Latest news with #DafyddIwan
Wales Online
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
The best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025 in Wrexham
This year it was Wrexham's turn to shine and host the National Eisteddfod, and what a show it put on. The event, which ran from Saturday, August 2, to Saturday, August 9 saw huge gigs, performances, and plenty of fun had. Performances took place across the week from Welsh language artists and dancers from across the country. The annual event was in Pontypridd last year and will move to Pembrokeshire in 2026. Highlights of the week were passionate speeches by actor Mark Lewis Jones, who was the president. Wrexham Football Club's co-owner Rob McElhenney even showed off his Welsh language skills by singing Yma o Hyd. Fans gathered to watch Wrexham's match of the new season and their Championship campaign, on the Maes, and were treated to an extra-special commentary with the English language track turned down and substituted by Nic Parry and former Wales international striker Malcolm Allen. Dafydd Iwan performed at the Eisteddfod for the last time this year, ending a run of performances at every one since 1965 and father-of-three Tudur Hallam was awarded the Chair for his emotional poems about his cancer diagnosis last year. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here The Eisteddfod finished on Saturday night, with a stage performance that included an epic battle between male voice choirs and a spectacular performance by disabled acrobats, and Dafydd Iwan was coaxed onto the stage to join a final (final) rendition of Yma O Hyd. Here are the best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025:
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Welsh folk music could die within a generation, report warns
Wales' "fragile" folk music tradition could "die within a generation" without urgent action, a new report has commissioned by Arts Council Wales found fewer young people were learning or growing up with traditional music Iwan, who has brought Welsh folk music to millions through the success of his song Yma o Hyd, described the situation as "very worrying". Arts Council Wales said folk music had not "been supported as it should have been", but it had now tripled its investment in the art form. The review into the traditional music scene in Wales found traditional music sectors in England, Scotland and Ireland benefited from a "wide range of music industry support structures" that were "largely absent in Wales".It noted that Scotland's traditional folk scene received 4.8% of its arts council's overall pot of money, compared with the Welsh folk scene which - at the time of the review - received 0.66%. "People told us quite clearly, if we don't do something now, it's going to die within a generation," said the report author Angharad Wynne."There won't be any young people coming through the tradition. Things have been as serious as that."She said the traditional way in which folk music was handed down from generation to generation had changed."Certainly there are some amazing people all over Wales who give their time free of charge... but increasingly the ecosystem has changed," she said."Everybody's got a second job because not many people can make a full-time living from being musicians."She added: "That kind of handing down of traditional tunes and traditional style of playing just isn't happening anymore. "And so what we saw was interventions are really needed, some funding is really needed, to shore up and enable some of those really great practices." Iwan, whose 1983 song Yma o Hyd has been streamed more than three million times and has become a Wales football anthem, said the digital revolution had helped to take Welsh music "to all corners of the earth".But he said young people did not usually stay in the industry beyond a few years because there was not enough support to help them build a career. "At the moment, we're lagging well behind, and it's very worrying," he added."We must have government support to make sure that the young, especially the young people, have the backing to make the best of their talents and to make sure that their music is heard all over the world." One of Taylor Swift's best-selling and most critically acclaimed albums is her 2020 folk offering, Folklore. Mari Mathias, a songwriter from Preseli in west Wales, said there was an appetite for folk music from young people, adding: "We need to give them what they want."She said Welsh folk artists rarely took to big stages."There's a lot of bands that have started playing and performing in bigger shows, and traditional folk musicians... like Lankum and The Mary Wallopers [an Irish folk band]. They're performing on big stages like Glastonbury, and people really want to hear it."Does she think the folk scene gets enough attention in Wales? "I don't think so, no. If you look at Ireland, they've got so much support for young musicians, they've got schools and programmes with folk music. I don't think there's anything in Wales. "We want community, we want to come together with folk music so there should be lots more support in my opinion." David Grubb is a fiddle player with an emerging folk band from Cardiff called Taff Rapids. They fuse traditional Welsh folk music with the faster pace of American bluegrass. He said he initially struggled to find the folk scene when he moved to Wales' capital. "It's taken many years for me to find people," he said. He said it was evident Wales' folk scene had received less funding than Scotland, where he grew up. "Having come from Scotland and growing up in that scene, it was much more obvious where that funding was going. There were folk groups, there was a folk course in the Royal College in Glasgow and whatnot," he said."The money that's been put into the folk scene is much more visible up there. When I came down to Cardiff, from the outside looking in at it, it didn't feel like there was much." Dafydd Rhys, chief executive of Arts Council Wales, said the review's findings were "significant"."I think it's true to say that in the past this art form hasn't been supported as it should have been," he said."But what I'm delighted to see now having considered the review's findings and having discussed it in the council, we are now actually almost trebling our investment as core funding, and on top of that there are additional opportunities for musicians and organisations to get more support as well."We've done the review, we've looked at the implications, we've considered it and - in a period where everybody is under financial strains - we've managed to come out and trebled the investment in this art form."The Welsh government said supporting traditional music was one of its "ambitions"."We note the Arts Council of Wales' response and will consider the report in its entirety," a spokesperson added.
