Author: Andrew Green
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The Black Flag
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is closed for ‘firewall’ fortnight, but when it reopens you could do worse than pay it a visit. There are several excellent temporary exhibitions, as well as some seldom-seen items from the permanent collection, including a small display of art on the theme of protest. Its centrepiece is a striking…
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The Republic of Wales
A few days ago a distracted weather presenter on Sky News, missing out a few words of her script, uttered the phrase ‘Republic of Wales’. The news spread quickly round Twitter. There was wide agreement that the phrase had a highly appealing ring to it. So, too, the Welsh version, Gweriniaeth Cymru. Since then I’ve…
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‘Ymharadwys’: Pentre Eirianell
Yn ddiweddar digwyddodd imi fod mewn sgwrs ebost â thenant presennol Pentre Eirianell. Hwn yw’r hen dŷ fferm ar ymyl Bae Dulas ar Ynys Môn lle magwyd ‘Morysiaid Môn’ – Lewis, Richard, William, Elin a Siôn (neu John) Morris – yn gynnar yn y ddeunawfed ganrif. Gwelais i’r tŷ am y tro cyntaf ym Medi…
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Sophonisba’s game of chess
Not before time, the seventeenth century painter Artemisia Gentileschi is now receiving just acclaim, in response to the National Gallery’s new exhibition in London (alas, out of bounds for those of us who are locked down). Even if her ultra-violent ‘Texas chain-saw massacre’ dramas are too much for you, you can always admire her picture…
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In praise of Kathleen Jamie
The half of me that’s Scots lies buried, and usually dormant. It comes to life when visiting Scotland. But since my parents died, there’s less obvious reason to go, and we’ve not been there for a few years. Sometimes I daydream about moving to live in a newly independent Scotland, released from bonehead, vicious British…
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Vernon Watkins: a second visit
This year’s Haf Bach Mihangel, the forecasters say, will come to an abrupt end tomorrow, on the autumn equinox. But today’s a perfect day: hot, with sunshine from dawn to dusk, and only the slightest of breezes. I’m walking the coast to Oxwich. After climbing out of Pwll Du Head the path is easy going,…
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Cwm Amarch
There are places in Wales – places no one would call remote – that few people, even those living here, have visited, or even knew existed. Cwm Amarch, it would be safe to say, is one of them. I got to Minffordd early enough – before ten o’clock. Normally, on a Monday in mid-September, you’d…
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Maen Madoc
We’re on the south slope of the Fforest Fawr, north of Ystradfellte. It’s quiet and still at ground level, but above us clouds rush past from the north; some are innocent, others threaten rain. At Blaen Llia we leave the narrow road that descends Cwm Llia, and follow on foot the Roman road heading south-west. …
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Anorffenedig
Bu farw Edward Lhuyd, un o’r ysgolheigion Cymreig mwyaf, yn ei ystafell yn Amgueddfa’r Ashmolean, Rhydychen ar 30 Mehefin 1709, yn 49 mlwydd oed. Pedair ar ddeg o flynyddoedd cyn hynny, yn 1695, argraffodd e gynllun uchelgeisiol iawn i baratoi a chyhoeddi llyfr mawr, amlgyfrolog, amlddisgyblaethol. Teitl y cynllun oedd A design of a British…
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John Ballinger
There’s something faintly ridiculous about the phrase ‘librarian as hero’. But just occasionally librarians come along who, if not exactly heroic, at least have the capacity to astonish their successors with the number and breadth of their achievements. John Ballinger (1860-1933) was one such example. Ballinger was the Librarian of the Cardiff Free Library1 and…