Ian Gwyn Hughes shares his Welsh language story

In the last episode of Stori’r Iaith, Ian Gwyn Hughes, Head of Communications at the Football Association of Wales reflects upon his grandfather’s historic stand to protect the Welsh language, while also examining his own efforts to foster a sense of pride and belonging among Wales’s national football team and their connection to the Welsh language.

Just as his grandfather shaped his views on language and identity, Ian’s own actions have echoed through Wales’s recent football history, creating a bridge between personal heritage and national sentiment.

With Gareth Bale, Joe Allen, and Chris Coleman praising his work on the programme, it is clear those around him believe that Ian Gwyn Hughes has played a significant role in the revival of the Welsh language.

Gareth Bale, one of Wales’s greatest players remarks: “IG had that natural ability to grip the room and to give some interesting facts about the culture, the history, and bring the Welsh language into the frame as well. It kind of united everyone. I think you have to be a special person and a special personality to pull that off.”

For over fifteen years, Ian Gwyn Hughes has earned a reputation as the man who succeeded in creating a strong sense of pride and Welshness within the Football Association of Wales, bringing the team closer to the fans and everyone closer to their Welsh roots.

However, it is less well known that Ian’s grandfather was the Reverend Lewis Valentine – the author, pacifist, and one of the three responsible for setting fire to the RAF Bombing School in Penyberth on the Llŷn Peninsula in north Wales. Lewis Valentine was a profound influence on his grandson.

“I’m sure that my love of Wales, and the importance of the language, came from Taid,” says Ian, the eldest of five children raised in Old Colwyn. “He was a big influence on me in many ways, but more than anything he was just my friend.”

On the programme, we hear Ian speaking to his grandfather in an interview recorded in 1983, when Valentine was nearly 90 and Ian was just starting out as a broadcaster. In the interview, Valentine describes returning to live in Llanddulas, Conwy, in the 1970s, where the proportion of Welsh speakers had more than halved since he’d last lived there.

“He never told me, but I’m sure that broke his heart, seeing how much things had changed. That stayed with me, and from that moment I always try and use and share my Welsh wherever I go.”

In Stori’r Iaith, Ian looks back at what happened at Penyberth and explores his grandfather’s experiences at Passchendaele during the First World War, along with a family mystery connected to that period.

“There’s a wallet in the family and it’s full of letters and photos from the First World War, from the German side. When Taid died, Mam was clearing his belongings and she found it. She had no idea where it had come from.”

When Wales played in Belgium around Remembrance Sunday in 2014, 100 years since the start of the war, Ian saw an opportunity to raise awareness among the players about Wales’s history in the First World War. He took the entire squad to Passchendaele to pay their respects, to learn more about the history, and to visit Hedd Wyn’s grave – the Welsh poet who died before learning he had won the Chair at the National Eisteddfod.

“To get a group of footballers to do anything is tough, so to do something about history is even tougher,” says Gareth Bale on the programme, “I don’t know whether he masterminded it or just his natural ability took over, but yes he just brought people together, he brought that passion from inside the dressing room, not just on the pitch.”

Another voice singing Ian’s praises for his work in raising awareness and respect for the Welsh language is Wales’s former midfielder, Joe Allen. “He’s made a huge difference to the Welsh language,” says Joe Allen, who was in the legendary squad with Gareth Bale during the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship. “When I started with the team there was no pride, no emphasis on the country, the language, or the history. Because of IG, I now try harder than before to keep speaking Welsh. I’ll never speak it perfectly, but the important thing is to always keep trying.”

Ian’s influence has inspired players and supporters alike to embrace their heritage and language. Reflecting on his own personal and national journey with the Welsh language, Ian says: “I think the most important thing is that people respect the language, and feel that if they don’t speak Welsh, the language still belongs to them. I’m glad that we’ve been able to play a small part in the story of the Welsh language.”

Stori’r Iaith – Ian Gwyn Hughes airs on Wednesday, 25 March at 21.00. On demand: S4C Clic & BBC iPlayer