pagan goddess Eostre, both of which connect to the growing sun and new birth. Many cultures around the world use the egg as a symbol of new life and rebirth.
Easter egg traditions;
* The oldest tradition is to offer gifts of dyed and painted chicken eggs, but the modern custom is to substitute them with chocolate eggs.
* Schoolchildren in North Wales would go from house to house, clapping their hands or wooden clappers, chanting the following words as they went: "Clap, clap, gofyn wy, i hogia' bach ar y plwy" (beg an egg on the parish, children).
* The tradition of egg- rolling, taken to America by European settlers, symbolises the rolling away of the stone from Christ's tomb.
On 19th April 2002, Glyndwr's Way National Trail Path opened,
Named in honour of the Welsh nobleman who in 1401 led a revolt against English domination. The trail extends for 135 miles through Powys between Knighton and Welshpool.
Using these upland tracks, Glyndwr was able to travel elusively, enabling him to fight a guerrilla campaign against the English.
The trail passes a number of battle sites, including the Battle of Hyddgen which was a turning point in Glyndwr’s rebellion. The church at Pilleth is near the site of the battle of Bryn Glas, which took place in 1402. During this battle, Edmund Mortimer, was captured but later married Glyndwr’s daughter. The mid-point of the trail is the town of Machynlleth, where Glyndwr held Wales’ first Parliament in 1404 and was for a period the capital of Wales.
The trail ends in Welshpool, where Glyndwr’s Way links with Offa’s Dyke.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers fought at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on 19th April 1775
The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the outbreak of conflict between Britain and its thirteen colonies in North America.
The British aim was to destroy military supplies at Concord, but as they passed through Lexington, the first shot was fired, the "shot heard around the world." 500 American militiamen fought and defeated three British companies, forcing the British to retreat with their mission unaccomplished.
Born this day 1900 in Weybridge, Surrey (of Welsh descent),
Richard Hughes OBE, writer of plays, short stories, novels and poems. He wrote the world's first radio play, Danger', commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on January 15, 1924. Of his four novels, the most well known is A High Wind in Jamaica, written while he lived at Castle House, Laugharne. It was here also that his friend Dylan Thomas wrote his book " Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog" and it was Hughes who influenced Thomas to make a permanent home in Laugharne.
Born this day 1820 in Plas-y-Felin, Neath,
Anna Letitia Waring, who was a poet and hymn-writer. Originally a Quaker, she converted to Anglicanism 1842 and learned Hebrew in order to study the Old Testament in the original. In 1850, she published 'Hymns and Meditations'.
At Easter 1230, William de Braose, during a visit to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great), was found in the bedchamber of Llywelyn's wife Joan. In fury, Llywelyn had de Braose hanged and placed Joan under house arrest.
William de Braose was despised by the Welsh, who called him Gwilym Ddu, 'Black William'. He inherited several lordships from his father in 1227, including Abergavenny and Builth. He was captured near Montgomery in 1228 and ransomed for the sum of £2,000, but afterwards made an alliance with Llywelyn.
The affair and the execution jeopardised Llywelyn's good relations with the royal government and ended his negotiations with the de Braose family regarding marriage for his son Dafydd. These tensions precipitated the outbreak of war in Wales in 1231.
In April 1093 , Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last king of Deheubarth was at the Battle of Brecon.
Rhys was the great-great-grandson of Hywel Dda and grandfather of Rhys ap Gruffydd (The Lord Rhys).
1078 - Rhys took possession of Deheubarth after his second cousin, Rhys ab Owain was beheaded after the battle of Gwdig.
1081 - Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent invaded Deheubarth, but was killed in the battle of Mynydd Carn. On William the Conqueror’s pilgrimage to St David’s shrine in the same year, he publicly recognised Rhys's position as ruler of Deheubarth in exchange for Rhys's homage. The two maintained good relations until William's death in 1087.
1088 - Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys attacked Deheubarth but was defeated in battle.
1091 Rhys successfully put down a challenge from a force from Dyfed to the throne of Deheubarth, in a battle at St. Dogmaels.
1093 - Rhys was slain by the Normans at the Battle of Brycheiniog (Brecon), which led to the Norman conquest of Brycheiniog, Deheubarth and much of south Wales.
