38-602: The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen , North Wales . It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from around the world are invited to take part in over 20 competitions followed each evening by concerts on the main stage. Over five thousand singers, dancers and instrumentalists from around 50 countries perform to audiences of more than 50,000 over
76-587: A James Bond 007 spectacular, featuring the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera , as the Sunday finale; 2010 saw performances by Katherine Jenkins and Nigel Kennedy . In 2011 there were concerts featuring Lulu , Russell Watson , Faryl Smith , Ruthie Henshaw and McFly . In 2012 the Eisteddfod played host to Lesley Garrett , Alison Balsom , Nicola Benedettii and Sian Edwards in a celebration concert for
114-646: A holiday destination. Moorings at Llangollen Wharf and additional moorings in a marina are built at the end of the generally-navigable section, allowing visitors arriving by narrowboat to moor overnight in Llangollen. The canal then extends 1.7 miles, north and then west, to Horseshoe Falls in a section navigable only by a horse-drawn excursion boat. Llangollen on the River Dee hosts white water Slalom canoeing and kayaking , being host to International and UK events. The International Canoe Federation (ICF),
152-424: A local businessman and High Sheriff of Merionethshire , became president. Plans to hold the event on the school field of Dinas Brân County School progressed throughout 1946-47. Accommodation for the overseas competitors would be in houses in the town and surrounding area, and domestic participants would be given beds in church and school halls. As rationing was still in place, ration coupons had to be found for all
190-550: A scheme. Tudor modified his proposal into an independent music festival, and found support for this idea from W. S. Gwynn Williams , Welsh composer and music publisher, and George Northing, a teacher from Ysgol Dinas Brân and chairman of Llangollen town council. Gwynn Williams and Northing both pressed for the Eisteddfod to be in their home town of Llangollen . The public gave support to this idea at two public meetings in May 1946, but concerns were also raised about who would come, where
228-660: A weekly newspaper, the Llangollen Advertiser . Llangollen hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1908. The Gorsedd ceremony was held on the Hermitage Field, next to Plas Newydd, and the circle of stones was later moved into the grounds of the hall. The eisteddfod itself took place on the old Vicarage Field at Fronhyfryd and was visited by David Lloyd George , accompanied by Winston Churchill . The annual Llangollen International Eisteddfod
266-719: A well-known figure and author in the Esperanto movement, was asked to help, and through publicity in Esperanto magazines and to the surprise of the organisers, several groups contacted the Eisteddfod committee. Two troupes of Spanish dancers, on a tour of Britain sponsored by the British Council and the Esperanto Society, arrived and despite there not being a dance competition in the first year, performed to delighted audiences. Folk dance competitions have featured in every subsequent Llangollen Eisteddfod. The eisteddfod
304-536: Is a large international music festival. It starts on a Tuesday and ends on the following Sunday. It opens with a parade led by the Llangollen Silver Band, in which both locals and visitors take part in dancing, singing, and playing musical instruments. The Llangollen Fringe Festival is an independent arts festival, usually held in mid July in the town hall. The Fringe includes music, comedy, theatre, dance and workshops. Artists who have taken part in
342-724: Is the only church in Wales dedicated to St Collen, and he may have had connections with Colan in Cornwall and with Langolen in Brittany . Above the town to the north is Castell Dinas Brân , a stronghold of the Princes of Powys . Beyond the castle is the impressive Lower Carboniferous limestone escarpment known as the Eglwyseg Rocks. The outcrop continues north to World's End in Wrexham . The single track road north of
380-643: The Beeching Axe of 1964, the line closed to passengers in early 1965, and to freight in April 1969. The line was lifted in May 1969. However, a 10-mile stretch of the line between Llangollen and Corwen has been restored and operates as the Llangollen Railway , a tourist attraction. In 2002, the Rainhill locomotive trials were re-staged on the line. The Ellesmere Canal was intended to connect
418-691: The coal mines and ironworks at Ruabon and Wrexham to the canal network and thence to the sea via the River Mersey and the River Severn . The plans were altered, and instead of connecting Trevor northwards to the sea via the River Dee and southwards to the Severn, the canal ran eastwards to join the national network at Hurleston Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal near Nantwich . A feeder canal, navigable to Llangollen,
SECTION 10
#1732780128962456-532: The 1940s, it was its function as a water supply which kept it open. The canal is unusual amongst Britain's artificial waterways in having a strong flow (up to 2 miles per hour). Since the use of canals for leisure took off in the 1970s and 1980s, the route, roughly parallel to the river Dee and across the Dee Valley on the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct , is an important part of Llangollen's attraction as
