Mair Williams's blog

On 28th May 1865 the sailing ship Mimosa set out from the port of Liverpool. On board were 162 Welsh people who were sailing across the Atlantic to set up Y Wladfa Gymreig (The Welsh Colony). In the 19th and early 20th century the government in the Argentine was encouraging emigration from Europe to populate the country outside the area of Buenos Aires. Most of the passengers were from slate-quarrying and agricultural communities in North Wales. The travellers took 60 days to reach their destination.

An inquest into the deaths of three army reservists will begin on Monday June 1. Llandudno man Craig John Roberts, 24, Edward John Maher and  James Dunsby, both 31, collapsed during an army training exercise. On July 13, 2013 on one of the hottest days of the year, as temperatures reached 29.5C (84F), emergency crews were called to Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons in Powys, Mid Wales when six soldiers had collapsed suffering heat exhaustion. Witnesses said they had seen soldiers looking exhausted and pleading for water during the gruelling exercise.

The 2015 Urdd Eisteddfod has been described as a great success. Increased numbers came to this years Eisteddfod with a total of 88,607 visitors between Monday 25th and Saturday 30th May. The event has created an increased interest in the Welsh language in the Caerphilly (Welsh: Caerffili) area which organisers are determined to build upon.  Next year’s Eisteddfod will be held in Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint) between May 30 and June 4. For news on this years Eisteddfod see the urdd,cymru website.

One of Europe's largest youth touring festivals will be in Caerphilly between 25-30 May 2015. The Urdd National Eisteddfod attracts around 90,000 visitors each year. Over 15,000 children and young people under the age of 25 will take part in various competitions such as singing, dancing and performing during Eisteddfod week. Information about the annual Welsh-language festival can be obtained from the Urdd website.

Victoria Park, Regina in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan hosted another successful Saskatchewan Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival last weekend. The event took place on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May, featuring all elements of Scottish culture. The sound of pipes and drums filled the air as a festival of music, dance, song and athletics took place in Victoria Park.

Côr Dre have been crowned "Best Choir of the Festival" at the 2015 Pan-Celtic Festival held in the city of Derry in the north of Ireland last week.  The young Welsh mixed choir joined with choirs from all of the six Celtic nations of Brittany (Breizh), Cornwall (Kernow), Ireland (Éire), Isle of Man (Mannin), Scotland (Alba) and Wales (Cymru) and went on to secure the title. 

Demonstrators gathered in Cardiff on Saturday (4 April) to call for Wales to have the same powers as those of Scotland. The Home Rule Rally was organised by Yes cymru. As pointed out ahead of the Rally by former Plaid Cymru MP for Camarthen East and Dinefwr, Adam Price: "Wales is in the slow lane - economically and socially - it is lagging behind Scotland, England, Ireland and every other nation when it comes to the question of power. Without power, without a future.

There can be no doubt, protecting the environment, wildlife habitat and nature, is also vital to the well being of communities, local culture and the quality of life experienced by people. There is rarely anything so distressing as witnessing the onslaught of heavy machinery as it rolls over beautiful natural land. Knocking down trees, killing the wildlife that has every right to live there and destroying a natural habitat forever.

A metal detector enthusiast, John Adamson, struck lucky when, in 2012, he discovered a Bronze Age lock-ring in farmland in Rossett, near Wrexham (Welsh: Wrecsam) in north Wales. Then he found another in the same place nine months later. When tested the two lock-rings were found to be made of around 79% gold, 15% silver and 4% copper. Lock-rings are types of jewellery from Bronze Age Europe and can be made from gold or bronze, although the majority found have been made from gold. The finds were declared treasure at an inquest today (26 March).

An on-line petition is now circulating to remove the three feathers as the logo of the Welsh Rugby Union Team. As the petition points out the three feathers can be traced back to Edward the Black Prince; oldest son and heir to Edward III of England. It therefore has no connection to Wales and keeping the feathers is a statement of English oppression and ownership. A link to the petition is below: