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Best images from the first day of the Eisteddfod

Best images from the first day of the Eisteddfod

Rhyl Journal3 days ago
Being held in Wrexham for the first time in 14 years, hundreds descended on the Maes in Isycoed to celebrate Welsh culture and traditions.
There were a host of competitions and shows taking place across the site, as well as activities for people of all ages.
Traders showed off their produce at the dozens of stalls set up in the main area of the site, whilst numerous food vendors served up the best they had to offer.
Into the night and there were a range of live performances across different venues at the Maes, from the pavilion to Ty Gwerin.
Earlier in the day, Rhosllannerchrugog's very own Mark Lewis Jones addressed the crowd at the Maes.
The famous actor from Wrexham has been named President of the Eisteddfod for the week and made a speech to kick the weeklong festival off.
In his speech he said: "My grandfather, Jonathan Dafis, sang in the pavilion many times as a loyal member of the Rhos Male Voice Choir, as well as helping to organise the festival when he came to the area in 1945, but somehow when I was growing up I didn't feel that the Eisteddfod was relevant to me.
Mark Lewis Jones at the Eisteddfod. (Credit: Aled Llywelyn) (Image: Aled Llywelyn)
"I was, and continue to be, a proud Welshman, brought up in a community that was Welsh even though we were so close to the border, but even so I didn't think the Eisteddfod was for a Welshman like me. And it took me a while to understand that I was wrong."
He added his wife, Gwenno, runs a clothes shop in Cardiff, and would regularly hire a stall on the Maes.
"One of my favourite memories of coming to the Eisteddfod (with Gwenno), was meeting and chatting with people who had travelled from afar to be part of the festival.
"It became clear to me how essential the Eisteddfod is, supporting and promoting the arts in our country. I now have four sons, each one appreciating the importance of the festival, and Jacob, the youngest, is working on the Maes this week.
"I have come to understand what Taid understood from the beginning - that the Eisteddfod is for everyone, for everyone. And if he was still with us I know he would be here, in the front row, with a proud smile on his face when he finally saw his grandson on stage."
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