Attention-grabbing Info About Wales

Attention-grabbing Info About Wales

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Wales: There's Beautiful!
From dragons to coal miners, castles to rugby, I like Wales. A Welsh male voice choir can scale back me to tears and a world rugby match featuring the Welsh could make me hoarse from shouting on the TELEVISION. I don't know how I would cope if I was actually Welsh (I am half Welsh) or if I had really ever lived there (I used to be introduced up just throughout the Bristol Channel).
For some it's the land of tune, or the land of my fathers ("Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"); for me, it's the land of my moms (my mom and both my grandmothers being Welsh). Indulge yourself with me in a bit Welsh love and revel in some interesting details about Wales.
Jones the Rugby
Through the previous decade there have typically been events when the Welsh rugby staff has fielded 5 Joneses, none of whom are associated, in its beginning line-up.
Wales' Stephen Jones, one of the regular Welsh International rugby Jones, kicking to clear against England in 2006. Source
Information About Welsh Surnames
Again in medieval Wales individuals used their forename linked to their father's name by the phrase "ap" or "ab", which means "son of" (ie a patronym). So, John, the son of Rhys can be John ap Rhys. This could lead to very long strings of names as every generation added on one other title to the long line going before them. It was a dwelling type of household historical past although!
By Tudor times the Welsh increasingly adopted fastened surnames, however sometimes this reflected the final patronym. In the example above, John ap Rhys would change into John Aprhys, which turned Anglicized to John Value. Different examples of formerly patronymic Welsh surnames are:
Bowen (ab Owen)
Powell (ap Hywel)
Upjohn (ap John)
Of course the most typical Welsh surname is Jones. Welsh villages used to have so many Joneses that they would distinguish them by adding an occupation to the identify: Jones the Store, Jones the Steam, Jones the Put up and so on. The title derives from the forename John, as do the other widespread Welsh names Thomas, Williams and Davies.
Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, Wales. Supply
Well-known Welsh Males and Girls
Aneurin Bevin - father of the Nationwide Well being Service
David Lloyd George - British Prime Minister
St David - a Welshman who became Wales' patron saint.
Dylan Thomas - poet
Henry Morgan - privateer
Richard Burton - actor
Catherine Zeta-Jones - actress
John Dee - alchemist
Charlotte Church - singer
Katherine Jenkins - singer
Flag of Wales
The red dragon of Wales; Henry Tudor carried this banner into battle at Bosworth Area and won his victory to turn into King of England Source
Facts About Welsh History
It was the Romans who first started recording the historical past of Wales in forty eight BC, however in fact the Welsh had been around lengthy before then. Wales has been inhabited perhaps way back to 230,000 BC. Over many centuries Wales was settled by migrant groups, most importantly by the Celts in the Bronze Age.
For the reason that Norman Conquest in 1066 a lot of Wales' historical past has been of wrestle to stop invasion by the English.
The Romans managed to beat Wales in seventy eight AD (the conquest started in forty eight AD). The remained till 383 AD.
One Welsh town was founded by the Romans: Caerwent.
After the Romans left, Wales was divided into several kingdoms, together with Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Gwent.
Rhodri Mawr (Rhodri the Nice) was King of Gwynedd from round 820 to 878 ADVERT and managed to unite most of Wales.
Llewellyn ap Gruffydd was the last great of Welsh resistance to the English; he was defeated by Edward I of England.
Edward I consolidated his victory by constructing many great castles in Wales and by giving his son the title of Prince of Wales in 1301.
There were many rebellions towards English rule; one rebellious leader was Owain Glyndwr (Owen Glendower). He was the last Welshman to carry the title of Prince of Wales (not by dint of being eldest son of the English monarch, however as a result of he was topped by a Welsh parliament or Cynulliad).
In 1455 Henry Tudor, Welsh by descent, wrested the throne of England from Richard III and have become Henry VII.
Wales grew to become largely Nonconformist through the 18th and nineteenth centuries. The Presbyterian Church of Wales was formally established in 1823, following a cut up from the Anglican Church in 1811.
