EWSNEWS – November 2020
The story so far
Friday 30 October 2020. Zoom quiz at 7.30pm
Margaret and Chris Brandie hosted our first zoom meeting in the form of a quiz. We were a grand crowd of 19 on the night, and everything went smoothly. Trystan Poulter won the “wear something Welsh” prize, and Huw and Janet Thomas scored the highest marks. It was great fun and we are looking forward to zooming again …
Our next meeting
Friday 27 November 2020. Zoom meeting at 7.30pm
… so we are holding a Zoom party as near to St Andrew’s night as is practical. Please feel free to serve your own haggis, neeps and tatties, and a wee dram, as desired. An article of Welsh or Scottish dress (or both) will be appreciated. The focus of the evening will be a ‘write and read out’ of your own limerick which should have some Welsh or Scottish (or both) theme. We will also have an interlude of favourite snippets of poetry for those who would prefer. If you are thinking of taking part, please let me know beforehand, so a programme of events can be roughed out. In any event, we need to know ahead of time who is zooming in so you can be given the relevant codes. Please email me, secretary@edinburghwelshsociety.org, and do join us.
Other news
Anna Campbell kindly sent me this …
On Sundays I’ve been watching via Zoom the Sunday service from a Welsh Chapel in London – Capel y Boro – which I think is near Borough Market. It’s bilingual, always with several wonderful Welsh hymns, Bible readings, poems, prayers and much more. I emailed the organiser and asked if he minded me passing on his email address to members of the EWS so that if they wanted to watch the service they could contact him and he would send the link. [Email secretary@edinburghwelshsociety.org and ask for the email address]
And Hedd Richards this …
For many years I wrote a weekly or monthly article in the Carmarthen Journal, on the origin of local place names mainly in Carmarthenshire. I hold the rights to these articles and wondered if you wanted any of them to put in a newsletter or something – just as a snippet of interest for your members.
What’s in a Name – Tresaith, Ceredigion, Wales
For those who want a pleasant short break during the summer, Tresaith is one of the locations that you really must visit. Two miles north of Aberporth, and on the way to Llangranog, lies this seaside gem that is part of the Ceredigion Heritage Coastline. There must be hundreds of postcards sent depicting the eye-catching waterfall of the River Saith on to Tresaith beach!
Tresaith only began to grow in the mid-19th century. Up to that time, it consisted of two dwellings, a thatched cottage and the Ship Inn. The Inn is still there today and is also well visited by tourists. In 1827, the owners of the Ship Inn, the Parry family, were also ship owners. Their first vessel, the New Hope, was built on Tresaith beach! Later, many heavy vessels operated from and to Tresaith. They carried materials such as coal, limestone and culm (a by-product of coal).
However, in the last few decades of the 19th century, Tresaith became popular as a seaside holiday destination and has remained so ever since. Contemporary newspapers of the era referred to it as a Second Brighton!
These days, visitors are more likely to go dolphin watching, surfing or sailing rather than chilling (literally!) on the beach.
But, to return to the village name, it is a fairly simple translation – Tre means Town and Saith means Seven. It will come as a great disappointment to the footballer, David Beckham and his daughter, Harper Seven, to discover that someone else used the name ‘Seven’ first; however, in this case it refers not to a number on a football shirt, but to seven princesses.
Stay safe and I hope to see you via Zoom soon.
Pop hwyl,
Jennifer
Jennifer Welsher – Ysgrifenyddes CCD / Secretary EWS