In pictures: Restoration of Cofiwch Dryweryn mural completed as artist gives iconic wall a final coat of paint

The restoration of the iconic Cofiwch Dryweryn mural near Llanrhystud has been completed after an artist gave the repaired wall a final lick of paint.

Ceredigion artist Rwth Jên from Tal-y-bont painted the wall under cover of darkness in order to recreate the original deed in the 1960s by academic Meic Stephens .

Stephens was determined that the people of Wales would never forget the decision by the UK Government to drown the village of Capel Celyn near Bala in 1965 to create a reservoir for Liverpool City Council.

Rhywbeth i godi calon cenedl.
Wal Tryweryn wedi ei ail-pheintio dros nos. 55 mlynedd union ers i Faer Lerpwl agor Llyn Celyn, a ni dal i gofio. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
It’s 55years exactly since Llyn Celyn was opened and the wall was repainted last night. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Diolch RuthJên a Meic Stephens. pic.twitter.com/7vDs1QyI4u

— Elin Jones (@ElinCeredigion) October 23, 2020

Last year clinical psychologist Dilys Davies bought the wall from the farmers who owned the land, and it will now be looked after by a charity.

Dilys Davies said at the time: “I, like so many others, felt angry and hurt when the symbolic ‘Cofiwch Dryweryn’ wall was damaged twice earlier this year. It led me to think of what I could do. For certain I could not run up to Llanrhystud late at night, climb over fences and repaint the wall, so I contacted Elin Jones to ask how I could help.”

The restoration comes after the mural was almost destroyed on two separate occasions last year, and had to be partially rebuilt and repainted several times in the past few years.

In February 2019, the famous words were painted over by the words ‘Elvis’. Fresh graffiti saying ‘Agari’ was then painted in April.

Later on the same month, the wall was knocked down in what seemed to be a deliberate attack. Following the vandalism, a number of other Cofiwch Dryweryn murals were painted up and down the country.

In June this year the mural was vandalised with a swastika and a white power symbol, but quickly repainted.

The restoration work on the wall began in September of this year.

Do you have any historical pictures of the Cofiwch Dryweryn wall? Please send them to [email protected] and we will add them below.