Hundreds celebrate Wrexham National Eisteddfod proclamation

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More than 500 local residents and members of Gorsedd Cymru formed a procession through the streets of Wrexham on Saturday (27 April) to celebrate the visit of the National Eisteddfod in a year’s time.

The procession was followed by a colourful ceremony held in the Gorsedd Circle, during which the first copy of the List of Competitions was presented to the Archdruid.

This year’s ceremony also welcomed a new Archdruid, as Myrddin ap Dafydd stepped down from the role.

Mererid Hopwood, a previous winner of the Chair, Crown and Literary Medal at the Eisteddfod, was welcomed by the large crowd on Wrecsam’s Llwyn Isaf.

She will lead the Gorsedd until 2027, including at this year’s National Eisteddfod in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Peace

In her first address from the Maen Llog, she called for peace, as she explained the purpose of the Gorsedd sword: “Ours is a sword that will never be drawn from the veil.  A Sword of Peace. A sign of our desire to see an end to war and violence.

“And that aspiration is so important today.  Iolo Morganwg said, ‘may the right calm lead the world’. And from our Gorsedd of peace here in Wrecsam today, we, the common people of Wales, call on the ordinary people of the world to reject the ideas of the leaders who ask for more swords and bombs and daggers, and say ‘enough is enough’.”

With the List of Competitions presented to the Archdruid, copies are now available in shops across Wales with the 2025 Eisteddfod Competition Portal opening in January 2025.

Before then, the closing date for the 2024 Eisteddfod stage competitions for online registrations is  23:59 on Wednesday 1 May.

The Wrecsam National Eisteddfod will take place from 2-9 August next year, with this year’s Eisteddfod held at Parc Ynysangharad, Pontypridd from 3-10 August.

For more information visit www.eisteddfod.cymru.