494-659: The 6 days of the event. Famous performers at Llangollen have included Luciano Pavarotti (who first competed in Llangollen in 1955 with his father and a choir from their home town Modena , and for whom the Eisteddfod's principal trophy – the Choir of the World Pavarotti Trophy – is named), Red Army Ensemble , Julian Lloyd Webber and Ladysmith Black Mambazo . The final Sunday Evening Gala Concert has featured Katherine Jenkins , Bryn Terfel , Kiri Te Kanawa , James Galway and Montserrat Caballe . The origins of
532-648: The Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , with the easternmost point of the Dee Valley Way being within the town. It had a population of 3,658 at the 2011 census. Llangollen takes its name from the Welsh llan meaning "a religious settlement" and Saint Collen , a 7th-century monk who founded a church beside the river. St Collen is said to have arrived in Llangollen by coracle . St Collen’s Church
570-630: The European Canoe Union (ECU) and the British Canoe Union (BCU) all hold events in Llangollen. Cricket , football and rugby union teams play at Tower Fields, which overlooks the town and the International Eisteddfod field and pavilion. Thermals rising up the valley sides to the south of the town are used for paragliding . Mountain bikers enjoy the hills. Llangollen was the starting point of
608-770: The Greek word μακάριοι, where English uses "blessed". It is said that Gwynn Williams was referring to this in selecting the motto. However in March 2023, it appeared that the motto was being misinterpreted by English speakers to mean the colour "white". There was a proposal for the eisteddfod to change its motto, but there was a wave of opposition to this, and it did not proceed. The 2007 Eisteddfod included performances by José Carreras , Joan Baez , and Hayley Westenra . In 2008, there were performances by Elaine Paige , All Angels , and Alfie Boe ; in 2009, performances by Barbara Dickson , Sir Willard White , Blake , and Natasha Marsh , with
646-782: The International Eisteddfod go back to 1943, when Harold Tudor, an officer of the British Council , arranged a visit for members of governments-in-exile to the Welsh National Eisteddfod in Bangor . The excursion was well received, especially by the noted writer and poet Juraj Slavik, the Minister for the Interior in the Czechoslovakia government-in-exile. Following the visit he wrote to Tudor praising
684-598: The Llangollen Fringe include Clement Freud , Rhys Ifans , the Damned , Cerys Matthews , Tracey Emin , Damien Hirst , Juan Martín , the Black Seeds , John Cooper Clarke , Will Self , Gang of Four , Lee Scratch Perry , Victoria Coren Mitchell and Gruff Rhys . Dee Rocks is a local fundraising music festival, usually held during May when the town hall is transformed into a music venue. Llangollen
722-676: The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. There were also appearances by Alfie Boe , Steffan Morris, and Valentina Nafornta, and a performance of Karl Jenkins 's new work "The Peacemakers" by a specially formed massed choir accompanied by the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Orchestra. The week was rounded off by the Grand Finale Concert, featuring Fflur Wyn, Wynne Evans , Mark Llewelyn Evans, John Owen-Jones and Richard Balcombe. In recent years
760-484: The Sunday evening concert has been given over to more "popular" music. Starting with McFly in 2011, subsequent concerts have included UB40 , Status Quo (band) , and Manic Street Preachers . A parade is usually held on the Tuesday of the Eisteddfod week, in which both the locals and visitors, take part dancing , singing , and playing musical instruments , whilst marching the streets of Llangollen. However, in 2016
798-508: The castle forms the Panorama Walk , and a monument to poet I. D. Hooson from the village of Rhosllannerchrugog is located near its easternmost end [Grid Ref: SJ 2459 4287]. The ancient parish of Llangollen was divided into three traeanau ( traean being the Welsh for "a third"): Llangollen Traean, Trefor Traean, and Glyn Traean. Valle Crucis Abbey [Grid Ref: SJ 20441 44168] was established at Llantysilio in about 1201, under
SECTION 20
#1732780128962836-414: The choir with the words: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our friends from Germany." The town organised a concert to help the choir raise funds, and in 2015 members of the choir were still corresponding with Llangollen friends. The Welsh motto of the International Eisteddfod, " Byd gwyn fydd byd a gano. Gwaraidd fydd ei gerddi fo ", was composed by the poet T. Gwynn Jones in 1946, a few months after
874-517: The eisteddfod was establshed. It has appeared on the Eisteddfod trophies, artwork and various artefacts of the eisteddfod for 75 years. It is usually translated as: "Blessed is a world that sings. Gentle are its songs." However the word gwyn has a number of meanings, for example "white" as well as "pure" or "holy", and it is used many times in the Bible, for example in the Beatitudes , to translate
912-427: The event would be held and how the event would be financed. The British Council offered to help find choirs from Europe and to give financial support; however, the town decided to raise the money through a public subscription, and quickly gathered over £1100. George Northing was appointed as director of the executive board; Gwynn Williams became music director; Harold Tudor was director of publicity; and W. Clayton Russon,
950-632: The eventual winners of the Ladies Competition, whilst the Men's Competition was won by the Hungarian workers' choir, who had completed their journey to Wales by hitch-hiking when their train had been cancelled at Basel because of the French strike. The Esperanto Society played a significant part in the first year, when it was felt that there could be a shortage of participants. Reto Rossetti ,
