January/Ionawr Happy
New Year! There is much to celebrate in the month of January. On the
17th of January 1781 the Coninentals under Daniel Morgan ( a great
general of Welsh descent ) defeated an English force at Cowpens during
The War of Independence. On the same day Lloyd George the first Welsh
Prime Minister of Great Britain was born. January 25th is St. Dwynwen's
Day. St. Dwynwen is the Welsh Patron Saint of lovers so this day might
be regarded as the Welsh Valentines Day. The 31st is also a significant
date. On this day in 1893 the famous Welsh eccentric Dr. William Price
had himself publicly cremated on a hill at Llantrisant in South Wales.
Cremation was illegal in the 19th century but Price's earlier cremation
of his dead son, for which he was prosecuted, helped to pave
the way for a change in UK law. The Welsh word for January is Ionawr. Anyone interested in learning the correct pronunciation ( or indeed in learning the Welsh language itself ) will find a multitude of excellent sites online to assist them with this. Some of these are listed on our homepage which can be found here. The
Easy Way to Learn Welsh History If
you were born Welsh or are of Welsh descent then there is something to
celebrate ( or comemmorate ) every day of the
year. If you are looking to learn Welsh history one
day at a time or just looking for an excuse to raise a glass
and celebrate on any particular day this section is for you.
You will also find the birthdates of many famous Americans of Welsh
descent on these pages. Though these pages are intended as a
serious resource some of my co-contributors have a sense of
humor. Consequently there are a few 'joke' items spread amongst the
vast bulk of factual daily entries. We dont think you'll
have too much trouble spotting them.
We will also be including the dates of many Welsh and American Welsh festivals, sporting events etc. Bookmark the Calendar for your daily dose of Welsh history ( and occasional nonsense )! Join
'Americymru' - The Welsh American Heritage Society Americymru.com
is the
public website of Americymru (pronounced - amerikumree) which is a
Welsh Heritage Society based in Portland, Oregon. This group is
primarily for Americans of Welsh
descent. If your name
is Jones, Evans, Williams or Price you probably qualify. A welcome is
extended to fellow celts of Irish or Scottish descent. We
also accept
members from anywhere in the U.S or Canada who are concerned
to
preserve their Welsh heritage. You may also join if you think that the
Draig Goch is cool. We aim to be as inclusive as possible. We feel that while there are many excellent local Welsh Heritage societies ( indeed almost every state has one ) there is a need for a society to promote Wales and Welsh culture on the national stage. We hope that in time this group will grow into a large and vibrant online community. This is a Google group so you will need a Gmail account in order to join. Gmail accounts can be registered here. Americymru can be found here. |