EISTEDDFOD CHAIR HONOUR FOR POET
GWENALLT Llwyd Ifan is the winner of the prestigious Chair at the National Eisteddfod’s digital “AmGen” festival. The poet from Tregaron won the Chair for his poem in complete cynghanedd (up to 200 lines) on the subject of Deffro (Awake).
Gwenallt, writing under the penname Gwyliwr, received a beautiful Chair, designed and created by Eisteddfod craftsman Tony Thomas. The judges this year were Jim Parc Nest, Guto Dafydd and Caryl Bryn.
The ceremony was held in BBC Wales Central Square HQ in Cardiff.
Originally from Tregaron, Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan worked as a biology teacher in North Wales for a few years, and while living in Denbigh, he attended John Glyn Jones’ cynghanedd classes.
He has won several chairs for his poetry and in 1999 he won the Chair of the Anglesey National Eisteddfod for his ode ‘Pontydd’. He is the captain of the Tal-y-bont Talwrn y Beirdd team. He is also a member of the Ceredigion Ymryson y Beirdd team.
In 2009, he was appointed head of Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig, Aberystwyth. Following his retirement from the post in 2018, he became a tutor of science, chemistry and biology on the teacher training course at Aberystwyth University.
Many of his poems have been published in various publications and collections. He published his first volume of poetry, DNA, in 2021.
At the 2019 National Eisteddfod, he won the John Glyn Jones trophy, his old bardic teacher’s memorial trophy, for the best englyn of the week.
His other great interest is fly fishing. He has represented Wales numerous times on lakes and rivers throughout these islands and abroad and has been the British and Irish international champion on two occasions.
He is a keen runner and is often seen running the trails in the Tal-ybont area. He is married to Delyth and they have two children, Elis and Esther.
The Chair was created at the Eisteddfod’s workshop in Llanybydder by Tony Thomas, out of ash wood. Ash is a light, strong and flexible wood, which makes it perfect for creating an Eisteddfod Chair. The Chair, sponsored by J&E Woodworks Ltd, Lampeter, was created within a few miles of where the trees fell a few years ago.
And the design of the Chair is very impressive, too – inspired by the Gorsedd Stones. Blades of wood rise around the seat, just like the Gorsedd Circle on the Eisteddfod Maes. The stones also represent a hand, embracing the winner, as he or she is honoured by the Archdruid.
With the traditional Maes Eisteddfod postponed again this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers, the Gorsedd and the broadcasters worked together to create safe ceremonies.
Christine James, Gorsedd Recorder, said, “Naturally, the circumstances this year have forced us to make a number of changes: a small audience, a limited number of Gorseddogion, and some things have had to be done in a slightly different way – with the ceremonies held in the evenings, and on different days.
“But there are many familiar elements too: the Archdruid procession, the Gorsedd Prayer and the Corn Gwlad. And the dignity and splendour is just the same, as is the thrill of revealing whether anyone has reached the judges’ high standards this year!”
The winning poems will be published on the Eisteddfod website and the Cyfansoddiadau a Beirniadaethau, which includes the full adjudication for this competition and all the other composition winners at this year’s Eisteddfod, is now available at bookshops.
You can find out more about AmGen at https://eisteddfod. wales/amgen