Wales Online
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Hundreds of Wales fans bring Brussels street to a standstill in stunning moment
Hundreds of Wales fans bring Brussels street to a standstill in stunning moment Footage captures fans gathered together belting out Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd Wales fans bring Brussels street to standstill Hundreds of Wales fans have been captured gathered in Brussels city centre preparing for the nation's World Cup qualifier against Belgium in true patriotic fashion. A video clip shows supporters dressed in replica shirts and bucket hats, with some bare chested, gather together as Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd plays in the background. Fans can also be seen at balcony level of a bar, O'Reillys, facing towards fellow supporters outside, all belting out words to the popular Welsh football anthem in unison. The footage, outside Brussels Stock Exchange, resembles something akin to a fan zone, as flags and beers are lifted aloft. Sign up to the Don't Take Me Home newsletter here . Spirits are high among members of the Red Wall, as they fully embrace the atmosphere of what, prior to the all important match itself, looks to be an epic away day for fans. Wales are currently top of group J in the group stage of the World Cup qualifiers, with seven points, after two wins and a draw from their first three fixtures. Article continues below On Friday, Wales beat Liechtenstein 3-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium thanks to a 39th minute opener from Joe Rodon, followed by goals from Harry Wilson in the 65th minute, and Kieffer Moore three minutes later. Belgium, meanwhile, slipped up away against North Macedonia, being held to a 1-1 draw. They are currently 4th in the group with just one point, but have played two games less than Wales. The game between Belgium and Wales kicks off at 7.45pm at the King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels. Article continues below The match is being shown live on BBC1 Wales, BBC Three, S4C, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University staff back strikes amid job cut plans
Staff at a university which plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid financial pressures have backed industrial action. More than 64% of members of Cardiff's University and College Union (UCU) branch voted in a ballot, with 83% supporting strikes and 86% backing action short of a strike, up to and including an assessment boycott. It comes after Cardiff University confirmed the cost-cutting proposals, which could also see course closures and department mergers in subjects including nursing, modern languages, religion and theology, music, and ancient history. The UCU said staff were "furious" and summer graduations could be impacted, while Cardiff University said it was "disappointed" by the outcome. Cardiff University plans to cut 400 jobs and axe courses Plans to cut uni jobs and courses lead to 'toxic culture' Ministers accused of 'waving white flag' on Cardiff Uni The UCU said university staff's fight has also been backed by musician and campaigner Dafydd Iwan, who said: "As a fellow of three Welsh universities, I am very worried about the tremendous squeeze on their funding these days. The future of Wales depends to a large extent on having viable and progressive universities to serve them." The ballot result means members could stop working, unless management agrees to rule out compulsory redundancies. Staff will meet this week to decide on the next steps, including the options of strike action and action short of a strike. After meeting, they must give the University two weeks' notice before beginning any action, which they say would begin begin in the next 28 days. Andy Williams, of Cardiff UCU, said: "The anger and frustration among staff, coupled with management intransigence, now sadly makes disruptive industrial action incredibly likely." The UCU said its independent analysis of Cardiff University's finances showed the institution could draw on £188m in available cash to protect jobs. He added he offered a "message of support to everyone who is campaigning to protect Cardiff University's jobs and courses and standards". Cardiff University UCU branch president, Dr Joey Whitfield, said the ballot result showed staff were "utterly opposed to the cruel and unnecessary cuts". "It's time for Cardiff University leaders to listen to staff, and the huge amount of public, political, cultural, and community support we have built, before they further damage the University's tattered reputation," he said. Cardiff University said industrial action would "inevitably cause disruption for some of our students", adding it would "do everything we can to minimise its impact". "It is important to stress that this action will not impact the whole university. The university will remain open and in many areas teaching, research and services will be unaffected." It added its proposals remained subject to an ongoing 90-day consultation. 'Welsh universities are not going bust' Cardiff uni job cuts 'threaten supply of nurses' Protesters call on Senedd to help save uni jobs
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Cardiff University staff strikes 'likely' amid job cut plans
Staff at a university which plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid financial pressures have backed industrial than 64% of members of Cardiff's University and College Union (UCU) branch voted in a ballot, with 83% supporting strikes and 86% backing action short of a strike, up to and including an assessment comes after Cardiff University confirmed the cost-cutting proposals, which could also see course closures and department mergers in subjects including nursing, modern languages, religion and theology, music, and ancient UCU said staff were "furious" and summer graduations could be impacted, while Cardiff University said it was "disappointed" by the outcome. The UCU said university staff's fight has also been backed by musician and campaigner Dafydd Iwan, who said: "As a fellow of three Welsh universities, I am very worried about the tremendous squeeze on their funding these days. The future of Wales depends to a large extent on having viable and progressive universities to serve them."The ballot result means members could stop working, unless management agrees to rule out compulsory will meet this week to decide on the next steps, including the options of strike action and action short of a meeting, they must give the University two weeks' notice before beginning any action, which they say would begin begin in the next 28 days. 'Cruel and unnecessary' Andy Williams, of Cardiff UCU, said: "The anger and frustration among staff, coupled with management intransigence, now sadly makes disruptive industrial action incredibly likely."The UCU said its independent analysis of Cardiff University's finances showed the institution could draw on £188m in available cash to protect added he offered a "message of support to everyone who is campaigning to protect Cardiff University's jobs and courses and standards".Cardiff University UCU branch president, Dr Joey Whitfield, said the ballot result showed staff were "utterly opposed to the cruel and unnecessary cuts"."It's time for Cardiff University leaders to listen to staff, and the huge amount of public, political, cultural, and community support we have built, before they further damage the University's tattered reputation," he said. Cardiff University said industrial action would "inevitably cause disruption for some of our students", adding it would "do everything we can to minimise its impact". "It is important to stress that this action will not impact the whole university. The university will remain open and in many areas teaching, research and services will be unaffected."It added its proposals remained subject to an ongoing 90-day consultation.