Edward Jones, born in Llandderfel, near Bala, ( March 1752 – 18 April 1824 ) was a harpist, who was also a bard, composer and collector of music. He was known by the bardic name of "Bardd y Brenin", which he adopted in 1820, when his patron, King George IV, was crowned.
He first came to London in 1775, and was patronised by prominent Welshmen and became harp tutor to several wealthy families. In around 1790, he was made Harp-Master to the Prince of Wales and moved into St James's Palace in 1805.
Born this day 1896 in Llanddowror , Carmarthenshire,
James Ira Thomas "Taffy" Jones , who was the highest scoring Welsh air ace of The First World War
During the War, he scored 37 victories and survived 28 flying accidents. In one incident he attacked an enemy bomber with just a flare pistol. At the end of the war, he volunteered to fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War and also went on to serve during The Second World War.
On this day 2008, four dead badgers were found in a field near Crymych.
It opened a debate as to whether local farmers had taken the proposed cull of badgers announced by the Welsh Assembly Government, into their own hands; it appeared that the animals had been poisoned or gassed. The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 makes it an offence to kill or injure a badger unless a licence is obtained from a statutory authority.
Born this day 1920 in Ton Pentre,
Roy Paul , a former Wales soccer international who played as half-back for Swansea Town and then Manchester City, where he spent seven years as captain, leading the club to FA Cup finals in 1955 and 1956, He is considered to be one of Wales' toughest and best ever players.
Good Friday is observed by Christians to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ and his death at Calvary.
Gwener Y Groglith is Welsh for Good Friday and has several traditions associated with it. One from Tenby involved suspending all traffic and movement in the town while people walked barefoot to church in order not to disturb the earth, Jesus' burial place. There was also a tradition called "making Christ's bed" which involved children making woven figures from reeds and leaving them in quiet places to rest in peace.
The Brecon Beacons National Park was established on this day in 1957.
The National Park encompasses 519 square miles and covers four main regions, The Black Mountain, Fforest Fawr, The Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. Its highest peak is Pen y Fan, at 2907 feet.
* The western half was awarded European and Global status in 2005 as Fforest Fawr Geopark.
* A cycling route from Brecon to Cardiff, the Taff Trail, passes through the Beacons.
* A 100-mile walking path, called the Beacons Way, runs from the foot of Ysgyred Fawr east of Abergavenny to the village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire.
* Some of the remote uplands of the Park are used by the SAS and SBS for military training, including an exercise called the Fan dance.
* The area was inhabited during the Neolithic period and the succeeding Bronze Age, evident in the numerous burial cairns in the west of the National Park.
* Over twenty hillforts were established in the area during the Iron Age, the largest being the forts on top of Y Garn Goch near Bethlehem - Y Gaer Fawr and Y Gaer Fach, which are thought to have been trading and political centres.
* The Normans erected many castles throughout the park, such as Carreg Cennen Castle and Brecon Castle.
* The area was important during the Industrial Revolution, as raw materials including limestone, silica sand and ironstone were quarried and transported to the industrial Valleys of South Wales.
Born this day 1943 in Barmouth,
Tommy Nutter , who was the tailor famous for reinventing the Savile Row suit in the 1960s. His clients included Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger and Elton John. Nutter himself was most proud of the fact that, for the cover of The Beatles album Abbey Road, he dressed three out of the four. He described his suits as a "cross between the big-shouldered Miami Vice look and the authentic Savile Row."
Born this day 1621 in Llansantffraed nr Abergavenny,
Twin brothers; Thomas Vaughan, philosopher, and Henry Vaughan, physician, author and metaphysical poet.
Both brothers attended Jesus College, Oxford, after which Thomas became rector of the parish of Llansantffraed, being evicted from the parish in 1650 because of his Royalist sympathies. He went on to use his chemical skills in the preparation of medicines in the manner recommended by Renaissance physician, Paracelsus and established a reputation with his magico-mystical book Anthroposophia Theomagica.
Henry began to practise medicine and write poetry, taking his inspiration from the mountainous environment of the Brecon Beacons, using the pseudonym "Silurist," in homage to the native Celtic Tribe. His work influenced later poets such as Wordsworth, Tennyson and Siegfried Sassoon.
