Mair Williams's blog

Wales have won the 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions after fellow Celts Scotland beat France in the exciting final minutes of the final game of the Championship in Paris. There had been a chance that France could have won the title had they beaten Scotland by a winning margin of 21 points. This was not to be and Wales also played some part in the Scottish victory as Steve Tandy, a Welsh former rugby union player, is the defence coach for Scottish rugby.

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 flag of Saint David (Baner Dewi Sant) normally a yellow cross on a black field, also plays a central role in the celebrations. The date is tradionally seen as the date that Saint David died in 589.

Rhuddlan in the county of Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych) is in the north-east of Wales (Cymru). Rhuddlan has the highest concentration of Mesolithic sites in Wales. The Mesolithic period of pre-history, sometimes called the middle stone age is dated between 9,600 and 4,000 BC. An archaeological dig, carried out in October 2020, at a site designated for development on Castle Hill, Rhuddlan, has uncovered a 9,000 year old site with more than 300 stone age tools and artefacts.

Yesterday, 25th January, many in Cymru celebrated St Dwynwen’s Day. While people around the world look forward to Valentine's Day on February 14th, in Wales they have already celebrated their own patron saint of lovers Saint Dwynwen. St Dwynwen’s Day (Welsh: Dydd Santes Dwynwen) falls on 25th January every year and she is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine. Dwynwen - whose names translates to "she who leads a blessed life" - still enjoys great popularity throughout Wales, particularly in her home of Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn).

Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282) was the last genuine Prince of Wales before the English forcibly occupied Wales.  He was killed on this day, December 11th, 1282 at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells (Welsh: Llanfair-ym-Muallt)  A memorial stone is on the site of his death where an annual remembrance day is held. Llywelyn was the second of the four sons of Gruffydd,ap Llywelyn Fawr  and grandson of Llywelyn the Great, and Senana ferch Caradog.

Image: Monument to Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

Work continues in exploring the history of Strata Florida Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Ystrad Fflur) and surrounding lands. The ruins of the former Cistercian abbey are situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The abbey was founded in 1164 and the name Strata Florida is a Latinisation of the Welsh Ystrad Fflur; 'Valley of Flowers'. The conserved ruins of the old Abbey church and part of the cloisters are in the care of Cadw (a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving"), which is the Welsh Government's heritage agency. 

A  campaign has been launched by the charity The Ramblers to uncover thousands of miles of historical footpaths in Wales. It comes after The Ramblers have released a map showing what they say is 7,468 miles of footpaths which are missing from official maps. The UK government has set a deadline of 1 January 2026 for all historic paths to be registered for inclusion on official maps. It is now very important that lost paths are identified in Wales, registered and put back on the map.

There is understandable consternation in Wales about the British government's refusal to implement travel restrictions into Wales by those in high infection areas of England. The First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has said that he feels “great dismay” after his calls for such travel restrictions were once again ignored. At a press conference today, Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething claimed there had been “an importation of coronavirus cases from contact with some of those high prevalence areas in England”.

Peter Hope Jones ( 1935 - 13 July 2020 ) was a Welsh naturalist and influential figure in Welsh ornithology and he sadly passed away in July 2020.  Llên Natur, the excellent Welsh nature publication, has just produced an item on his life and times in Llên Natur Bwletin 150. As they rightly say "We lost a giant among naturalists this month. Peter Hope Jones inspired a generation of Welsh naturalists with his exceptional expertise and gentle manner."  

On this day 27th July, 1593,  Welsh Roman Catholic priest William Davies was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey (Welsh: Castell Biwmares, Ynys Môn). He was born in Croes yn Eirias, Denbighshire, (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych) and although his date of birth is not known for certain one source gives it as 1555. After being ordained as a priest in April 1585, he worked as a missionary in Wales.