Category: Blog

Draig Werdd is pleased to be able to announce that a Welsh language class for beginners will once again be held in Dublin this autumn. The class will
be taught by Richard Morgan and will take place in Gael Linn, 35 Dame Street, Dublin 2 on Tuesday evenings from 6.30 to 8pm. The course
begins on Tuesday 11th October and will run for 10 weeks. The cost of the course will be €80 for full-time students, €100 for Draig Werdd members and €120 for all others. Classes will be limited to a maximum of 8 participants.

If you are interested in attending the class please send an email with your details to welshclass@welshsociety.ie and Richard will get back in contact with you to give you the necessary details.

William Salesbury was a 16th century Welsh scholar, writer and politician who had a passion for languages and was responsible for publishing the first Welsh dictionary and for the translation of the New Testament into Welsh in 1567.   His work was arguably responsible for preserving the Welsh language until the present day.    A new biography of Salesbury by the Welsh author James Pierce has just been published in Wales by Lolfa publishers.  If you’re interested in learning more about the subject, the book, along with all other books published in Wales, may be ordered online from the Welsh Books Council via their website www.gwales.com.

‘Roedd William Salesbury yn ysgolhaig, awdur a gwleidydd Cymreig yn yr 16eg ganrif gydag angerdd am ieithoedd, a oedd hefyd yn gyfrifol am gyhoeddi’r Geiriadur Cymraeg cyntaf ac ar gyfer cyfieithiad o’r Testament Newydd i’r Gymraeg yn 1567.  Gellir dadlau fod ei waith yn gyfrifol am ddiogelu’r iaith Gymraeg hyd at heddiw. Mae bywgraffiad newydd o Salesbury gan yr awdur Cymreig James Pierce newydd ei gyhoeddi yng Nghymru gan gyhoeddwyr y Lolfa. Os oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn dysgu mwy am y pwnc, mae’n bosib archebu’r llyfr, ynghyd â’r holl lyfrau eraill a gyhoeddir yng Nghymru, ar-lein oddi wrth y Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru trwy eu gwefan www.gwales.com.

Once again, many thanks to all those who contributed generously to raise money to erect a plaque on the old Welsh chapel building in Talbot Street, Dublin.  The plaque has been made and is currently being held by Dublin City Council, pending completion of plans for its erection.  As some of you will know, the outside walls of the chapel are covered in brightly-painted art work – the council requires that we have a blank section of wall for erection of the plaque so we need to ensure that this is done.  We are currently negotiating with the owners and occupiers of the building regarding this requirement – once agreement has been reached an unveiling ceremony will be scheduled, hopefully for a Sunday morning during the autumn.   We will keep you informed on progress.

Unwaith eto, diolch yn fawr i bawb a gyfrannodd yn hael er mwyn codi arian i godi plac ar adeilad yr hen gapel Cymraeg yn Talbot Street, Dulyn. Mae’r plac wedi ei wneud ac yn cael ei gadw ar hyn o bryd gan Gyngor Dinas Dulyn, nes cwblhau cynlluniau ar gyfer y codiad. Fel y bydd rhai ohonoch yn gwybod, mae’r waliau y tu allan i’r capel yn llawn o luniau lliwgar – mae’r cyngor yn mynnu bod rhaid i ni gael adran o’r wal yn wag i godi plac, felly mae angen i ni sicrhau bod hyn yn cael ei wneud. Rydym wrthi’n trafod gyda pherchnogion a defnyddwyr yr adeilad am hwn – ar ôl i ni gael cytundeb, bydd seremoni dadorchuddio yn cael ei drefnu, gobeithio ar fore dydd Sul yn ystod yr hydref. Byddwn yn rhoi gwybodaeth i chi am y datblygiadau.

Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, and to celebrate the occasion the choir is organising a Festival of Welsh Choral Music at the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Saturday, September 17th.   They will be joined by choirs from Builth Wells, Carmarthen, Glynneath and Neath to form a massed choir of around 150 voices.   The programme will include a mixture of hymns and other sacred works, Welsh and Irish folk songs, opera choruses and popular songs, chosen to reflect the repertoire of the choir over its fifty years of existence.   They will be joined by the renowned Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, who will be singing a number of solo items.

There are only a few tickets remaining, so if you’d like to be there for what promises to be an emotional and memorable celebration of Welsh music in Dublin, go to www.nch.ie as soon as possible to buy your tickets, which cost €25 each (€22 for concessions).

Bydd Côr Meibion Cymry Dulyn yn dathlu 50 mlynedd ers ei sefydliad yn 2016, ac i ddathlu’r achlysur mae’r côr yn trefnu Gŵyl Gerdd Gorawl Gymreig yn y National Concert Hall yn Nulyn ar ddydd Sadwrn, 17 Medi. Bydd corau o Lanfair-ym-Muallt, Caerfyrddin, Glynnedd a Chastell-Nedd yn ymuno â nhw i ffurfio côr o tua 150 o leisiau. Bydd y rhaglen yn cynnwys cymysgedd o emynau a gweithiau cysegredig eraill, caneuon gwerin Gymreig a Gwyddelig, cytganau opera a chaneuon poblogaidd, wedi eu dewis i adlewyrchu repertoire y côr dros yr hanner can mlynedd o’i fodolaeth. Bydd y soprano Gymreig enwog Elin Manahan Thomas yn ymuno â nhw i ganu nifer o eitemau unigol.

Dim ond ychydig o docynnau sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd, felly os hoffech chi fod yno ar gyfer yr achlysur hwn sy’n argoeli i fod yn ddathliad emosiynol a chofiadwy o gerddoriaeth Gymreig yn Nulyn, ewch i www.nch.ie cyn gynted ag sy’n bosib i brynu tocynnau, sydd yn costio €25 yr un (€22 am gonsesiynau).

David Kearns from the Herald newspaper is looking to meet up in Dublin with some Welsh football fans today (Tuesday 05/07), if possible.   If you can help, please respond using the details in his message:

I’m a journalist at the Herald and I’m interested in speaking to some Welsh people living in Dublin ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final clash against Portugal.  Ideally I’d like to speak to five people and get a photo arranged this afternoon or evening with a group of Welsh fans in their jerseys.
If anyone at Draig Werdd would be able to help me arrange this, that would be great.  My mobile is 0863466098 and I can be reached via email on d.kearns@independent.ie. 

David Kearns