Born on this day 1903 in Llanberis,
Thomas Rowland Hughes (often referred to as T. Rowland Hughes ), who was a Welsh-language novelist, dramatist and poet.
He was the son of a quarryman and is renowned for his novels about characters living and working in the slate quarries of North Wales, 'William Jones' being his most famous novel.
Hughes won the Chair at the National Eisteddfod twice; in 1937 for his ode 'Y Ffin' ('The Boundary'), and again in 1940 for 'Pererinion' ('Pilgrims').
Born on this day 1809 in Carmarthen
Thomas Brigstocke - Noted portrait painter.
Brigstocke spent eight years in Italy, where he is said to have taught Welsh to the well-known linguist Cardinal Mezzofanti who spoke forty languages fluently. He also visited Egypt in the 1840s, where he painted portraits of the Ottoman commander and founder of modern Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. On his return to Britain, he exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1842 and 1865.
Today is the feast day of Saint Padarn
Saint Padarn Born c.490, was a native of Brittany who settled in Wales as a monk. He founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr near Aberystwyth, becoming its first bishop, serving for twenty-one years as a man of prayer and self-denial. He is said to have made a pilgrimage to Rome and also to Jerusalem with St David and St Teilo.
Born this day 1943 in Norwich (her grandmother was Welsh and she was brought up in Llansamlet),
Ruth Madoc, actress and singer, born Ruth Llewellyn. She is best known for her roles as Gladys Pugh in the television comedy Hi de Hi, and as Dafydd Thomas's mother in the series Little Britain. Her first husband was the actor, Phillip Madoc.
Born this day 1815 in Duffryn, Aberdare,
Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, who as Liberal Home Secretary 1868–1873 was responsible for the Licensing Act 1872, which made magistrates the licensing authority, introduced harsh penalties for rowdiness in public-houses and curtailed the number of hours for the sale of drink. In 1888 he established the Official Table of Drops, specifying how far a person should be dropped when hanged for a capital offence, to ensure an instant and painless death.
The Rhydspence Inn, a 14th-century drovers inn situated on the Wales- England border, demonstrates an interesting anomaly of the licensing laws. It is said that the border runs through the pub and that when Wales was a dry country on a Sunday people used to stand at the English end of the bar for a drink.
Born this day 1954 in Pentre, Rhondda,
Alan Curtis, a former Wales soccer international, who is best remembered as a regular member of the Swansea City side that gained promotion to the First Division in 1980-81 and finished in 6th position the following season. He is now a first team coach at Swansea City as well as being a part of the Wales Under 21 coaching team.
Born on this day 1878 in Beulah, near Newcastle Emlyn, Cardiganshire,
Owen Thomas Jones, the geologist who dedicated his working life to the study of Welsh geology and published a paper identifying the Welsh source of the bluestones of Stonehenge as the Preseli Mountains.
Born on this day 1881 at Pendinas, Tregarth near Bangor.
Sir Ifor Williams, the academic who specialised in the study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry.
Williams had an avid interest in Welsh place-names, publishing Enwau Lleoedd ("Place Names") in 1945, a text which is still very much in use today .
His main field of interest was Old Welsh and the earliest Welsh Poetry. He published Canu Llywarch Hen in 1935, then in 1938, possibly his most significant work, Canu Aneurin, which has provided the foundation for all subsequent work on this poetry. Canu Taliesin in 1960 examined the work of the other 6th-century poet Taliesin.
Old Welsh refers to the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century. An earlier period, when Welsh became distinct from Common Brythonic in the 6th century is referred to as "Primitive" or "Archaic Welsh".
Many poems and some prose have been preserved from this period, for example, the text of y Gododdin, a poem describing events in the kingdom of Gododdin (the area known as Yr Hen Ogledd -modern south-east Scotland and north-east England). The oldest surviving text entirely in Old Welsh is probably that on a gravestone now in Tywyn church in Gwynedd, thought to date from the 7th century.
On 16th April 2006 , the first Welsh International Harp Festival opened at Caernarfon, featuring a wide range of music played on different types of harp, including Triple harps, Celtic harps, African Kora and Ku-cheng from China.
The harp originated in Mesopotamia, and the instrument has been adopted by cultures throughout the world in a variety of forms, but in Wales there are more harps per head of population than anywhere; it is considered to be our national instrument.