988-493: The hills around the town were sheep farms , and the domestic wool industry , both spinning and weaving, was important in the area for centuries. Several factories were later built along the banks of the River Dee, where both wool and cotton were processed. The water mill opposite Llangollen railway station is over 600 years old, and was originally used to grind flour for local farmers. In the late 19th century, Llangollen had
1026-411: The new railway) and a two-storey stone tower with a castellated parapet. This became a café before being demolished in the 1930s to improve traffic flow. The bridge was also widened in 1873 and again in 1968, using masonry which blended in with the older structure. It is a Grade I listed structure and a Scheduled Ancient Monument . Plas Newydd ("New Mansion" or "New Place") high on the outskirts of
1064-577: The parade was moved to the Friday to enable more competitors to take part. 52°58′25″N 3°10′31″W / 52.9735°N 3.1754°W / 52.9735; -3.1754 Llangollen Llangollen ( Welsh: [ɬaŋˈɡɔɬɛn] ) is a town and community , situated on the River Dee , in Denbighshire , Wales . Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range , and
1102-459: The patronage of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor of Castell Dinas Brân. The bridge at Llangollen was built across the Dee in the 16th century to replace a previous bridge built in about 1345 by John Trevor , of Trevor Hall (later Bishop of St Asaph ), which replaced an even earlier bridge built in the reign of King Henry I . In the 1860s the present bridge was extended by adding an extra arch (to cross
1140-558: The surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd house and the Horseshoe Pass. The railway, operating both passenger and goods services, was extended from Ruabon , via Acrefair and Trevor, to reach Llangollen by 1865. The Ruabon to Barmouth Line became part of the Great Western Railway . However under
1178-666: The town, was from 1780 the home of the Ladies of Llangollen (the Honourable Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler) and their maid Mary Carryl . They share the same grave memorial in the church. Elevated on the opposite side of the Dee is Castell Dinas Brân, the ruins of a medieval castle built by the Princes of Powys Fadog . The Pillar of Eliseg [Grid Ref: SJ 20267 44528] is another ancient monument located 400m NNW of Valle Crucis Abbey. Llangollen Community Hospital
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-653: The value of music as a way of healing the effects of war. The following year an international concert was held as part of the Llandybie National Eisteddfod. Towards the end of 1945 Tudor proposed that an international choral festival be added to the 1947 Welsh National Eisteddfod ; however, the Council of the National Eisteddfod felt that as all their effort was directed to rebuilding their own organisation, they could not take on such
1254-542: The visitors, and the Minister of Food was eventually persuaded to supply these. In June 1947 it was time for competitors to travel to Llangollen, but a railway strike had started in France, and there was serious doubt as to whether any overseas competitors would be able to arrive. The organisers were relieved when the first coach of competitors arrived, bringing the ladies' choir Grupo Musical Feminino from Porto . They were
1292-549: Was a major test mission to promote reconciliation when a choir from Lübeck came to compete at the Eisteddfod. However there had been Austrian and Italian choirs. As the choir tell it in a letter now in the Clwyd archive in Ruthin , there was a tearful welcome from the eisteddfod helpers and the townspeople, with tea and sandwiches, when the choir arrived at the Llangollen station. Later, the festival's compère Mr Hywel Roberts introduced
1330-608: Was an important coaching stop for the mail coach on the old mail route which is now the A5 from London to Holyhead . Various buses serve the town, including buses to Wrexham (Arriva service 5), Barmouth (TrawsCymru service T3) and the Ceiriog Valley . Services 5 and T3 connect Llangollen to Ruabon and Wrexham, which have the closest railway stations on the national network. The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus (service 199) operates between April and November, linking Llangollen and
1368-473: Was brought to close with what has now become the traditional Sunday concert, featuring Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra . The 1947 International Eisteddfod was hailed as an unqualified success, with praise for the organisers, the founders, and all the competitors. There was even a surplus of £1,432 to be used for the next year's event. In 1949, just four years after the end of the war, there
1406-405: Was completed in 1876. There is an electoral ward of Denbighshire County Council of the same name. This ward includes Llantysilio community and has a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,079. Llangollen Town Council is based at Llangollen Town Hall . Today Llangollen relies heavily on the tourist industry , but still gains substantial income from farming . Most of the farms in
1444-732: Was constructed from Trevor to tap water from the River Dee at Llantysilio (at the weir called " Horseshoe Falls "). After company mergers, the canal became part of the Shropshire Union System. Until recently it was properly called the Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, though it is now known as the Llangollen Canal . The canal supplied enough Dee water to supply Crewe and Nantwich , and when commercial traffic failed in
#961038