Our friends at Cwmulus have invited us to “Pobol Enwog a Gwrddais” an illustrated on-line talk by Dr D Ben Rees about the many famous people that he has met during his life, from childhood onwards. Dr Rees is a Welsh and English-language publisher, author, lecturer and minister in the Presbyterian Church of Wales, and a leader of the Welsh community in Liverpool. The talk is in Welsh and simultaneous translation is not available, but Welsh learners should find that the language is clear enough for them to understand the gist of what is being said.

The talk, presented by Cwmulus on behalf of Bethel Literary Society, Liverpool, is at 7:30pm on Monday 19 February, and  you can register free of charge at this link.

Paul Rees of rootsinwales.com has invited our members to a series of three free webinars, each 60 minutes in duration, with a view to having interested members join this group. The next of these, on Saturday 27 January, is on Welsh Landscapes, but we expect a Sunday repeat on 18 February, with earlier webinars on Welsh Emigration and Welsh History to be repeated on 4 February and 11 February.

You can book for 27 January at Free Webinars | Roots in Wales. There are three sessions for each, the first two being at 3:00pm and 6:00pm in the UK, with an Australasian session for night owls!

Note that some browsers may not display the page as intended, but Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browser both work.

Our President, David Hughes, writes:

Annwyl Aelod CCD,

Mae’r amser yn fflio heibio ac mae 2023 bron a dod i ben. Da ni yn gobeithio gewch chi gyfarfod hefo teulu a ffrindiau and cael llawer o bleser ac mwynhad dros y Nadolig a’r Flwyddyn Newydd. Dymuno Nadolig Llawen and Blwyddyn Newydd dda i bawb. Cymerwch ofal dros y gwyliau ac aroswch yn iach ac yn saff. Hwyl fawr.

Dear EWS member,

Time is flying by and 2023 is coming to an end. We both hope that you are able to have time and lots of enjoyment with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year period. So we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that we can meet again early in 2024. Take care and stay safe and healthy. Best wishes.

David and Alison

At 7.00pm on Friday 29 September Mike Farnworth will give a talk entitled “Columbus – The Latecomer”.

When Christopher Columbus returned triumphantly to Spain as “The Man Who Discovered America” he inadvertently started an entirely new academic field: the study of claims that other explorers had been there before him.

Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories speculate about visits from most of the rest of the world. Who got there first? Was it the Vikings? Was it the Irish? Was it the Ancient Egyptians? Was it the Japanese? What about the Welsh?

This illustrated talk tells the stories of several different putative discoverers of America and presents some of the evidence behind the claims made on their behalf.

Our friends at Cwmulus are hosting this on-line talk, which this time is in English rather than Welsh. Registration at this link.

At 7.00pm on Friday 25 August Dr D Ben Rees will give a talk entitled “John Sampson, scholar of the Welsh Gypsies”.

John Sampson was a scholar with a Bohemian lifestyle. He was responsible for recording and preserving the Welsh Gypsy language, through his research and his friendship with the Gypsy patriarch Abraham Wood.

This illustrated lecture will describe Sampson’s colourful life, including the close friendship between him and the famous artist Augustus John. The pair met when they were colleagues at Liverpool University and they came to share a great interest in pubs, women, and Gypsy culture.

Dr D Ben Rees, the Minister Emeritus of Capel Bethel, Liverpool, is well-known in the city as a local historian.

Cwmulus are hosting this on-line talk, which is in Welsh, with an optional English translation. Registration at this link.