I was 12 years old when the National Urdd Eisteddfod took place in Carmarthenshire in 2007. Every year, my primary school would compete in the Can Actol - a musical-type competition, as if our lives depended on it. For many of us - including myself, this would be our last year competing in this competition before heading to secondary school.
We had spent months practising and rehearsing all the songs and all the dance routines. We had made it through every round and now had reached the finals on the national level. To say I was anxious beforehand was an understatement.
As I stood there backstage with my friends, all dressed in crazy costumes and makeup all over our faces, I was sick with nerves. My heart was in my throat, my body was trembling and my mind was numb. Before I knew it we were called up on stage.
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I’ll be honest and admit I remember nothing from the actual performance. All I can remember is this big burst of energy I felt as we performed, making the audience laugh and the floor of the Pafiliwn shaking as they clapped their hands. It felt good and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
A bit later on, we were all stood backstage to hear the results for our competition. Children, parents and teachers were stood in perfect silence, completely ignoring the going-ons that were happening right behind us as other schools prepared for their upcoming competitions.
The tension was palpable, if we won this competition we would go down in history, I thought, And just like that, they called out our school’s name and announced that we had come in first place. Everyone was jumping, hugging and some of us were even crying - we couldn’t believe that we had made it. For 12-year-old me, it felt like anything was possible from then onwards.
And now 15 years on, that memory has stuck with me. Although I am too old and too boring to compete at the Eisteddfod yr Urdd by now, the festival still means a lot to me. Every year, I will try and make the effort to attend the National Eisteddfod of Wales - undoubtedly the biggest eisteddfod of them all.
For some of you who may not know, Yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru is one of the largest festivals of its kind in Europe. Every year, it attracts around 160,000 visitors far and wide. It’s a celebration of arts, culture and music through the Welsh language.
You may have heard about Gorsedd y Beirdd - the society of people who have made a contribution to the Welsh language and culture, and yes - you may have heard about the chairing of the Bard - a tradition that is said to be much older than the modern-day ceremony itself. But the Eisteddfod is so much more than that, and as each year passes by, it gets better and better.
Like coming home, it welcomes you with its big Welsh arms and completely immerses you into a Welsh universe, so much so that you almost forget that the outside world exists. You see familiar faces but you also find new ones, you feel completely safe and humbled by the fact that everywhere you go you hear y Gymraeg.
A few years back, I went to see Edward H Dafis’ last gig in Eisteddfod Genedlaethol in Denbighshire. My friends and I must have been around 18 and were staying at the young people’s campsite - Maes B. Dressed in our favourite Cowbois hoodies, we walked from the campsite to the main Maes.
It seemed that everyone had the same idea that night, as people turned up in their thousands to watch the rock band’s farewell concert. I hadn’t seen anything like it before - elderly couples were sitting on camp chairs, kids were sitting on their parents’ shoulders, teenagers desperately tried to make their way to the front and old college friends were buying each other a round of pints.
And what a stellar performance we got. They performed all their timely classics - Pishyn, Breuddwyd Roc a Rol and Ysbryd y Nos, to name a few. And then, in true Welsh fashion we ended the night with an amazing rendition of the national anthem. Band member, Dewi Pws, in tears told us - the younger generation, to never forget this moment and to keep the language alive.
There is no truer testament to the Welsh language’s survival than the Eisteddfod. The first Eisteddfod dates back as far as 1176 and now in 2022 it is still thriving. With every year that comes, we turn up and prove that the language is here to stay. But not just to simply exist, but to be used every day, to be cherished and valued even by those who don’t speak it. It belongs to all of us.
The Eisteddfod means so much to me because it played a significant part in my childhood, it has made me proud of my identity and created a space where my language and culture can be enjoyed by everyone. And that’s the key to the Welsh language’s survival.
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