Part of Reading Wales 2019-2023 (and beyond)
This was the first in a series of occasional features about Wales, its people, history, culture and most importantly, its literature, to be posted on Book Jotter in the months preceding the first ever Dewithon, or Wales Readathon, which took place from 1st to 31st March 2019.
It was hoped that by providing some rudimentary details about the Welsh Nation, readers from all parts the world would gain a greater understanding of Wales, and perhaps be motivated to seek out published works by its many accomplished poets and authors.
In this post we took a brief look at the Welsh diaspora.
THE WELSH NATION >>
The Welsh nation has its own language and government, and its people are an ethnic group native to, or otherwise associated with Wales. The native Welsh language (Cymraeg or y Gymraeg) falls within the Insular Celtic family and has historically been spoken in Wales, along with its predecessor, Common Brittonic, which was once heard throughout most of the island of Great Britain. The majority of people living in Wales can now speak English, but the Welsh language continues to thrive.
WELSH SETTLERS >>
You will find pockets of Welsh settlers almost everywhere, and Welsh surnames turn up in the most unexpected places. The Welsh have long spread to the rest of Great Britain, particularly during the Industrial Revolution when they headed in their thousands to Liverpool and Ashton-in-Markerfield. A great many went to other parts of Europe – in particular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when they migrated to northern France, where the populations centred in coal mining towns of the French department of Pas-de-Calais. The early 1900s also saw many from Wales heading to Newfoundland, the coast of Labrador and the Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
Countless groups and individuals went to Canada, New Zealand (you can visit The Welsh Dragon Bar in Wellington), Australia and the USA – in particular, Pennsylvania, Jackson County in Ohio (sometimes referred to as ‘Little Wales’), and Malad City in Idaho (which started out as a Welsh Mormon settlement). The Ukrainian city of Donetsk was founded in 1869 by Welsh businessman, John Hughes, and the former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was born in Barry.
WELSH LITERATURE IN SOUTH AMERICA >>
If you were to visit Y Wladfa, in Argentina, you would find a thriving Welsh colony that began in 1865, occurring mainly along the coast of Chubut Province in the far southern region of Patagonia. Its best-known authors include Eluned Morgan (1870-1938), chiefly remembered for her travel books, Dringo’r Andes (1904) and Gwymon y Môr (1909); and Richard Bryn Williams (1902-1981), a Patagonian historian who published many children’s books, poetry collections, plays and studies.
Suggested Reading
If you would like to know more about the history of Welsh settlers in Argentina you may wish to seek out a copy of Glyn Williams’ 1975 University of Wales Press publication: The Desert And The Dream: A Study Of Welsh Colonization In Chubut, 1865-1915, or R. Bryn Williams’ bilingual: The Welsh Colony in Patagonia 1865-2000, which was published in 2000.
Mimosa – the Life & Times of the Ship That Sailed to Patagonia, Susan Wilkinson’s fascinating account of the terrifying voyage made by an ageing tea clipper in 1865, from Liverpool to Patagonia, carrying 162 Welsh people fleeing persecution, was published in 2015 by Y Lolfa.
In fiction, you may enjoy the collection Hiraeth: Stories from Welsh Patagonia by Steph Davies.
HOW YOU CAN HELP >>
Have you come across any interesting Welsh writers living and working outside Wales – perhaps in your own town or country? If you would like to share your knowledge about literature of the Welsh diaspora, please get in touch (or leave a comment below). I will gladly accept guest articles on all matters relating to this subject.
ORGANIZATIONS >>
- Beijing Welsh Society
- Kansai St David’s Society of Japan
- New York Welsh
- North America Wales Foundation
- Ontario Welsh Festival
- Paris Welsh Society
- Sydney Welsh Society
- Thailand Welsh Society
- Vancouver Welsh Society
- Welsh-Hungarian Cultural Association
- Welsh Norwegian Society
- Welsh Society of Wellington
- Welsh Society of Western Australia
FURTHER FEATURES & WEB PAGES OF INTEREST >>
- An A-Z of the Welsh Diaspora
- Being “British” in Rome: The Welsh at the English College, 1578-1584
- DEWITHON 21: Llyfrbabble (Bookbabble) One – A Walesi Bardok
- ‘Eluned Morgan’s letter to her dear young colleagues’ 1897
- Global Welsh – The Welsh Diaspora
- How the Welsh outside Wales kept St David’s Day alive
- Keeping Welsh culture alive in Japan
- Malad City Welsh Festival
- MIMOSA and Susan Wilkinson
- Project Hiraeth
- The strange story of Hughesovka, the Welsh city in the middle of Ukraine
- Teaching Welsh in Patagonia during a pandemic
- Welsh costume abroad
- Welsh-American place names
- WH Davies: the Welsh Super Tramp
- We global Welsh want to see Wales celebrate its history and heritage
- Welsh Print Culture y Wladfa: The Role of Ethnic Newspapers in Welsh Patagonia, 1868-1933
Categories: Reading Wales
Welsh people must be born to write no matter where they are in the world! Nene Davies has lived in my city of Brisbane Australia for fifteen years and has written some great stories. I particularly like this interview http://www.expatarrivals.com/article/interview-with-nene-davies-a-welsh-expat-living-in-brisbane-australia and for her books visit Nene’s website http://www.nenedavies.com/ 🙂
Many thanks indeed for the info and links, Gretchen. This is just the sort of thing I’m looking for. I will take a look tomorrow morning. 🤗
Joan Aiken, though not Welsh, was much indebted to Welsh culture in her children’s books, for example riffing on the Welsh colony in South America in ‘The Stolen Lake’ and on her alternate history ‘The Whispering Mountain’ set in a strangely truncated 19th-century mid-Wales. I’ve written at length about these in related posts.
Hey, this is interesting stuff, Chris. Will I find these pieces on Calmgrove? My next Dewithon feature may well be about literary immigrants and others who have been influenced by Welsh culture. I would definitely link to these articles at the very least!
Yes of course, Paula! Just use the search facility at the top of my blog for these two titles or use these two links to find all the related reviews and posts: https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/?s=The+Whispering+Mountain+ and https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/?s=The+Stolen+Lake+
Some of the linked posts mention these titles only in passing but most are directly related.
Thank you, Chris. I’ll investigate further! 😊
Great post! Dw i’n dysgu siarad/darllen Cymraeg.
– Caidyn
Diolch yn fawr yn wir, Caidyn. Good for you! Do you live in Wales?
No, I live in America! But, I’ve always found the language interesting and it’s a fun challenge.
I so wish I had an aptitude for languages. I’m filled with respect for you.
Diolch yn fawr yn wir! (Thanks for that new phrase, too. Haven’t learned that one.)
And the coolest flag in the world!
Oh yes! 😊
Having spent annual breaks in Wales for over 20 years, I have a great love of the country. Particularly fond of the Lleyn Peninsula – and R.S. Thomas’s poetry is just marvellous.
The Llŷn is a beautiful part of the world. I have a caravan a little further down the coast in Talybont (near Barmouth) and go there with the dogs as often as possible. I agree re. R.S. Thomas. He was so good at Welsh landscapes.
This is so interesting! I don’t think I have read much by Welsh authors, but would love to!
Thanks Stacy. You’re very welcome to join us Dewithoners next March! 😃