New music project highlights Preseli heritage before Eisteddfod y Garreg Las

Prior to the start of this year’s national Eisteddfod, a Welsh school has worked with a musician to produce a new single celebrating the identity of the area.

With Eisteddfod y Garreg Las around the corner, Iaith y Garreg Las features local singer Einir Dafydd alongside pupils from Ysgol Bro Preseli.

The track was composed by Einir, with the words of poet Ceri Wyn Jones, as a modern anthem for the school, highlighting the language and culture of the North Pembrokeshire area.

A blend of Celtic folk, choral singing, and Einir’s light pop sound, the song is a confident expression of the area’s identity and confidence.

Einir and Ceri worked with the school’s pupils to create a song that celebrates the heritage of the Ysgol Bro Preseli area, from the dialect to the geography, with each village and parish being named.

After winning WawFfactor and Cân i Gymru, Einir went on to record with the Fflach label, releasing a number of EPs and singles.

Recently she has returned to the stage with her band, presenting a set full of her typical folk songs together with the songs of her uncle Richard Jones (Ail Symudiad).

Einir and Ceri, who hails from Cardigan, have collaborated on a number of memorable songs, including the winning song in Cân i Gymru 2007, Blwyddyn Mas.

Einir said: “The blue stone is such an important symbol of our identity here in the Preselau. It has been a privilege to have the pupils of the school sing the song with me and celebrate their habitat.”

This is the first song that Ysgol Bro Preseli has released, and it is a tribute to the “incredible work that is being done at the school in developing creative talent”.

The project was supported by Pembrokeshire County Council and Yr Egin through their Gwd Thing project.

A video funded through Gwd Thing to accompany the single will be shown for the first time on the Heno program on S4C on the 22nd of April.

Directed by Rhys D, it includes all of the school’s pupils, and was created with the pupils’ ideas following a series of workshops at Yr Egin.

Carys Ifan, who ran the project on behalf of Yr Egin, said: “It is a pleasure to be able to support the work of artists through the Gwd Thing project.

“It is vital for us to have a creative legacy after the arrival of the Eisteddfod and this song and the corresponding video are a perfect way to give a unique and vital experience for our young people.”

The new single Iaith y Garreg Las will be available to stream from the 23rd of April.