In Welsh culture, an eisteddfod is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term eisteddfod, which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning 'sit', and fod, meaning 'be', means, according to Hywel Teifi Edwards, "sitting-together." Edwards further defines the earliest form of the eisteddfod as a competitive meeting between bards and minstrels, in which the winner was chosen by a noble or royal patron.
Porthmadog, originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies 5 miles (8 km) east of Criccieth, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dolgellau and 20 miles (32 km) south of Caernarfon. The community population of 4,185 in the 2011 census was put at 4,134 in 2019. It grew in the 19th century as a port for local slate, but as the trade declined, it continued as a shopping and tourism centre, being close to Snowdonia National Park and the Ffestiniog Railway. The 1987 National Eisteddfod was held there. It includes nearby Borth-y-Gest, Morfa Bychan and Tremadog.
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendance generally exceeds 100,000 visitors, the highest recently being 118,000 attending the 2022 festival. The 2018 Eisteddfod was held in Cardiff Bay with a fence-free 'Maes'. In 2020, the event was held virtually under the name AmGen; events were held over a one-week period.
The post of National Poet of Wales was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appointed for a period of three years in July 2022.
The Council for Wales and Monmouthshire was an appointed advisory body announced in 1948 and established in 1949 by the UK government under Labour prime minister Clement Attlee, to advise the government on matters of Welsh interest. It was dissolved with the establishment of the post of Secretary of State for Wales and the formation of the Welsh Office in 1964/65. It was generally known as the "Council for Wales" or, occasionally but even less correctly, the "Council of Wales".
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school and sixth form in the town of Llanelli, Wales. It opened in September 1977 as a mixed gender school. In 2022 there were 1,209 pupils enrolled at the school.
Geraint Talfan Davies OBE DL FRIBA FLSW is a Welsh journalist and broadcaster, and a long-serving trustee and chairman of many Welsh civic, arts, media and cultural organisations.
The Books Council of Wales is a literature advocacy organisation in Wales. It was established in 1961, and today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and English language books of interest to Wales, to promote the publishing industry, and to assist and support authors by offering a number of services and distributing grants. It offers design and editorial services for publishers, distributes grants for authors and publishers, and provides services for libraries.
Twm Morys is a Welsh poet and musician.
John Ellis Williams,, novelist and writer from Caernarfonshire, wrote in Welsh and in English.
Ruth Jên is a Welsh artist, working in the old shoe shop in the village of Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion.
Y Bandana are a Welsh language alternative rock band that formed in Caernarfon in 2008. The band is composed of brothers Tomos Owens (keyboard) and Siôn Owens, their cousin Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Robin Jones (percussion). They are known for combining humorous lyrics with catchy melodies.
Geoff Charles was a Welsh photojournalist. His collection of over 120,000 images is being conserved and digitised by the National Library of Wales.
Ivor Davies is a Welsh-speaking, Welsh artist born in Treharris, in November 1935. He currently lives and works in Penarth.
David Garner is a Welsh installation artist known for his use of found objects and overtly political themes.
Myrddin ap Dafydd is a Welsh writer, publisher and chaired bard. In 2018 he was elected Archdruid of Wales.
The Gold Medal of the National Eisteddfod of Wales is awarded annually in three categories for excellence in Fine Art, Architecture, or Craft and Design.
Y Lle Celf is an annual art, craft and architecture exhibition held during the National Eisteddfod of Wales, claimed to be the biggest temporary art exhibition in Europe.
The 2018 Cardiff National Eisteddfod was held in Cardiff Bay, Wales, from 3 to 11 August 2018. It was the seventh time the National Eisteddfod of Wales had been held in Cardiff. The 2018 event was billed as the Eisteddfod with "No fences" because it dispensed with the traditional enclosed 'Maes', or entrance fees to the event location. It made a £290,000 loss, but its popularity led to the suggestion of future Eisteddfods without fences.
Emma Walford is a Welsh actress, singer and broadcaster. She is best known as a member of the girl group 'Eden' and as a presenter for the S4C reality show Priodas Pum Mil.
