Tudur Hallam from Foelgastell, Carmarthenshire is the winner of the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod Chair, presented during a special ceremony on the Pavilion stage on Friday 6 August.
The 10 poets who entered this year were tasked with writing a poem of no more than 200 lines in strict metrical alliteration on the subject ‘Ennill Tir’ (Gaining Ground). Yr Wylan’s work was chosen by judges, Robat Powell, Elwyn Edwards and Idris Reynolds.
Presenting the joint adjudication from the stage, Robat Powell said:
“This is the most original and daring poet in the competition. He conveys the emptiness of the beginning of this year, following the death of Hywel Teifi Edwards. Yr Wylan’s work has the strongest appeal this year. It’s unusual and fully deserves to win the Chair with all the honour of the Eisteddfod.
Born in Morriston, Swansea, Tudur Hallam is a senior lecturer in Welsh at Academi Hywel Teifi, in Swansea University. He was brought up in Penybanc, Ammanford, the son of Peter and Glesni Hallam, and the brother of Gwion and Trystan. He attended Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman and Ysgol Gyfun Maes-yr-Yrfa, Cefneithin. After many happy years in the Brynmill area of Swansea, he now lives about a mile from Maes-yr-Yrfa in the village of Foelgastell. His lifelong love, since his schooldays, is Nia, and they have two sons, Garan and Bedo.
Whilst at school in Maes yr Yrfa, he faced the difficult task of choosing between the sciences and the arts, but having been enchanted by words and inspired by his Welsh, English, History and Drama teachers. He was in the sixth form when he began writing poetry, and was given a copy of John Morris-Jones’ volume, Cerdd Dafod. He studied at the University in Aberystwyth and twice won the Chair at the Inter-collegic Eisteddfod. In 1995, he won the Prose Medal at the Urdd National Eisteddfod and the Chair in 1999.
That year, he was appointed to his academic post in the Welsh Department at Swansea University. He completed his doctorate and for over a decade he has contributed to the research culture of the department. He enjoys working with students and being part of the academic team in Swansea. He is currently directing post graduate students in recent literature, national identity and translating. He was urged by the Professor, Hywel Teifi, to win the Chair for the Department he led in Swansea. This year, he has obeyed his former professor’s wish.
Professor Hywel Teifi Edwards died on 4 January 2010. The winning work is an attempt to remember him and to appreciate the relevance of his life and vision to Wales today. This is not a traditional commemorative work, but rather a story about an old man on New Year’s Day, who is too ready to criticise young people and too slow to motivate them.
Some may have the view that the old man represents the passive, suspicious, hopeless, whingeing Welsh speaker. The seagull’s message in the poem is that he must, if he wants to see the language thrive, change his way of life, by following the example of the hands-on leader, Professor Hywel Teifi Edwards.
Hywel Teifi himself said that he never had a more intelligent audience that the seagulls which listened to him reciting poems on the beach at Aber-arth when young. It was the privilige of this year’s poet was to ask one of these seagulls to present the message of this special man who taught him the values of poetry.
On a personal level, the poem is also an attempt to respond to the challenge and deliver one of Hywel Teifi Edwards’ aspirations, to see one of the staff of the department he led, winning the National Eisteddfod Chair.
This year’s Chair and the financial prize are both presented by the University of Glamorgan. The Chair was designed and the project managed by two members of staff from the University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jeremy Spencer and Richard Randall, and crafted by Alex McDonald from Pembrokeshire. Alex was also responsible for crafting the 2008 Cardiff and District National Eisteddfod Chair.
The Mystic Symbols are at the core of this year’s Chair, and its three sweet chestnut upright elements reflect the three triangular shadows. Both the written and spoken word is embodied in its form, with the seat reminding us of an open book and spoken language, and the tip of the Chair reminiscent of the nib of a quill or pen and the written language.
The Chairing of the Bard is the final major ceremony of the week, and looking back at the Blaenau Gwent and Heads of the Valleys National Eisteddfod, newly elected Eisteddfod Court President, Prydwen Elfed-Owens, said:
“We were promised a week to remember here in Ebbw Vale, and that is exactly what we’ve had over the past few days. We’ve had some wonderful winners, excellent competing and more activities around the Maes than ever before.
“The people of the Valleys have given us a real welcome, and we thank them for their enthusiasm and their support. We now look forward to Wrexham, and urge people to buy their list of competitions and start preparing for next year’s event. The first closing date is at the beginning of December, so there’s only a few months to go.
“In the meantime, we will look back at our week in Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys, and the memories it will bring. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this year’s event a great success.”
