‘Priorities for culture’: a pioneer Welsh Government strategy?
The Welsh Government’s just produced another document on culture. This one has the snappy title Priorities for culture. In case you’re interested, there are three priorities: ‘culture brings people together’, ‘celebrating Wales as a nation of culture’ and ‘culture is resilient and sustainable.’ I can already hear you thinking: ‘but two of these aren’t priorities, […]
Goodbye, Paul Durcan
When the news came recently that Paul Durcan had died, I pulled from the shelf my copy of his sequence of poems, Crazy about women, published by the National Gallery of Ireland in 1991. They’re all inspired by paintings in the Gallery’s collection. Some of the poems are long, some short; some playful, others penetrating […]
Esther Grainger, artist and activist
1 Introduction Around the turn of the century, when I was working in the National Library of Wales, I came across a smallish painting, in oil on board, called ‘Pontypridd at night’. It struck me at the time as a bold and unusual work, and whenever I saw it I’d stand and admire it. From […]
Cerddwyr coll: Seosamh Mac Grianna a Hamish Fulton
Profiad cyffredin ond anochel, on’d yw e? Yn syth ar ôl ichi gyhoedd llyfr, dych chi’n dod o hyd i themâu neu bobl fyddai wedi bod ynddo, heb amheuaeth, pe baech chi wedi clywed amdanyn nhw’n gynt. Dyna a ddigwyddodd yn ddiweddar ar ôl imi ddarganfod gwaith gan y llenor o Iwerddon, Seosamh Mac Grianna, […]
Beacons Way, day 8: Carreg Cennen to Bethlehem
The taxi arrives at the White Hart on the dot, and we set off from Llandeilo, on another fine morning, through Ffairfach and Trap to the farm car park at Castell Carreg Cennen. I thank Mr Teilo Taxis for his essential help, and he leaves for home and a day of painting his house, unless […]
Beacons Way, day 7: Llanddeusant to Carreg Cennen
The day’s started well: I’m travelling on one of my favourite railways, the Heart of Wales Line. The two-carriage train is dawdling and rattling its way towards Llangadog. The trick is to choose a seat on the left, and catch views of the coastal mudflats and Gower across the water. At Llanelli the train reverses, […]
An anatomy of early Welsh tourism
How many tourists visiting Wales today, I wonder, ever think about their early predecessors? I mean those who first arrived, in surprisingly large numbers, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. How many are aware that these travellers, rather than composing Instagram posts, blogs and TikTok videos, would most likely have busied themselves drawing […]
Beacons Way, day 6: Craig y Nos to Llanddeusant
After a comfortable night in the Penycae Inn I opt for the full breakfast, on the theory that yesterday’s fatigue was caused by lack of calories, and make an early start in the spring sunshine. Before the climbing starts there’s an hour-long ‘overture’ of flat walking. I cross the Tawe and retrace my steps along […]
Beacons Way, day 5: Storey Arms to Craig y Nos
Another cloudless day, another trip on the TrawsCymru T6 bus from Swansea to Brecon, followed after a break by the T4 to Storey Arms. This time I’m on the other side of the A470 from Pen y Fan. I’ve always wanted to explore the unfashionable west slopes above Storey Arms, and now’s my chance. My […]
Beacons Way, day 4: Llangynidr to Storey Arms
In the Coach and Horses I’m awake early. The day’s bright again, and after a modest breakfast, I’m outside and walking before eight o’clock. I find the lock on the canal, cross on a small wooden bridge and start the journey westward, through trees and then a series of fields, past two farms, Llwyn-yr eos, […]