Highest honour for former Eisteddfod steward

Nation Cymru staff

The Eisteddfod Genedlaethol has awarded its highest honour to a former headteacher whose roots with the national event stretch as far back to his first visit at the age of four in 1962.

Gethin Thomas will be presented as one of the National Eisteddfod’s Honorary Fellows in a ceremony on the Eisteddfod y Garreg Las Pavilion stage at 15:20 on Tuesday, 4 August. This is the highest honour the National Eisteddfod can bestow on an individual, and it is a mark of gratitude for years of service to the organisation.

At any one time, the Eisteddfod has only five Fellows, and Gethin Thomas receives the honour following the death of D Hugh Thomas in 2025. The other four Fellows are the Prifardd John Gwilym Jones, Geraint R Jones, Garry Nicholas and Dyfrig Roberts.

The Eisteddfod has been a central part of Gethin Thomas’s life for decades, and he has contributed across a wide range of areas. Originally from Porth-y-rhyd in Carmarthenshire, his connection with eisteddfodau began early in his life.

“The National Eisteddfod came to Llanelli in 1962 when I was about four years old, and I was able to attend. Interestingly, that Eisteddfod was held on fields that later became the site of Ysgol Dewi Sant, where I served as headteacher until my retirement. The roots go deeper than one might think,” he said.

Gethin competed at eisteddfodau with choirs during his school years, and later with Côr Mynydd Mawr and Bois y Castell. As the son of a farmer, it was also natural for him to take part in various activities with the local Young Farmers’ Club.

When the National Eisteddfod returned to Carmarthen in 1974, Gethin joined the volunteers as a steward. “I stewarded for years on the Maes and also in the caravan site. At the 2000 National Eisteddfod, again in Llanelli, I was chair of the Technical Committee,” he said.

Gethin was vice-chair of the Urdd National Eisteddfod when it came to Carmarthenshire in 2007, and chair of the executive committee of the Gŵyl Gerdd Dant in the Gwendraeth Valley in 2011.

“I was elected chair of the executive committee for the Carmarthenshire National Eisteddfod in 2014, and as a result became a member of the Eisteddfod Council and Management Board. I served as chair for six years until November last year,” he said.

On receiving the honour, Gethin said: “I feel that I have benefited enormously from every connection with the National Eisteddfod.

“To be chosen a Fellow by my peers in an organisation that has been such an important part of my life for so many years is a great honour. I would like to thank everyone who has worked with me and supported me throughout my journey with the Eisteddfod.”

Eisteddfod y Garreg Las will be held in Llantwd from 1–8 August. For more information, visit www.eisteddfod.cymru.