Born on this day 1922 in Neath,
Rees Stephens, a Welsh international number 8 who played club rugby for Tonmawr RFC and Neath . He was capped on 32 occasions for Wales and played for the British Lions on the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Born this day 1939 in Merthyr,
Howard Winstone, MBE, a former world featherweight boxing champion.
As a teenager, he lost the tips of three fingers on his right hand, which caused him to adapt his style to rely much more on a straight left. He turned professional in 1959 and was managed by former European welterweight champion, Eddie Thomas and over his career went on to claim the British, European and World featherweight titles. After his retirement, he was made a Freeman of Merthyr and voted "Greatest Citizen of Merthyr Tydfil". In 2011, the story of his life was made into a feature film called Risen.
The RMS Titanic, a passenger liner, sank in the North Atlantic on 15th April 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, causing the deaths of 1,502 out of the 2,224 passengers and crew on board.
Welsh connections to the Titanic;
* Artie Moore, an amateur wireless enthusiast from Blackwood was one of the few people to hear the first distress signals from the Titanic.
* Harold Godfrey Lowe of Llanrhos in Caernarfonshire was the Fifth Officer of the RMS Titanic and was the only officer who rowed back to save drowning passengers.
* David John Bowen, a former collier and Welsh lightweight champion, from Treherbert perished in the sinking, he was travelling to the USA under contract for a series of boxing contests, he had written a letter to his mother dated 11 April 1912 , which included the words 'This is a lovely boat, she is very near so big as Treherbert.'
* The silverware on the Titanic was Elkington silverware from Burry Port.
* Most of the coal on the ship came from the Bynea coal mines.
Artie Moore, an amateur wireless operator from Blackwood, was probably the first person to hear the distress signals from the Titanic.
In the early hours of 15 April 1912 , he received a faint Morse Code signal on his homemade radio from a distance of 3000 miles.
Moore relayed the news to the police, who simply refused to believe his explanation that he could pick up a “message in the air” and it was two days before the news reached the UK.
As a result of this incident, he was offered a scholarship to the British School of Telegraphy in London, where he came to the attention of Marconi, the "father of wireless", who came to Gelligroes to meet Moore. Moore joined the Marconi Company, where he worked on several innovative projects, and patented an early version of the sonar system of measuring ocean depths, called the Echometer. He worked at the Marconi company until his death in 1949.
Born this day 1944 in Cardiff,
Dave Edmunds , singer , guitarist and record producer. He is best known for his UK number-one hit "I Hear You Knocking."
Born on this day 1856 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia,
James Bevan , who was the first Welsh international rugby captain. The James Bevan Trophy was named in his honour to celebrate 100 years of Test Rugby between Wales and Australia.
Brunel's South Wales Railway linked Gloucester with Neyland. It was originally intended to run to Fishguard but financial problems meant that in Brunel's lifetime it only reached Neyland. The need for the railway was;
* To ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London,
* To complete Brunel's vision of linking London with New York,
* To connect Ireland to South Wales and London.
1850 - The initial part of the line between Chepstow and Swansea was opened.
1852 - The bridge at Chepstow was opened, which completed the connection from Swansea to Gloucester and London.
1856 - The line west of Swansea reached New Milford (Neyland).
1886 - The route was improved with the opening of the Severn Tunnel.
1906 - Fishguard Harbour was opened when the Waterford and Cork and ferry and rail services were transferred there from Neyland.
Born on this day 1919 in Prestatyn,
Emyr Humphreys , who was a leading Welsh novelist, poet and author. A conscientious objector during the Second World War, he later became a teacher, worked as a radio producer at the BBC and became a lecturer in drama at Bangor University.
He published over twenty novels, including The Land of the Living, a sequence of seven novels exploring the political and cultural history of twentieth-century Wales.
The act of union between Wales and England received the royal assent of Henry VIII on 14th April 1536 .
The Act divided Wales into 13 counties, with much of the border territory being annexed to England despite being Welsh speaking.
The consequences of the act were;
* All administration in Wales was to be carried out in the English language and no one using the Welsh language 'shall have or enjoy any manner of office,'
* The modern borders of Wales were established.
* Wales elected members to the English Parliament; the first members took their seats in the Tudor Parliament in 1542.
