Feature

‘The Eisteddfod has been a huge part of my life’: Rhun ap Iorwerth shares memories on the Maes

05 Aug 2026 4 minute read

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth at Eisteddfod Y Garreg Las 2026

Nation.Cymru Staff

From collecting stickers as a child to attending as Wales’ First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth says the National Eisteddfod has shaped his life for almost half a century.

A regular visitor since early childhood, the First Minister has taken part in dramatic productions, performed on various stages as a member of a pop group, and was admitted to Gorsedd Cymru last year.

Over the years, he has worked on the Eisteddfod Maes as a broadcaster presenting programmes for the BBC and S4C, and has even sold doughnuts, although he has never appeared on the National Eisteddfod stage as a competitor.

In recent years, however, he has attended the festival in his political role, and today (Tuesday, 4 August) he steps onto the Maes for the first time in his capacity as Prif Weinidog Cymru.

“It’ll certainly be a new experience being on the Maes as First Minister,” he said. “I will have a full diary of commitments, but I’ll be on the Maes in Llantwd for several days and I’m very much looking forward to it.

“The most enjoyable part of every National Eisteddfod for me is walking around the Maes, visiting stands and chatting with old friends.”

Reflecting on his earliest memories of the festival, Rhun said: “The National Eisteddfod has been a huge part of my life. I have a hazy memory of being at the Cardigan Eisteddfod in 1976.

“In the years that followed, I would wander around the Maes collecting stickers, just as almost every child who visits the National Eisteddfod does.

“When the Eisteddfod came to Llangefni in 1983, I was part of the children’s pageant, a musical about the life of Huw Cymuned, one of Anglesey’s characters.”

As a teenager, Rhun was a member of a band called 69, which performed around Llanrwst and the Rhymney Valley during the Eisteddfod.

“When I left university and joined the BBC, I worked regularly at the Eisteddfod and became familiar with the festival’s inner workings,” he added.

Rhun ap Iorwerth at Eisteddfod Wrecsam 2025. Image: Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru

Over the years, Rhun ap Iorwerth has been active in his community, serving as a school governor, leading local events and concerts, and supporting various organisations, including a period as patron of the NHS charity Awyr Las. He was also a youth coach at Llangefni Rugby Club for a time.

He has previously explained that the death of his mother, Gwyneth Morus Jones, in December 2012 played a crucial role in his decision to leave his broadcasting career and seek a new role in politics.

A distinguished reciter, she is remembered at the National Eisteddfod through the Gwyneth Morus Jones Memorial Award for individual recitation for competitors aged 16 to under 21.

“I know that my mother made an enormous contribution to her community and to Wales,” Rhun said. “The things that were said about her made it very clear to me that I could not go through life without making a contribution myself, if that was at all possible.”

Mrs Morus Jones was a teacher by profession and a former president of Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin, the teachers’ union UCAC, and Merched y Wawr.

She also served on the Welsh Language Board and was president-elect of the Union of Welsh Independent Churches, as well as chair of the North Wales Valuation Tribunal, and was well known in Eisteddfod circles.

“I was aware that she competed at a high level [in recitation] and was very successful,” the First Minister explained.

“Our house was full of cups and trophies, but she stopped competing and focused on other things. To our surprise, she decided to compete again when the National Eisteddfod came to Bala in 2009.

“She entered the competition for those over 25. It was a family joke that she was well over that age, but she won and took great pleasure from it.

“After she died, we were keen to establish something in her memory, and we were very pleased that this competition was created in her honour.”

Plaid Cymru was founded during a meeting on the National Eisteddfod Maes in Pwllheli a century ago, and Rhun ap Iorwerth acknowledged that the party is naturally supportive of the festival.

“We are living through difficult times financially, but I hope we can create a level of enthusiasm that will ensure the development of the Welsh language and culture through the Eisteddfod, the Urdd, and other events such as the Royal Welsh Show.

“I hope the Eisteddfod will regard this government as a supportive friend,” he said.

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