2019 has been named an ‘Year of Discovery’ by Visit Wales and is the third year a course has been created to coincide with these national themed years here at Nant. ‘Discover Anglesey’ was held as a Higher 2 course during March under the care of guest tutor, Delyth Roberts. The course was a great opportunity for experience learners to practice their spoken Welsh, expand their vocabulary and learn a lot about the rich history and culture of Anglesey. Guest speakers Ifor ap Glyn spoke about the various dialects of Anglesey and Bedwyr Rees gave a talk about the history of the island. As always, the highlight of the Higher 2 courses is the Wednesday afternoon trip. The group had a whistle-stop tour around Anglesey stopping in Llanfairpwll, heard the story of the Royal Charter at Moelfre, visited the traditional butchers in Amlwch and walked a bit on Paris mountain.
It is always a pleasure to welcome people from all parts of the world here to Nant, especially if they are interested in learning some Welsh! A group of students recently visited from Brittany and all thirty of them enjoyed a Welsh lesson followed by a traditional Welsh afternoon tea. It was amazing to see them learning the language so quick as there are so many similarities between the Welsh and Breton languages.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming Ifor ap Glyn, the current National bard of Wales, back to Nant at the end of May. Ifor will be hosting a very special course named ‘Rho awch ar dy Gymraeg’ (Give your Welsh an edge). The course will be an opportunity for learners to look at some of the tricks that can be used to enrich their Welsh and make it sound more natural. There will also be an opportunity for them to learn more about Welsh idioms and when to use them, dialectal features, how different tails can play their part in conversation and when telling a story, swearing in Welsh and Welsh humour in general. Ifor will also try to identify English patterns that can sneak into our Welsh – and learn how to change them for more Welsh patterns.
Ifor grew up in London but now lives in Caernarfon. He has a degree in Welsh and Welsh History, from Cardiff University College, and has produced several series on the Welsh language for S4C and Radio Cymru, including ‘Ar Lafar’ and ‘Hanes yr Iaith mewn 50 gair’.