The popular records Cwm-Rhyd-y-Rhosyn by Dafydd Iwan and Edward Morus Jones were first published 50 years ago. More than a good reason for the Mentrau Iaith to celebrate the occasion with a specially designed path through the magic world of the Cwm on our stand in Eisteddfod yr Urdd.
The path through the Cwm will be for the whole family and a multi-sensory experience to revive the childhood of generations of children in Wales and introduce the Cwm to a new generation. The visitors will be guided through different areas of the Cwm to the sound of the evergreen songs and stories by Dafydd Iwan and Edward Morus Jones. Rhian Davies, the Development Officer with Menter Iaith Maldwyn had the idea to begin with – being one of the children in Wales who just love the records.
Rhian says: “Imagine climbing into the cave of Caradog the Giant, or exploring Frest Pen Coed forest and seeing Deryn y Bwn, Jac-y-Do, the red robin and blue tit, or to feel the sea breeze when opening the door of the Tŷ Bach Twt (the Tidy Little House). The Cwm-Rhyd-y-Rhosyn records are a treasure box of ideas and possibilities full of imagination and they are still amongst the most popular Welsh language records today.”
The set with the path is being created by Heledd Rees, an experienced set designer, and the dancer Angharad Harrop will train young people to guide the visitors through the magical world on the stand, also using Makaton sign language to go with the songs. The stand will be accessible for everybody. Heledd has designed the set to be suitable for wheelchair users. And special needs schools across Wales have been invited to visit, giving them priority on the Tuesday, when the competitions for the special needs schools will be on.
Dafydd Iwan and Edward Morus Jones, the fathers – or grandfathers by now – of the records are over the moon with the idea. Dafydd said, “We are so happy to see that the songs and stories are still so popular and can still inspire projects like this. I would like to congratulate the gang for coming up with such an inspiring idea.” Edward added, “We had a barrel full of fun when we recorded the records 50 years ago and now we get to share the joy with children of all ages at the Eisteddfod. Even though I’m nearer to 80 than anything else, but still enjoy being a child sometimes! We can feel the excitement already and are looking forward to walking through the Cwm on the Mentrau Iaith Cymru stand.”
Daniela Schlick, Mentrau Iaith Cymru Project Coordinator, says:
“The Mentrau Iaith’s main objective is to promote the use of the Welsh language – and what better way to do this than through songs which have been helping generations of children to learn the language. It is well-known that singing and using nursery rhymes is a great way of learning and passing the richness of a language to the next generation. And we are very grateful to our funders and partners for their generous contributions to make this project happen.”
The project is funded by the Creu Bach grant of the Arts Council of Wales, the Gwendoline and Margaret Davies Charity and Rhieni Dros Addysg Gymraeg (Parents for Welsh Medium Education. Additionally, Sain Records, Mudiad Meithrin, Eisteddfod yr Urdd and the National Eisteddfod are key partners to the project by contributing resources that are crucial to the success of the project, including the construction of large parts of the set by Tony Thomas and Jason Jones of the National Eisteddfod as well as the Tŷ Bach Twt which has been donated by Outdoor Toys. And as a real bonus the path through the Cwm will also be the Pentref Plant (the Childrens’ Village) in the National Eisteddfod this year.
The Grand Opening with Dafydd Iwan and Edward Morus Jones will be on 27 May at 11am on the stand of Mudiad Meithrin, which will be right next to the Mentrau Iaith stand. All are welcome to join this event.
The path will be open all day during the Eisteddfod yr Urdd week (27 May to 1 June). You can book a tour through the Cwm in the calendar on our website.
