Welsh studies centre in US welcomes new intern from west Wales

A graduate student from west Wales has been selected as the newest recipient of the Davis Internship at the Madog Center for Welsh Studies in the USA.

The centre, located at the University of Rio Grande in Ohio in one of the largest Welsh-American settlements in North America, is the only centre for Welsh studies on the continent.

In a Facebook post, the Madog Center wrote: “We’re over the moon to be welcoming Gruffydd (Gruff – pronounced Griff) Madoc-Jones to Rio next week as he starts his 2yr tenure here at the Madog Center for Welsh Studies as our new Davis Intern, a Graduate Assistant position.

“Gruff is from the village of Ffairfach in West Wales, and spent the last year working and living in the Welsh settlement in Argentina! Gruff will support Madog Center projects, the Rio rugby team and study for his M.Ed..

“Diolch yn fawr iawn to the Davis family for their continued support to their vision of North America’s center for Welsh Studies here at the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College.”

The Madog Center was established at Rio Grande in 1996, after the inaugural conference of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History the year before.

Its aim is to foster understanding and appreciation for Welsh Heritage and contemporary Welsh Culture, and in the last three decades it has facilitated student exchanges, assisted with the operation of the Welsh-American Heritage Museum, and offered a family history and genealogy room at its library of books from and about Wales.

Southeastern Ohio saw a high percentage of Welsh immigration in the 19th century, with settlers often finding work in mining, slate quarrying and metallurgy.

Dan Rowbotham, the previous recipient of the Madog Center’s Davis Intern Scholarship returned to the University of Rio Grande in 2023 to serve as its Director.

“Pob hwyl Gruff! Mae Rio Grande yn lle arbennig.”