Mark Lewis Jones shares heartfelt message to Eisteddfod attendees in first speech as President

Actor Mark Lewis Jones, the President of the National Eisteddfod this year, spoke in the Pavilion on the first day of the Festival in Wrecsam yesterday.

Jones paid a heartfelt tribute for the help and support he received from the residents of Rhosllannerchrugog when starting his career on stage and television.

Though his name may not be immediately familiar, Jones has appeared in several iconic TV shows in recent years, including The Crown, Game of Thrones, Keeping Faith, Man Up and Baby Reindeer.

His film career is equally impressive ranging from his role as First Order Captain Moden Canady in Star Wars: The Last Jedi to his role in the recent film, Sweetland.

President

This week Jones is President of the National Eisteddfod which is being held in Wrecsam, only a few miles from his home village.

He noted his sincere thanks to his grandfather for insisting that the Eisteddfod be “by everyone and for everyone”.

In his speech he said: “My grandfather, Jonathan Dafis, sang in the pavilion many times as a loyal member of the Rhos Male Voice Choir, as well as helping to organise the festival when he came to the area in 1945, but somehow when I was growing up I didn’t feel that the Eisteddfod was relevant to me.”

 

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He continued: “I was, and continue to be, a proud Welshman, brought up in a community that was Welsh even though we were so close to the border, but even so I didn’t think the Eisteddfod was for a Welshman like me. And it took me a while to understand that I was wrong.”

He added his wife, Gwenno, runs a clothes shop in Cardiff, and would regularly hire a stall on the Maes.

“One of my favorite memories of coming to the Eisteddfod (with Gwenno), was meeting and chatting with people who had travelled from afar to be part of the festival.

“It became clear to me how essential the Eisteddfod is, supporting and promoting the arts in our country. I now have four sons, each one appreciating the importance of the festival, and Jacob, the youngest, is working on the Maes this week.

“I have come to understand what Taid understood from the beginning – that the Eisteddfod is for everyone, for everyone. And if he was still with us I know he would be here, in the front row, with a proud smile on his face when he finally saw his grandson on stage.”

Famous stages

In the speech, he also outlined how he chose to become an actor.

“I have been fortunate to be able to stand on several famous stages over the years – the Globe and the National in London, the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford – but I have never been on the stage of the National Eisteddfod before,” he said.

He went to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd in Wrecsam and he had no idea what to do with his life.

“But at school there was a teacher called Gwawr Mason. And one day, for some reason, she asked me to be in the next school show? And for some reason I said – yes, ok,” he said.

He came from a home without any connection with the arts, and a home where English was the main language.

“After taking part in that school show, my life changed completely. I wanted to act. My parents were unsure of course, but supportive nonetheless. After all, I had nothing to lose – I have two brothers who are carpenters, but I think my mother and father realised after seeing me handle a saw that there was no future for me in that field.

“So I went on to work with Clwyd Youth Theatre. I went to the College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, then to  Theatr Clwyd and London.

“But I can definitely tell you that that would never have happened if Gwawr Mason had not offered a helping hand to a young, lost boy. Very sadly we lost Gwawr during lockdown and although I have thanked her many times for her support I don’t feel I will ever, ever, ever be able to thank her enough,” he said.

As President, Jones has a full schedule in the next few days but he is especially looking forward to taking part in the Stiwt theatre’s centenary celebrations, an institution he has a very personal connection to, in his home village.