Watch: Yma o Hyd rings out as Cardiff Devils compete in Europe

When Dafydd Iwan recorded his defiant message of hope for the Welsh language and the Welsh people back in 1983, he could scarcely have foretold the sheer scale of the cultural impact of Yma o Hyd.

Now 40 years old the song was released during Iwan and Ar Log’s ‘Taith Macsen’ (‘Macsen’s Journey’) tour in ’83.

Since them it has become a cultural touchstone for Wales – and most tellingly through sport.

First picked up as anthem at Llanelli RFC in the 90s, it has latterly experienced a grand renaissance as the official anthem of the Cymru national football team’s landmark journey to the World Cup in Qatar.

International

Now, it appears the song has spread its influence even further, this time onto the ice.

When Cardiff Devils competed in the Continental Cup Tournament in France at the home of French team Ducs D’Angers this weekend, the hundreds of Devils’ fans who made the journey across the channel were treated to Yma o Hyd in the interval.

John McAllister who travelled over to the tournament posted a clip on his Twitter account and wrote:

“Shows how the influence of us football fans that Ducs D’Angers are playing @dafyddiwan Yma o Hyd in the interval of an international ice hockey tournament

He added: “The song was largely unknown outside of Welsh nationalist or Welsh language circles but since we adopted it it’s become synonymous with Wales in its entirety, worldwide after our World Cup qualification as well. It’s little things like that that’s absolutely immense for us.”

Shows how the influence of us football fans that Ducs D’Angers are playing @dafyddiwan Yma o Hyd in the interval of an international ice hockey tournament 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/gEV0dhc9pI

— John McAllister (@john_mcal) January 15, 2023

AND IT WAS LATER BELTED OUT IN A BAR NEAR TO THE ICE RINK!

It was also belted out later in the evening at a pub not too far from the arena in Angers! @dafyddiwan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/Mjoa36QsAy

— Dan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@DI93_) January 16, 2023