Crown and Chair presented to Llŷn and Eifionydd Eisteddfod Committee

Tonight (13 June), both the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod’s Crown and Chair are presented to the festival’s Executive Committee, at a special ceremony in Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw, Llanbedrog

The Crown is presented by the Caernarfonshire Branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales with the financial prize of £750 donated by the Bryn Bodfel Family, Rhydyclafdy, in memory of Griffith Wynne. The Crown was designed and created by Elin Mair Roberts.

The Crown is presented for a ‘pryddest’ or collection of poems not in cynghanedd, of no more than 250 lines, on ‘Rhyddid’ (Freedom). The adjudicators are Jason Walford Davies, Elinor Wyn Reynolds and Marged Haycock.

Y Lôn Goed, the important historical path that borders Llŷn and Eifionydd is the centerpiece of this year's Crown, and its boundaries were used as its basis. The textures seen in the countryside are imitated in silver on it, and the wealth of the area's land is represented in the green material of the headdress.

Boundaries between farms and lands, as well as the hedges and stone walls traditionally seen in the Eisteddfod areas are also represented on the Crown, with hedges typically seen in Llŷn and stone walls in Eifionydd. A 'border' protects the world of agriculture, and the aim was to highlight this in the design.

Elin Mair also added a piece of her jewelery to the design, a daffodil made of 18ct yellow gold.

The Eisteddfod Chair will also be presented to the Executive Committee this evening, and this year, the Chair is presented for a poem or collection of poems in cynghanedd, of no more than 250 lines, entitled ‘Llif’ (Flow). The adjudicators are Cathryn Charnell-White, Karen Owen and Rhys Iorwerth.

Craftsman Stephen Faherty is responsible for creating the Chair, sponsored by the family of the late Dafydd Orwig, educator, pioneer, and former chair of Gwynedd County Council.

The Chair was made from a large piece of oak tree planted on the edge of Y Lôn Goed over 200 years ago. The six-mile-long route was immortalised in the poem Eifionydd by R Williams Parry.

The strong winds of Storm Darwin blew the whole tree down in February 2014, and a piece was presented to the Eisteddfod by Eifion Williams, Tyddyn Heilyn, when he heard the festival was coming to the area.

Stephen, a craftsman who specialises in sculpture, carved the chair from one piece of wood. He said, “It’s such a special piece of wood, and it lent itself to being carved into a chair. I used a saw to cut the stump into the shape of a chair, but it’s created out of a single piece of oak. From the start, I wanted the stump to speak for itself; the grain is so beautiful, and I wanted that to shine. I think the Chair will draw the eye.”

Accepting the Crown and the Chair on behalf of the Eisteddfod, the Chair of the local Executive Committee, Michael Strain, said, "It’s such a pleasure to be here tonight to accept the Crown and the Chair on behalf of the Eisteddfod.

"This is the first chance for us to see two special awards that represent and reflect Y Lôn Goed in very different ways. Both are delightfully beautiful, and a source of pride for us here in Llŷn and Eifionydd. I’m sure that everyone all over Wales, like us, are thrilled to see them for the first time tonight.

"Tonight, is an opportunity to say thank you. We thank Gwynedd Watkin and the Caernarfon County branch of the Farmers' Union of Wales, and the family of the late, beloved Griffith Wynne, Bryn Bodfel, for their generosity in sponsoring the Crown and donating the prize money. Thanks also to Elin Mair, from Y Ffôr, for creating such a delicate and elegant Crown, which reflects our area in such a beautiful way.

"And then the Chair, created from a single piece of tree stump that grew on Y Lôn Goed for two centuries. Thanks to Eifion Williams for the wood, to Stephen Faherty for his inspiring work, and to Huw Orwig, who spent many days helping Stephen as he completed the work. Finally, our thanks to Dafydd Orwig’s family, and we remember Dafydd as one who made such a contribution to Gwynedd and Wales, for their generosity; to Beryl, Huw, Guto and Owain for presenting the Chair, and to Siân, Sharon and Non for the financial prize.

"It’s hard to believe that we’re finally about to celebrate fifty days to go until we open the gates at the Boduan Festival. We started planning the week four years ago. The work on the Maes started yesterday, and our time as volunteers across the area is now drawing to a close - but not until we’ve welcomed everyone to Llŷn and Eifionydd at the beginning of August. There’s a fantastic Eisteddfod to enjoy, so bring on Boduan!”

The Crowning ceremony takes place on Monday 7 August at 16.30, and the Chairing ceremony on Friday 11 August at 16.30. Both ceremonies are held in the Pafiliwn Mawr.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.eisteddfod.wales and can also be bought on the day.

Go online for information about the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod, held in Boduan from 5-12 August.

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Archdruid, Myrddin ap Dafydd has responded to both the Crown and the Chair in verse:

Y Goron
Eisteddfod Llŷn ac Eifionydd 2023

Y Lôn Goed, heb lan na gwaith,
Llinyn meddal ein talaith:
Mae hi’n hardd yn salm ein hiaith.

Y Lôn Goed: deilen o gân
Yr adar gan fardd arian
Y môr, y mawn a’r marian.

Cerddi ’leni biau’r Lôn;
Yn ias y brigau gleision
Uwch ei gwair, gwelwch goron.

Y Gadair
Eisteddfod Llŷn ac Eifionydd 2023

Daeth storm i chwalu drwy’r dyddiau duon
A breuder oedd ar lwybrau’r derwyddon:
Daeth y boncyff mawr i lawr ar y Lôn.
Ond dawn a ddaeth, a’i llygaid yn ddoethion –
Gwelodd ruddin drwy galon – y gaeaf;
Heddiw daw’r haf fel bardd i dir Eifion.

Esyllt Maelor, winner of the Crown at last year’s Ceredigion National Eisteddfod has composed a poem to greet Elin Mair, the Crown’s designer:

I Elin Mair

(I ddiolch am Goron Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Llŷn ac Eifionydd 2023)

Mae coron.

Lôn Goed o goron yw hi.

Un wylaidd a’i rhwysg yn geinder dail a blodau gwyllt.

Un ddiymffrost a’i hurddas mewn waliau cerrig a phlethiad gwrychoedd.

Un ostyngedig a’i bwâu yn gwarchod ffermydd a ffiniau, caeau a chwmwd.

Un ddiymhongar a’i sŵn yn swyn dwy afon ac yn ei harian byw mae cof, gwlad a chenedl.

Mae coron.

And Stephen Faherty, the designer of this year’s Chair will be greeted by Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, winner of last year’s Chair:

Cerdd y Gadair 2023