The Welsh Society of Western New England (WSWN
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The Welsh Society of Western New England (WSWN |
 Speaker
John Bollard explains a passage from
The Mabinogi |
The
2008
WSWNE St. David's Day Gathering was held at
the
Nutmeg restaurant in East Windsor, CT on Saturday March
first: finally a St. David's Day Gathering held on St.
David's Day! Despite a morning snowstorm, a large turnout braved the weather to enjoy a fine luncheon in the lovely, daffodil bedecked setting arranged for us each year by Tina Davies. WSWNE president Tom Bernard opened our Annual General Meeting by reading a St David’s Day message from the First Minister for Wales, Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM (see complete text on the News & Information Page). The Board of Directors was elected for the 2008-09 membership year (see listing near bottom of Home Page). The program was presented by WSWNE member Dr. John Bollard, whose scholarly studies of The Mabinogi folk tales are required reading in Celtic Studies programs around the world. He read and commented on excerpts from his two most recent books, The Mabinogi: Legend and Landscape of Wales and Companion Tales to The Mabinogi. Both volumes are illustrated with Anthony Griffith's stunning photographs of the Welsh places in which these tales are set. In addition to giving voice to the characters in these classic Welsh folk tales, he talked about their significance, their charm, and their place in the landscape of Wales. He delightfully demonstrated how the tales are closely tied to the landscape of Wales, and are integral to an understanding of Welsh cultural history and, indeed, of the Welsh sense of Welshness itself. They are strong indicators of what it is, or at least was, to be Welsh – and they are among the most fascinating works of literature ever written in any language. |
 Veronica demonstrates opening a "cracker". |
WSWNE
Christmas Gathering 2007
Our annual Christmas Gathering was held Saturday December 1, 2007 at the Figaro Ristorante in Enfield, CT. This new location was chosen in part to be more convenient for the large number of members from Connecticut. Our reserved room had a most festive decor: evergreen wreaths and garlands enhanced with large red bows and brightly shining lights. The luncheon was preceded by a welcome from WSWNE President Tom Bernard and the distribution of traditional party "crackers" by member Veronica Chapman, who also gave a lesson on how best to make them pop open, revealing the gold paper crown, small gift, and joke hidden within. Thus the theme of the gathering was set early as the sharing of members' memories of Christmases past. After the luncheon and self introductions by all present, with a focus on everyone's "Welsh connection", the formal program began. Three segments were shown from the 1986 film, "A Child's Christmas in Wales", based on the Dylan Thomas poem. Each film segment was followed by an opportunity for members to share their own related memories of family Christmas traditions ... particularly from families with a Welsh (or other U.K.) heritage. Some common themes were Christmas stockings, typically with a tangerine or orange down in the toe; the simplicity of the gifts and smaller numbers than today's children take for granted - yet appreciated so much more it seems. There was one exception; one member told of a boy who cursed up the chimney at Santa after the lad failed to receive a particular anticipated gift. There were cherished family recipes, prepared only at the holiday season: real mince pies, special puddings, and breads - recipes still followed to this day in member households. There were memories of the many musical instruments played in the home at Christmas - from harp and piano to fiddle and bow - while others reminisced about the songs of the season and caroling. One member even gave a long and most humorous discourse on how he met the woman who became his wife - when she was giving a political speech, in the rain, from the back of a lorry, in Wales. The gathering ended with a brief lesson on how to wish one another Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda, taking care to pronounce the double "L" like a native Welsh speaker. |
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WSWNE
Fall Gathering 2007