Wales was closely industrialised during the 18th and nineteenth centuries, with many communities in South Wales relying on the coal mining industry. When the Conservative government began to cutback the nationalised business in 1981, they backed down in the face of a strong challenge from the NUM (Nationwide Union of Miners). Nonetheless, by 1983 the federal government pushed forward and the Welsh miners got here out on strike on 5 March 1984; they returned to work on 3 March 1985.
Waterfall within the Brecon Beacons
It is simple to see why the Brecon Beacons are a National Park. Henrhyd Falls, Coelbren. Supply
Information About the Geography of Wales
Wales has England to the east and the Atlantic Ocean, and Eire beyond, to the west. The nation has a long coastline of some 736 miles and some modest mountain ranges. It is also a rustic with some spectacular scenery in its nationwide parks and several areas of excellent natural beauty. This magnificence is countered in some urban areas by the remnants of Wales' mining past.
Wales has six cities: Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, St David's, Bangor and St Asaph.
There are three essential mountainous regions in Wales: Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains.
Wales has three National Parks: Brecon Beacons Nationwide Park, Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park and Snowdonia National Park.
The Gower Peninsula was the primary area of Great Britain to be declared an Area of Excellent Pure Beauty in 1956.
Wales' largest island is Anglesey.
Mount Snowdon is the best peak at 3,560 feet.
Llyn Tegid, or Bala Lake, in Gwynedd, is the most important pure lake, at 1,196 acres.
Welsh Nationwide Anthem Sung at Millennium Park, Cardiff
The Welsh Nationwide Anthem
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, or Land of my Fathers, was composed in 1856 by a father and son in Pontypridd. Evan James wrote the lyrics, his son John composed the music. The song was originally titled Glan Rhondda (Banks of the Rhondda) and was first carried out publicly by Elizabeth John in Pontypridd.
Treorchy Male Choir Sing "Myfanwy"
Wales and Music
Wales is often referred to as the "land of song" and it has a tremendous tradition of male voice choirs, chapel choirs, Eisteddfods as well as more not too long ago pop and rock singers and massed singing at sporting events. Favorite Welsh songs embody the Welsh nationwide anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau), Men of Harlech, Guide Me Oh Thou Nice Jehovah and Myfanwy.
The holding of an Eisteddfod dates again to the 12th century. It's a celebration of music, literature and performances. In trendy Wales crucial Eisteddfod is the Nationwide Eisteddfod, held yearly in the first week of August. Proceedings are held fully in Welsh.
The Welsh have bagpipes too! The generic term for pipes, which might embody bagpipes, is pibau. A Welsh piper is called a pibydd or a pibgodwr.
Brass bands grew up in mining and industrial areas throughout Wales and remain standard at the moment. Many bands began out as drum and fife bands, but Blaina Band claims to be the first to transform to all-brass in 1832.
Giraldus Cambrensis wrote in regards to the wonderful sound of Welsh choral music again in 1198 but it wasn't till chapels sprang up in the 18th Century that Welsh choirs actually took off. In 1872 Welsh supremacy in choral music was sealed when Griffith Rhys Jones, a colliery blacksmith, led the South Wales Choral Union of their triumph at the National Music Union Brass Band and Choral Event in London.
Sir Tom Jones (born Thomas John Woodward) was born in Pontypridd, Wales and has been one of the world's hottest vocalists because the sixties.
In 1999 the Welsh band Super Furry Animals released an album (Mwng) that was solely in Welsh. It was the first all-Welsh album to succeed in the Top 20 and the NME (New Musical Categorical) voted it quantity 11 in their top albums of the yr 2000.
Patagonian Welsh
Welsh is also spoken in areas of Argentina and Chile (Y Wladfa - The Colony). Welsh settlers brought the language with them in 1865 and their descendants continue to talk Welsh (mixed with some Spanish words too). The unique settlers were Welsh nationalists who emigrated as a result of they felt that their tradition and language were beneath threat of their homeland.
Hearken to Welsh Audio system
The Welsh Language
Welsh is a Celtic language. Like Cornish and Breton it is of the Brythonic department of Celtic; Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx belong to the other department, Goidelic. Brythonic languages are regarded as akin to the unique British language spoken under the Firth of Forth. Welsh has all the time been spoken in Wales, nevertheless it did turn out to be a minority language in the early 20th Century and continued a gradual decline. Nonetheless, the variety of Welsh speakers is now progressively increasing.
