Cynog Glyndwr Dafis is a Welsh politician and member of Plaid Cymru who served as the Member of Parliament for Ceredigion from 1992 to 2000, originally as a joint Plaid Cymru–Green Party MP until 1997 and then only as a Plaid Cymru MP until 2000. He also served as the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Mid and West Wales from 1999 to 2003. Born Cynog Glyndwr Davies at Treboeth in Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales, he was initially a school teacher and researcher before entering politics.
Robert Maynard Jones, generally known as Bobi Jones, was a Welsh Christian academic and one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Welsh language. A versatile master of poetry, fictional prose and criticism, he was born in Cardiff in 1929, educated at the University of Wales, Cardiff and University College Dublin. Jones held the chair in Welsh language at Aberystwyth from 1980 until his retirement. He died on 22 November 2017.
Ffred Ffransis, is a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.
Dr. Geraint Bowen was a Welsh language poet, academic and political activist.
Meredydd Evans, known colloquially as Merêd, was a collector, editor, historian and performer of folk music of Wales. A major figure in Welsh media for over half a century, Evans has been described as influencing "almost every sphere of Welsh cultural life, from folk music and philosophy to broadcasting and language politics".
Tynged yr Iaith was a radio lecture delivered in Welsh by Saunders Lewis on 13 February 1962. Reaction to it brought about a major change in the politics of Wales. Historian John Davies has said that the lecture was "the catalyst" for the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, and the start of a period of direct-action agitation to enhance the status of the Welsh language. Its direct effect on the formation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg is described in a history of that society. It has been said that "of all the memorable phrases coined in the twentieth century none has greater resonance for the Welsh speaker than Tynged yr Iaith. .. which still haunts or inspires champions of the native tongue on the cusp of the new millennium". It had the unintended effect of establishing language agitation as a movement separate from the mainstream of nationalist politics. The burgeoning effects from the initial stimulus of Tynged yr Iaith were listed by Gwyn Williams:
The history of the Welsh language spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh.
Gwenno Teifi is a Welsh language activist from Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Wales. In February 2006 she became the first member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg to serve a jail sentence for a language protest in 11 years.
Gwilym Richard Jones was an editor and poet, and the first person to have received all three major literary awards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. The Eisteddfod is an event at which it is notoriously difficult to achieve an award without merit, as the judges will often attribute no prize if they feel that the quality of the work submitted does not meet the standards required. Jones was awarded the Bardic Crown in 1935, the Chair in 1938, and the Prose Medal in 1941.
Steve Eaves is a Welsh poet, songwriter and singer, working in the Welsh language. He has lived for most of his life in the Bangor area of North Wales. He has been a performing musician for over 45 years. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he worked as a labourer and musician, with frequent forays to Chester, Crewe and other locations to perform at folk clubs and underground venues of the period. He also performed at the now legendary Les Cousins folk club in Soho, sharing the floor spot with legendary blues singer Jo Ann Kelly. He also performed with various 'underground' luminaries of the time such as Al Stewart, Tea and Symphony, and the Sutherland Brothers.
Emily Huws is a Welsh language children's author. She is a recipient of the Mary Vaughan Jones Award.
Dr Meirion Pennar was a Welsh poet and academic, who translated two works of Welsh language literature.
Bryn Fôn is a Welsh actor and singer-songwriter. He also became the first ever artist to play live on BBC Radio Cymru in 1977.
Eileen Beasley was a Welsh teacher who, along with her husband Trefor, conducted a campaign of civil disobedience in the 1950s against the Rural District Council of Llanelli in a demand for council rate bills in the Welsh language. Her stand has led Welsh language campaigners to describe her as the "mother of direct action" and her protest helped to lead to the creation of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg.
Gareth Jamie Bevan is a Welsh language campaigner from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Bevan refused to pay fines and costs to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrate's Court for breaking into Conservative Party offices in north Cardiff the day before a visit from David Cameron in a demonstration against cuts to S4C.
Y Blew was a Welsh rock band founded in 1967. Although short lived, having pressed and released just one single, the band are recognized as the first rock band to sing in Welsh.
Meinir Ffransis is a Welsh political activist, best known for her activities as a prominent member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. She served jail sentences for various offences while campaigning for recognition for the Welsh language.
Undeb Cymru Fydd was a Welsh patriotic and cultural society. It was founded in 1941 when Undeb Cenedlaethol y Cymdeithasau Cymreig and Pwyllgor Amddiffyn Diwylliant Cymru merged to form a new organization with the aim of promoting Welsh culture and the Welsh language and to be the focus and medium of cooperation for that purpose. The new organization took the name of the earlier patriotic movement Cymru Fydd, which was established in 1886.
Dyfodol i'r Iaith is a non-party political organisation in Wales that works to ensure that the Welsh language occupies a central role in Welsh life and remains a priority on the political agenda. It is a lobbying pressure group which works exclusively through constitutional means, seeking to influence the Welsh Government, local government, political parties, the heads of public bodies and others to place the language at the heart of their policies and actions.
![A political poster used in the early 1970s depicting a judge wearing a garment styled as the flag of the United Kingdom, trampling over the words; 'Y Gymraeg' (The Welsh [language]) which was created after 11 Welsh speaking protestors were arrested 'Y Gymraeg', Cymdeithas yr iaith Gymraeg - Welsh political poster.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/%27Y_Gymraeg%27%2C_Cymdeithas_yr_iaith_Gymraeg_-_Welsh_political_poster.jpg/220px-%27Y_Gymraeg%27%2C_Cymdeithas_yr_iaith_Gymraeg_-_Welsh_political_poster.jpg)
