Mair Williams's blog

Cwlwm Celtaidd is a celebration of the culture, music, song and dance of the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany & Wales. The festival continues this weekend 9 - 12 March 2017 with a full programme of concerts, dances, workshops, street dance displays in the Town Centre and on the Esplanade today (Saturday), ongoing sessions in the bar and Beach Ceilidh planned for Sunday.  Hosted at the Grand Pavilion on the Porthcawl seafront, this family friendly festival continues at full swing.

News from the Celtic League:

There is concern that a proposed Motorway bypass in Wales will setback the progress of a project which has reintroduced an iconic bird to wetlands it once populated.

“The proposed £1bn M4 relief road around Newport would cut through the first nesting site for common cranes in Wales in over 400 years, it has emerged.

The RSPB said the revelation, in a Welsh Government ecology report, was emblematic of wider environmental concerns about the scheme.

A five-month public inquiry into the plans begins on Tuesday.

St David is the Patron Saint of Wales and March 1st is St David's Day. The first of March is recognised as a National Day throughout Wales. It is also a day of celebration for Welsh communities throughout the world and the Welsh flag with Y Ddraig Goch (the Red Dragon) is proudly raised. The date is tradionally seen as the date that Saint David died in 589. David was the son of the Prince of Powys and he went on to found a monastery on the site where Saint David's Cathedral now stands in Tyddewi/City of St David's in Sir Benfro/Pembrokeshire, Cymru/Wales.

Broad Haven (Welsh: Aber Llydan) is a village in the south east corner of St Bride's Bay (Welsh: Bae Sain Ffraid) in the south-west of Wales. It is an area of great beauty with the coast surrounding it forming a part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro). It draws visitors from far and wide and maybe from even further that we think.

The Welsh tradition of the The Mari Lwyd was a custom performed during winter celebrations around the dates of Christmas and New Year. A horse-figure, that in the past was often made from a horses skull, was mounted upon a pole. Which was carried by a person hidden under a cloth from door to door. Accompanied by a group of singers the Mari Lwyd knocks on the door and the first verse of a traditional song is sung. This would in turn be answered in song by the person in the house.

A giant ancient Welsh oak tree that was under threat of being felled in 2009 to make way for a road development has been crowned Tree of the Year.  The competition is run by the Woodland Trust charity. When the tree, known as The Brimmon Oak, came under threat seven years ago, local farmer Mervyn Jones on whose farm the tree stands, started a campaign to save the tree. This resulted in the Welsh Government agreeing to vary the route of the road to save the tree.

Around the Celtic world there are many cairns, stone circles, standing stones and carvings in rock from times of prehistory. Ancient stones and tombs placed in a way that look to the stars and capture moments of astronomical importance. Standing stones carved with skill and placed with great effort in special locations that had significant meaning to there creators. It was a tradition of carving in stone that continued through the centuries into the middle ages.

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

'Changing Room' group from Looe perform Cornish language song on BBC Radio 3

BBC Radio 3 played 'Changing Rooms's' Cornish language version of the Pretenders Christmas classic '2000 miles' today!

BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' drive-time audience is now 2.12 million listeners, so a lot of people have heard Cornish!

The bravery of the lifeboat crews who face danger on the seas surrounding the Celtic coasts to save lives can never be underestimated. This was the case on December 2nd 1966 when The Nafsiporos a 1,287-ton Greek freighter with 19 crew members on board got into difficulties. In 100mph hurricane winds, with her engines having failed the boat was drifting dangerously towards the coast of Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn) the island that lies off the north-west coast of Wales (Cymru). 

News from the Celtic League:

The Welsh language group Cymdeithas yr Iaith is targeting Tesco over the adequacy of bi-lingual signage in their new Aberystwyth store.

A spokesman for the language groups said:

“Big businesses such as this undermine independent businesses, and decisions made centrally by the company undermine the Welsh nature of the town.”

Full report at this link: