St David’s Day 2021 - Event Report

By Heidi Williams McCloskey, Member WSWNE

Heard of praying to saints, but never heard of zooming to saints. Yet, that’s what the Welsh Society of Western New England did to celebrate our patron saint on Saturday, March 6, 2021 with over 40 of us from America, Canada and Wales gathered via Zoom. St. David’s Day greetings included: Welsh Societies from Wellington, New Zealand; Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick Canada: Osaka, Japan: North Staffordshire, England; Florida Gulf Coast and Sarasota ; Welsh Congregation NYC; Fly2Wales Ltd, in Wales; The Welsh North America Association and Cymdaethas Madog. Board member Magdalen Dowden served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Speaking first in Welsh and then in English, our president, Susan Davies Sit welcomed us and introduced esteemed Welsh individuals who opened our afternoon event via video clips: Megan Williams, Executive Director of NAFOW, Dorian True of Fly2Wales Ltd from Swansea and Professor Tony Curtis. PROF. TONY CURTIS read us one of his poems, this one, appropriately focused on Rugby. Yes! We were on the cusp of a grand slam!

Just to get our minds and hearts in the same place, we watched a short clip of the areas in Wales that won travel awards in 2019. I recognized the beach in Tenby where I spent a most refreshing vacation! We raised our glasses and joined together in a salute to Wales: Iechyd da

David Owens, WSWNE member, evoked St David with his photos and history. He called attention to the fact that he carries the name of our Patron Saint and that his visit to the Holiest Place in Wales was the basis of his presentation. St. David’s Cathedral is located near the most westerly point of Wales. With his quiet voice, our David took us off to Non’s Well. Non was David’s mother. This setting is thought to include the birthplace of St. David. Owens emphasized the lack of hype around this area, in contrast to the activity in and around the Cathedral. “There is”, he said, “no commercial development”. This creates a powerful experience at the healing well (one that I was fortunate enough to visit during my travels to Wales). St. David’s Feast Day is March 1, the day of his death. David Owens called this a “sad but blessed day”.

The main event of the day was the reading of translations of some of Dafydd ap Gwilym’s poetry. John Bollard earned an MA in Medieval Welsh Language, Literature, and History from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and a PhD from the University of Leeds with a comparative study of medieval Welsh and English Arthurian tales. His published studies of the Four Branches of The Mabinogi and revolutionized our understanding of that great Welsh classic. He has published five books of translations of medieval Welsh prose and poetry, all with stunning photographs of the Welsh landscape by Anthony Griffiths.

Margaret Lloyd is a poet and painter, also with a PhD in English from the University of Leeds. She has published four books of poetry, including most recently her poetic response to The Mabinogi entitled Travelling on My Own Errands: Voices of Women from The Mabinogi (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2017).

John introduced Dafydd as Wales’ greatest poet, as he is widely believed to be. He wondered why we still value his poetry after some 600 years. Love is the primary subject matter of the poems. What could be more pleasing, painful, memorable?

John asked us to remember our first kiss before his first reading. (It is a wonder any of us continued to pay attention to his readings). He read “A Kiss” which spoke of “an exquisite gift” and “a most excellent mouth”.

In “The Girls of Llanbadarn”, the poet is “doubled over with anger” as he has “not had…a single one of them ever”. Why? One must read the poem for more complete understanding! (Our vice president, Susan Jenkins Meers was particularly moved by this poem and the photograph of the church that John used in his slide show. Both her great great grandparents and her great grandparents were married there).

I anticipated “Insulting his Servant” to be a different topic, but no: “lovesickness and my sleeplessness always weeping after the girl” is the self-deprecating, self-description of the poet.

“Under the Eaves” finds “The door of the house was locked”. And he is again “sick with love”. “Madness caused me to be here….where are you?”. This is the Dafydd ap Gwilym that John Bollard has helped us come to know.

Dyddgu is a woman he is particularly attracted to. In “An Invitation for Dyddgu”, he describes her as “Radiant girl of a gifted nature…with eyes bright as coals”

The presence and voice of Catrin, John and Margaret’s daughter joined in the readings. How that enriched the effect! Truly, I could feel “Trouble at an Inn”. Of course, it began with a “sprightly girl” and ended with a prayer “for forgiveness”.

John completed his readings with “The Ruin”. Sadness, danger rang out in these poetic words. But, the ending was “a good way of life”.

If sharing these bits tempts you to see John Bollard’s book, it is available. Simply send $20 to John Bollard, 17 Lilly St., Florence, MA 01062. And don't forget to let him know to whom it should be signed.

Our afternoon turned to a brief Annual Meeting in which the year was reviewed (we added 16 new members this year!) and the “new” Board re-installed.

Annie Rodgers closed our celebration by singing the Welsh National Anthem: Mae’r Hen Wlad fy Nghadau / Land of My Fathers. WSWNE is fortunate to have Annie in our membership. Her voice brings tears of hiraeth to many eyes. Thank you, Annie.

Having celebrated St David over my years in many different settings with many different people, I was amazed that I could be so moved sitting in my own home in front of my computer. Thank you to all who planned, organized and participated in this delightful event.

By Heidi Williams McCloskey, Member WSWNE