* The Court of Great Sessions was introduced, a system particular to Wales. They met twice a year in each county, administering English law in the English language. Of its 217 judges in its 288 years of existence, only 30 were Welshmen.
* Every county appointed a Sheriff and 9 offices of Justice of the Peace.
* The Welsh law of cyfran, which meant that all sons inherited equally, was abolished in favour of the English law of primogeniture, inheritance by the eldest son only.
It has been argued that the act's main intention was to gain control over the Marches and not to achieve political union. The changes were welcomed by the Welsh gentry, who recognised that they would be granted equality under the law with English citizens. However, the cultural impact on Wales was catastrophic and remains to this day.
Born this day 1937 in Ffynnongroew, Flintshire,
Roy Vernon , a former Wales soccer international, who represented Wales in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. He was the most successful penalty-taker ever to play for Everton.
On 14th April 1587, printing material for illicit Catholic literature was found in a cave on the Little Orme. It had been used by Robert Pugh (squire of Penrhyn Hall) and his chaplain William Davies to print Y Drych Gristianogawl ('The Christian Mirror').
Arguably this would make Y Drych Gristianogawl the first book to be printed in Wales. It was written by Gruffydd Robert, archdeacon of Anglesey who went into exile to Italy after the accession of Elizabeth I of England. He also wrote a pioneering Welsh grammar in Welsh.
Born on this day 1838 in Cellan, near Lampeter.
John Thomas (1838 – 1905) was a pioneering photographer who took thousands of landscape images of Wales, funding his artistic work by selling portrait photographs, notably of church and chapel ministers.
The Royal Pier in Aberystwyth was opened on 14th April 1865 , the first pier to open in Wales. It is now a much shorter version of its original length of 242 metres.
In the Victorian era, Aberystwyth developed quickly as a holiday destination, billed as the "Biarritz of Wales." The pier was commissioned by the Aberystwyth Pier Promenade Company. The pier was designed by pier-engineer Eugenius Birch at a cost of £13,600 and attracted 7,000 paying visitors on its first day of opening.
A new Gothic style glass pavilion was added in 1896 that could accommodate 3,000 people. However, in January 1938 , a storm with wind speeds of up to 90 mph struck the town and most of the promenade was destroyed, along with the pier, which remained closed until after WW2.
In 1979, Aberystwyth Royal Pier was purchased by the Don Leisure Group, who spent £250,000 on improvements. A new snooker hall and restaurant were opened in 1987, in a refurbished pavilion.
The first recorded meteorite fall in Wales happened on 14th April 1931 in Pontllynfi, near Caernarfon.
Born on this day 1945 in Weston-super-Mare (His father is Welsh, born in Cardiff and his grandfather, born in Swansea)
Ritchie Blackmore , founding member of rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. Blackmore was ranked the 50th greatest guitarist of all time in a Rolling Stone magazine poll.
Born this day 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia (of Welsh descent, he always professed that his family had originally come from Snowdonia)
Thomas Jefferson, known as a Founding Father of the United States and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, he was the third president of the United States and also the founder of the University of Virginia.
Born this day 1941 in Blackwood.
Dame Margaret Price, DBE, a renowned soprano, who was one of the most popular singers of her generation, specialising in Mozart and the lighter Verdi roles.
Born this day 1983 in Swansea
Nicole Cooke, MBE, Olympic gold medal winner and World Champion road bicycle racer.
Born this day 1992 in Kings Lynn (his mother is Welsh and from Anglesey),
George North, Wales rugby international, the first teenager to attain 20 caps for Wales, who when aged 18 became the youngest player ever to score a try in his debut for Wales and aged 19 became the youngest player in rugby history to score 10 international tries.
Sir Thomas Morgan(1604 – 13 April 1679 ) was the parliamentary governor of Gloucester during the English Civil War, who in 1646 took Chepstow Castle and Monmouth, and besieged Raglan Castle.
Captain Walter Enoch Rees ( 13 April 1863 – 6 June 1949 ) proposed the three-man front row scrum tactics that were instrumental in Wales's victory over New Zealand in 1905. He was the longest serving secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union and joint manager of the 1910 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
Palm Sunday is the Christian feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
In Wales, the day is known as Sul y Blodau or Flowering Sunday and it is customary to decorate the graves in churchyards with flowers in readiness for Easter.
