Photo Album
Friends participate in Eisteddfod
Wales National Eisteddfod
Newport and District 2004
Friends of the Newport Ship have been invited to participate in the 2004 National Eisteddfod. This prestigious festival of Welsh culture is to be held in Newport next year. FONS members were also invited to witness the Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony held at Newport's Tredegar House and took part in the ceremonial parade through the city centre on Saturday July 6th.
The Eisteddfod is a unique celebration of Welsh language, art, culture and heritage, an eight day cultural festival that attracts about 6000 competitors and 170,000 visitors. It is the largest popular festival of competitive music-making, poetry-writing, fine art and crafts held in Europe.
The 2004 National Eisteddfod will be held in the splendour of Tredegar Park on the outskirts of Wales newest city, Newport. July 31-7 August 2004
By tradition the proclamation ceremony must take place one year and one day before the eisteddfod is to be held and marks the formal start of eisteddfod celebrations. This ancient ceremony involving the Gorsedd of Bards was held on in the stone circle at the centre of the 2004 eisteddfod site in front of the majestic Tredegar House.
The Eisteddfod (meaning "sitting together" or "gathering") evolved from ancient bardic tournaments in which apprentice poets and musicians would compete against each other for a seat of honour in the households of noblemen. These tournaments were in existence as long ago as the 10th century, when Hywel Dda, a Welsh King, is reputed to have awarded a seat of honour to a poet in his household during a competitive meeting at his court. A 12th century manuscript refers to a similar gathering at Lord Rhys ap Gruffudd's castle in Cardigan in 1176, which included poets and musicians from all over Wales. In 1880 the National Eisteddfod Association was formed and charged with the responsibility of staging an annual festival.
The Friends have also been invited to present an exhibition about the Newport Mediaeval Ship during the 2004 festival to celebrate the Newport ship and other early ships discovered in Gwent.
To view a Photo Album of the Proclamation Ceremony click here
To learn more about the Eisteddfod click here
Special Eisteddfod Lecture
Bob Trett, the Chair of GGAT and former Curator of the Newport museum and Art Gallery, will give an inaugural lecture on the
"Archaeology of early ships found in Gwent"
The lecture will be in English and is open to all.
Room LL1, University of Wales College of Newport,
Allt-yr-yn Campus,
Allt-yr-yn Avenue,
Newport.
Monday, 8th September 2003 at 7.30 p.m
Admission: £3 (£2 to students, £1 to schoolchildren) - payable on the door
or to guarantee a seat, tickets can be obtained in advance from
The Eisteddfod Office,
Bridge Street,
Newport
(Tel: 0845 120 9555)