Our Annual Fall Gathering for 2007 was held Saturday, September 29th at the All Saints' Episcopal Church hall in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The luncheon featured homemade leek and potato soup and great sandwiches plus homemade plum pie, lemon tart, and honey cakes for dessert. The program, "Exploring Your Welsh Family Roots", was led by Susan Davies Sit and Beth Roberts Brown. Susan Davies Sit went over handouts outlining and illustrating the major sources of information from which she has traced her own family tree and assisted others in their genealogical research. She emphasized starting with what is already available in the family: perhaps a family bible: birth, marriage & death certificates; tape recording recollections of family members before it is too late! - then putting what has been learned into a family tree outline format to organize it and see relationships more clearly. There followed an introduction to how to find for more information in such forms as census and parish records for example - beginning in the U.S., then moving on to U.K. records. Her remarks were punctuated with numerous tips and cautions from her own experiences. Beth Roberts Brown shared anecdotes from her successful search for family links - illustrating how asking the right questions and persevering in the quest can lead to success. For example, she traced her journey from the clue that only her own Roberts family (of the many other Roberts families) in Granville, NY were known as Cwm Dyli Roberts (though no one knew what that meant) ... to using an Internet message board posting to discover distant cousins in the U.K. who sent her information and photos of the Cwm Dyli area (at the base of Mt. Snowdon) where her ancestors' farmhouse stood ... to traveling to Wales to see Cwm Dyli for herself and literally walk in the footsteps of her forebearers. Other members added their own insights and experiences during the discussion. Many, including the presenters, displayed family bibles and other records, books, photos, and mementos handed down through the generations. |
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WSWNE
at Celts and Currachs festival
New London, CT 2007 On Saturday, August 25, 2007 New London, CT hosted the second annual Celts & Currachs, a unique waterfront festival featuring Celtic music, food, dance, and exhibition rowing races of traditional Irish Currachs (a boat with a wooden frame, over which is stretched animal skins or hides, related to the Welsh coracle). City Pier, located in Waterfront Park, behind Union Station in the downtown Historic Waterfront District. It was WSWNE members Shirley & Daniel Gilmartin and Susan Davies Sit who hosted the Welsh Culture Workshop on the water's edge with a nice breeze on a hot and humid day. Shirley had obtained many beautiful posters and handouts from the Welsh Tourist Board and other sources, which enhanced the booth and the Welsh experience. Attendees took travel information, talked genealogy, asked about Welsh surnames, took membership information, ate Shirley's Welsh cakes - displayed on her grandmother's very heavy bakestone (she wrote out the recipe many times!) and generally talked about their Welsh connections. Questions were also fielded about Welsh song books, the Welsh translation of The Lord's Prayer, Shirley's Welsh harp, the best season to travel to Wales, Welsh novels, Welsh films, and Welsh genealogy research. And they can't count the number of times they pronounced Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch! Shirley and Susan also marched in the parade, following behind a Scottish Marching Band, while proudly hoisting two Welsh flags - even higher than the Irish Tricolor in the line. |
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WSWNE
at Glasgow Lands 2007
For the fifth year in a row, the Welsh Society of Western New England participated in the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival at Look Park in Northampton, Massachusetts. This year's event was held on Saturday July 21, a beautiful sunny day with low humidity. We set up our new, larger
Welsh Society "clan tent" among those of our Celtic-cousin Scots. The
new covering is a green color similar to that in the Welsh flags we
flew above it. Also on display was our new professionally printed
banner, newly constructed frame for our banner and flag-holders, plus
two new bulletin board displays flanking our display table. One
bulletin board display item that attracted considerable interest was a
list of surnames common to people of Welsh descent. This parallels a
practice common at each Scottish clan tent to provide such a list for
that clan.
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The
2007
WSWNE St. David's Day Gathering was held on Sat. Mar.
3 at the Nutmeg restaurant in East Windsor, CT. Following a fine luncheon in the lovely setting arranged for us by Tina Davies, the Annual General Meeting was held electing the Board of directors for the new membership year and adopting amendments to the bylaws. President Tom Bernard introduced John Bollard who spoke briefly on his new translation of the Mabinogi and Caroline Cannings who spoke briefly about her father's book, Every Day was Summer. The program was presented by WSWNE member Margaret Lloyd (photo at left) read and discussed excerpts from her new book, A Moment in the Field: Voices from Arthurian Legend - a book length cycle of poems faithful to early Arthurian sources, |
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