Welsh village Eisteddfod resurrected after half a century

A village Eisteddfod which attracted over 3,000 attendees in the nineteenth century is to be resurrected this winter.

Village eisteddfodau are traditional Welsh, cultural festivals celebrating local talent in music, poetry, and performance – often held in the village hall.

The day of competitions and performances judged by experts in their respected fields would have been staple of community life at one point, and the tradition remains strong in villages across Wales.

The village of y Felinheli was no exception, and a newspaper article from the Welsh-language newspaper Y Werin reported on 12 September 1891 says: [translated] ‘We’re delighted to announce that the prospects for y Felinheli’s Eisteddfod are extremely promising. We have erected a tent to accommodate around three thousand people.’

A tent for three thousand people for a small local eisteddfod might be hard to believe, especially considering it is now more than the entire population of the village.

Resurrection

At some point in the 1970s, the Eisteddfod was ended, but volunteers in the village have been working hard over the past year to resurrect the community tradition, and the big day itself will be held at the Memorial Hall on 1 February 2024.

The committee has been busy organising the Eisteddfod and raising essential funds.

An auction held in the local pub raised £3,000. They have also received generous support from local businesses and individuals.

The photo above shows a chair won at the 1973 Eisteddfod by poet Meirion Hughes.

The judge was the well-known north Wales Reverend, John Gwilym Jones, who went on to become the Archdruid at the National Eisteddfod. Anwen Lynne, the poet’s niece, has donated the chair to the Eisteddfod.

Highlight

Osian Owen is a volunteer with the Eisteddfod, and he has talked about how the committee set out to resurrect the Eisteddfod.

He shared: “Catrin Gwenllian from the village originally suggested that the Eisteddfod should be revived.

“She thought it was strange there was no Eisteddfod in a Welsh-speaking village that is so full of talent!

“She started asking around to see if local people were interested, and a committee was formed.

“The performing is of course the highlight of every eisteddfod, and the full list of competitions can now be seen on Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru’s website.”

Eisteddfod y Felinheli will be held on Saturday 1 February 2025 at y Felinheli’s Memorial Hall.