Dafydd Iwan’s songs an inspiration for the Mentrau Iaith

The Mentrau Iaith (the Welsh language initiatives) all over Wales are offering a variety of exciting activities and events to celebrate the Welsh football team and their success going to Qatar for this year’s Football World Cup. Dafydd Iwan’s songs have inspired the activities which are for everybody all over the country.

Dafydd Iwan says:

“It’s great to see that my song “Yma o Hyd” has been such an inspiration for the Welsh football team and their supporters. The Mentrau Iaith and other organisations have seized on the opportunities of this very special energy and have created an exciting campaign which will give everybody in Cymru – young and old – the opportunity to take pride in their country and in the Welsh language. To see this kind of enthusiasm, especially amongst the younger generation, is really uplifting.”

The activities include singing sessions, competitions for children and youngsters, a series of murals (keep an eye out for them!) and fun educational resources. Fans will also get a chance to show their support for the team by signing T-shirts that will be presented to the team before the championship.

The activities are part of the World Cup Partnership campaign by the Welsh Government and the network of the Mentrau Iaith is one of the key partners in this campaign.

Daniela Schlick, Project Co-ordinator with Mentrau Iaith Cymru explains:

“We are so proud of being a part of this exciting campaign. It’s a fantastic opportunity to show that Wales and the people in Wales are welcoming everybody of every background into our communities by celebrating the Welsh football team’s success and of course by celebrating Cymraeg (the Welsh language), our culture and heritage.

We want to show different elements of the history of Wales and the Welsh language by teaching about the challenges and the success and encourage especially children and young people to take pride in their country, their language and their communities. We will be celebrating in a modern and fun way that includes everybody.”

This is not the first time that the Mentrau Iaith have organised competitions to celebrate football in Cymru. Osian Jones from Ceredigion won the ‘Gwlad y Chants’ (Land of Chants) competition during the Euros last year with his “Sea Chanty y Wal Goch”. As a prize Osian had a great time watching one of the Welsh team’s recent training sessions and meeting the team afterwards.

Eryl Jones, Osian’s father says:

“Osian was over the moon winning the competition for composing a Welsh chant for the Euros, the prize was quite the cream on top of the cake! He loved every second of meeting his footballl heroes! He will never forget this experience!”

More details about the activities will be available on the Mentrau Iaith Cymru website www.mentrauiaith.cymru and on social media.