Subscribe today using voucher code SUMMER22 for an extended free trial

This film is part of Free

Festival of Wales in Dyserth: Molawd Y Crefftwyr/In Praise of Craftsmen

Cobbler, tailor, quarryman, farm hand: Dyserth’s branch of the youth movement Urdd Gobaith Cymru pays tribute to local skills.

Home movie 1958 3 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Overview

Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh language youth movement, contributed to events organised by the villages of Dyserth and Cwm from May-September 1958 for the Welsh Tourist Board’s β€˜Festival of Wales’. Members provided a day of entertainment at the Urdd Hall in July, featuring traditional dancing accompanied by β€˜Telynores Brython’ (harpist Frances Mon Jones) and a tribute to local skills: mining, weaving, cobbling, tailoring, farming, coachbuilding, quarrying.

The Festival of Wales aimed to attract visitors by showcasing and celebrating Welsh culture. The driving force behind the Festivities Committee for Dyserth and Cwm was β€˜DJ’ – D J Thomas, head of Dyserth Primary School. The leader of the Dyserth branch of the Urdd at the time was Gwyn Williams. They are seen with a harp at the end of the film, DJ with false beard. Rhys Roberts, the local pharmacist, filmed the Urdd performances and other festival events. NB 1: Glowr - miner, Gwehydd - weaver, Crydd - cobbler, Teiliwr - tailor, Offer Fferm - farm implements, Saer Troliau - coachbuilder, Chwarelwr – quarryman. NB 2: Fogging of image: camera gate fault. Possibly double perf 9.5mm format run through single perf gate?