VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY SEVEN OF FIFTY-TWO

AUNTY MAGS PART THREE – THE EAGLE INN

Here she is once again, ‘Aunty Mags Part Three – The Eagle Inn’ with a collection of stories related to the family pub in Priory Street, Carmarthen.

It’s a little bit different in this video as Mags talks of the involvement of the American forces in Carmarthen who frequented the pub and gives an insight into town life during the Second World War.

Her stories are supplemented with text from the 2nd Bn 112th Infantry History from October 1943, and also Our Kind of Town, by Jim Condon.

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY SIX OF FIFTY-TWO, THE RIVER TOWY

Totally off the cuff, I woke up last Saturday and decided to take the dog, Eddy, on an adventure. I got dropped off just outside Carmarthen on the Llansteffan road and followed the Coastal path back to Carmarthen – not an enormous walk. I wanted to get the vibe of the river. I took my mobile phone with me, in case of accident etc and as I’m walking think I’ll take some pics and to a bit of a commentary. I hadn’t done any research regarding history, hence the links below. Maybe I’ll read up a bit and go back and do the walk with the knowledge and take Seimon, the cameraman and Eddy!

Rhyd Y Gors - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyd-y-gors

Buffalo Bill - https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/c5eb1659-9985-368b-9b86-8a35c9834aa7

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/museum-officials-trying-identify-scene-1926131

Ystrad Tywi - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ystrad_Tywi

White Bridge - https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300080709-white-bridge-the-bascule-railway-bridge-carmarthen#.Xb_UrC2caPQ

Busy Carmarthen Port from a hundred plus years ago.

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY FIVE OF FIFTY-TWO, ROUTE 66 -TAFFS ON TOUR

Ian Gravell and Robin Bowen, motor bike enthusiasts and friends for years decided at the start of 2019 to plan an adventure of a lifetime.

From May 26th to June 26th they endured the mother road of America -= Route 66. Taking a month out of their busy lives they wanted to fulfil a dream that they had held in their imaginations for maybe thirty years.

Driving west on their motor bikes following a dream of a journey from Chicago to the Californian west. A dream sold to their younger lives by Hollywood and the film Industry of the USA.

Both men have had life threatening accidents in the past but their passion for the motor bike has lasted.

Ian delivers his travelogue with huge zeal of meeting new characters and an honest pleasure in seeing landscapes only seen in books.

I introduce you to:

Bow and Ianto – Taffs on Tour – ‘Making America Great Again’ - 2019

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY FOUR OF FIFTY-TWO, AUNTY MAGS - PART TWO

Margaret Lee is 89 years old, lives in Newcastle Emlyn but to her core is a Carmarthen girl, St Peter’s girl born in Priory Street.

Her recall of her young life growing up in Carmarthen and her knowledge of families is legendary and unsurpassable. She is one in a million, as they say.

Here’s part two of the video when she sits with Andy, her first cousin’s son and browses through the Carmarthen Facebook page, giving a glimpse into the social history of the town and her family.

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY TWO OF FIFTY-TWO, YELLOW FACED CANARY GIRLS

Pembrey Country Park is a coastland parkland that has Cefn Sidan beach as its main attraction.

During the Great War of 1914-18 the park was used as a base for a munition factory which gave women employment from all over West Wales. The Royal Ordnance Factory was developed on a large scale.

Many of the women who worked there were stained yellow by the toxic chemicals that they were handling. They became known as the ‘canary girls’.

In 2018 a community workshop provided by Lorraine King and Andy Edwards for Pembrey Primary School took place. It was a storytelling session which ended up in the children writing the lyrics and Lorraine adding melody and the guitar parts. By the end of the afternoon the children sang and recording their song.

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY-ONE OF FIFTY-TWO, AUNTY MAGS - PART ONE

Margaret Lee is 89 years old, lives in Newcastle Emlyn but to her core is a Carmarthen girl, St Peter’s girl born in Priory Street.

Her recall of her young life growing up in Carmarthen and her knowledge of families is legendary and unsurpassable. She is one in a million, as they say.

In the video she sits with Andy, her first cousin’s son and browses through the Carmarthen Facebook page, giving a glimpse into the social history of the town and her family.

VOICES FROM WALES – THIRTY OF FIFTY-TWO, Introducing The 'Tin Shed' Experience

On June 4th, 2011 after 18 months of hard work by a small team of enthusiasts, an old derelict zinc garage in Laugharne was transformed into The Tin Shed Experience and opened to the Public. In a short space of time the museum became number one attraction in Carmarthenshire and at one point, number two museum in Wales.

Run by Seimon Pugh-Jones and his partner Meinir (Min) Evans, its popularity and reputation grew. It became a much-loved venue for music, the arts and history, with its unique and quirky style.

Its charm was based on the concept of being the opposite of most museums. Recycling and low carbon footprint was a major aspect of its development and also its low-tech approach, with interaction and visitor care a priority.

We concentrated on the period between 1914 to 1945.

The Tin Shed was just not a museum, it was also a venue for music events, its exhibits were used in film and TV and regularly loaned to theatre groups and other historical events/displays, some of which provided funding for the upkeep of the museum.

We achieved the Hall of Fame with trip advisor with amazing reviews. We've appeared in national newspapers. Our exhibits along with myself have appeared in a number of TV shows, TV dramas and radio shows.

In addition to normal daily visitors we worked closely with a number of schools and various groups including:

• Womens Institute
• Charitable Organisation
• Dementia Support
• Alzheimers
• local businesses in bringing over 40,000+ visitors to the area. We helped create a feel-good factor within Laugharne.

Future Plans
Due to the success of the previous museum our aim is to relocate the 1914 - 1945 museum to a new site. To integrate the museum into the community, to work with people with similar historical interests, schools and various charitable organisations.

VOICES FROM WALES – TWENTY NINE OF FIFTY-TWO, CILGERRAN CORACLE RACES

The Coracle Races are part of the Cilgerran Festive Week, an annual celebration bringing together the whole village in a number of activities from children’s sports to fancy dress and carnival. The main event is the traditional coracle racing which took place on Saturday August 24th 2019 on the River Teifi not far from the Castle ruins in Cilgerran.

The coracle is a small, rounded, lightweight boat traditionally used for net fishing of Atlantic salmon and sea trout known locally as sewin in the rivers of Wales. The tradition is kept alive by fisherman on the River Towy and Teifi.

The races give opportunities to novices and experts throughout the day