Today (12 June), the National Eisteddfod announced details of an exciting project, providing a national stage for Welsh language technology on the Vale of Glamorgan festival Maes in August.
Working with Hacio’r Iaith and the People’s Collection, the Eisteddfod will host the Welsh Technology Festival, a week of sessions likely to attract those interested in technology and the Welsh language, as well as those who are novices in the area. The sessions will be a useful mix of workshops, drop in sessions and more structured discussions.
Eisteddfodwyr will be encouraged to blog about their experiences, use technology to practise and improve their Welsh, as well as plenty of opportunities to get some advice and help and try out different technologies during the week.
Euryn Ogwen Williams, this year’s Honorary President and Chair of the local Literature Committee has been a pivotal part of the discussions from the start, and has also been an innovative figure in Welsh language technology for many years. He says, “With thousands of visitors every year, what better place can there be to discuss technology and the language than the Eisteddfod Maes? The Maes itself is a communications hub, and this new festival within the festival is a chance for us to develop this element and provide many more people with the confidence and the necessary skills to use technology through the medium of Welsh.
“I am delighted with this partnership between the Eisteddfod and Hacio’r Iaith in particular, and I hope that many more people will be blogging and sharing their Eisteddfod experiences on the Maes itself and once they’ve gone home. As well as formal and informal sessions, there’s a chance for people to call in to blog at the end of the day to voice their opinion on winners or share their views on their day on the Maes. This new festival will be an asset to the Eisteddfod.
“The work undertaken by Hacio’r Iaith over the past few years is extremely important to the Welsh language and to new technology through the medium of Welsh, and I am pleased that we have created this partnership to reflect the important role Hacio’r Iaith, the People’s Collection and the Eisteddfod itself has in the promotion of technology and the Welsh language.”
Hacio’r Iaith’s activities are sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University, and they are held in Cefnlen, between Y Lle Celf and the Literary Pavilion. Cefnlen is sponsored by Imaginet of Cardiff, who have provided web services to the Eisteddfod for many years, and have been an integral part of the technical development of the Eisteddfod’s online presence.
Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Elfed Roberts, added, “The Eisteddfod has been a leader in technology and the Welsh language in the past. The festival was one of the first organisations to have a bilingual website, and then experimented with ‘Bluetooth’ technology before the launch of iSteddfod – one of the first bilingual apps – two years ago. We are please to announce the details of the Welsh Language Technology Festival on the Maes today, and are also pleased to be working in partnership with Hacio’r Iaith and the People’s Collection.
“The Welsh Government has already stated its commitment to promoting technology and the language, and we see this festival in Cefnlen as something which can be further developed in years to come, responding to the needs of our visitors and any further developments in the world of the language and technology.”
Full details of the festival will be published on the Eisteddfod website, www.eisteddfod.org.uk, before the end of June.
The Vale of Glamorgan National Eisteddfod is held on the old airfield at Llandow near Cowbridge and Llantwit Major from 4-11 August. For more details go online or ring the office on 0845 4090 400. Tickets are available online or by ringing 0845 4090 800. For more information on Hacio’r Iaith, go to www.haciaith.com.