BBC Radio Cymru, a Welsh language radio station, was launched in 1977.
S4C is a Welsh language TELEVISION channel, was first broadcast in 1982.
In 2004 the Welsh Language Use Survey found that 21.7% of the inhabitants spoke Welsh.
Colleges in Wales have been obliged to teach Welsh since 2000.
There is just one Welsh newspaper, revealed weekly: Y Cymro (The Welshman).
Welsh is different in North and South Wales; it not only sounds different, but there's different vocabulary.
More About Wales
This is by no means a definitive listing of Welsh info. If you would like to seek out out extra about Wales, try these hubs:
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Comments 23 comments
suziecat7 four years in the past from Asheville, NC
Loved this Hub and enjoyed the choir very much. Would get pleasure from visiting someday. Voted up!
theraggededge 4 years in the past from Wales
Woohoo! Thanks for this, Judi-Bee. I have lived in Wales for over 30 years. Beforehand I lived in Cornwall, the place people considered themselves to be more Welsh than English. And I agree with you, a Welsh male-voice choir singing 'Myfanwy', the crowd on the Millennium Stadium belting out the Nationwide anthem, or even the sight of Mike Phillips' thighs as he chucks the ball into the scrum will set the hairs on my neck standing on finish and bring tears to my eyes!
Judi Bee four years in the past from UK
Writer
Hello suziecat7 - I loved scripting this hub and "auditioning" the YouTube clips earlier than I selected them. Hope you get to go to, it is an exquisite nation.
Hello theraggededge - my Mum at all times said that Welsh and Cornish are very a lot the identical (and yes, a number of the Cornish would consider themselves something earlier than they thought of themselves English!). Glad you loved this!
Thanks very much to each of your for taking the time to comment, always appreciated.
SimeyC four years ago from NJ, USA
Excellent hub! Fascinating about all these Jones's within the rugby crew! I will add a hyperlink to this in my Cardiff article.
Trish_M four years in the past from The English Midlands
'There's Beautiful! 'certainly!
Hi :)
My Mum is Welsh, too ~ so I definitely recognise your descriptions, and so on. :) :)
My Grandad and his father + brothers were miners.
Being from Pontypridd, Mum met Tom Jones, when he was a boy, and she or he knew a few of his relatives very properly.
And I love the male voice choir!
teacherjoe52 4 years in the past
My ancestors emigrated from Wales over 100 years in the past.
I had an exquisite time visiting Wales (which I was taught was "The land of Castles." Perhaps it was only a completely different definition).
My second cousin was in the Welsh Boy Chior and travelled to Canada once.
It might be good to return, as I found the Welsh to be very pleasant individuals.
Great article.
God bless.
Nell Rose 4 years in the past from England
This was a incredible look at Wales, I by no means realised how the Welsh changed their surnames from the ap Rhys to aprhys after which to price for example, and its nice to see that they are bringing back the language, evidently certain components of England spoke the identical dialect for hundreds of years, and I imagine I learn someplace that the Irish and Scots are one thing referred to as Q celtic, and the Southern English and Welsh are P celtic, cannot keep in mind what that stands for although! lol! wonderful! nell
AliciaC four years in the past from British Columbia, Canada
This can be a very fascinating hub, Judi. I enjoyed learning new info about Wales and being reminded of some beautiful reminiscences from my childhood, corresponding to singing the Nationwide Anthem, which I discover very shifting. It was interesting to study that schools in Wales weren't required to teach Welsh until 2000. I'm glad that I studied Welsh in all the faculties that I attended in Wales. I've forgotten quite a lot of what I discovered, although I overview some if it sometimes.
Mhatter99 4 years ago from San Francisco
Shhh... (Martin whispering) We don't need everybody to know the way lovely Wales is. Thank you
Glimmer Twin Fan 4 years in the past
Attention-grabbing hub! I liked the identify lineage about how names changed with the patronym. I'd by no means heard of that before. Now I will be considering of last names all day and wondering if they were once something else. Voted up!
Judi Bee four years in the past from UK
Creator
Hi SimeyC - I replied to you yesterday, however the reply's gone! So, once once more, thanks!
Hello TrishM - two of my great-grandfathers have been accomplished the pit too. Can't say that anyone met Tom Jones although!
Hi TeacherJoe - yes, I've heard Wales called the "land of castles" too - very apt certainly.
Hi Nell - I've change into fairly interested within the Celtic language - do I see a hub on the horizon?
Hello Alicia - I believe it's great that Welsh is being taught in schools as a matter in fact. I'm sure that a number of Cornish people would really like Cornish reintroduced.
Hello Martin - sorry, shouldn't have shouted about it, HOWEVER I SIMPLY COULD NOT ASSIST IT!!!!
Hi Glimmer Twin Fan - I find the name factor really interesting too. I assume it's a part of folks's spelling being so fluid previously.
Because of everyone in your variety comments, I really respect them!
Natashalh 4 years in the past from Hawaii
I have been to Wales a couple of occasions. A number of the town names form of confused me, although - I could not work out learn how to pronounce them! I'd love to visit again as an grownup. I've also had a whole lot of school work despatched to Cardiff - I graduated from the International Baccalaureate Programme and they're headquartered there.
Judi Bee four years in the past from UK
Creator
Hello Natasha - my Mum was born in Cardiff, although she left when she was very younger. I used to get pleasure from visiting the Brecon Beacons as a toddler - it was nearly a day journey from where I lived. Beautiful nation, I hope you get to visit again - and I had no concept that the International Baccalaureate Programme was primarily based in Cardiff.
Thanks for reading and commenting, always appreciated.
GoodLady four years ago from Rome, Italy
Where you'll be able to see the sea, is the place my farm was, Llannerch. And in this photograph (header) you'll be able to see the bay that was in front of us, where Portmadoc is. (PorthMadog). You'll be able to't see our mountain Morfa Bychan as a result of it's too small and in the clouds. You make me homesick. I can not go house though. It's a long story, a type of dramatic Welsh tales. It is all inside, I can hear it and seeing this picture brings each breath of residing there again.
Judi Bee 4 years in the past from UK
Writer
Hi GoodLady - you are so lucky have lived in such a wonderful place, what a memory to treasure! Dramatic Welsh tales - there are a few of those in my household too...
Thanks for sharing your recollections, great to listen to from you.
Simply Ask Susan 4 years in the past from Ontario, Canada
Judi, I have been which means to ask you about this.. My grandmother was from Scotland and he or she'd all the time do that little rhyme and I've at all times puzzled if this was something everybody knew or not. It's sort of silly however right here goes anyway.
"Scotland, England, Eire, Whales... All tied up in a Monkeys Tail."
Anyway aside from that I discovered your hub fairly attention-grabbing as I really like studying about the other aspect of the pond :)
Judi Bee 4 years in the past from UK
Creator
Hello Susan - I've not heard that rhyme; may very well be Scottish though, I've bought no Scottish family members (to date Scotland's the one country in the UK and Eire that I can not claim any link to), so wouldn't understand it.
Glad you enjoyed reading about Wales, it is near my heart - thanks so much for your comments.
bac2basics three years ago from Spain
Hello Judi. What a really fascinating hub. I really like Wales and spent a huge period of time there holidaying in Criccieth when I lived within the UK. Listening to the singing at all times brings a tear to my eye or a smile, Myfanwy is so stunning how could anybody didn't be moved by it. Voted up and all the remainder and very happy I discovered you right here :)
Judi Bee three years in the past from UK
Creator
Hi bac2basics - as you'll be able to inform, I've a very tender spot for Wales too! So glad you loved studying the hub and listening to the singing.
Thanks very much in your feedback, I respect them.
Mr Deltoid 1966 3 years ago from New Jersey
Cool hub, it's always been one of the many places I'd like to see.......if I gained the lottery or robbed a vegas on line casino.....or....simply saved up.
Judi Bee 3 years ago from UK
Creator
Hi Mr Deltoid - simply dug up your comment from the spam folder (no idea why it was there!) Start saving, Wales is nicely worth a visit. Thanks very much in your feedback, I appreciate them.
TAHITITI 2 years in the past from Spring Hill, Florida
Lovely, thank you for this Judi Bee!
Judi Bee 2 years in the past from UK
Author
Thank you TAHITITI - glad you loved studying this :-)
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