So, after last weeks win for Albania against the Welsh national football team (and a very angry Gareth Bale), and as the only Welsh girl living in Albania, I thought it might be interesting to share a few facts about Wales and the Welsh. When I say I am half-Welsh, many people (outside of the UK) smile and nod, but don’t really understand what it means. Here are some juicy facts to sink your teeth into…
- Wales is one of the countries that makes up the United Kingdom. It joins Scotland and Northern Ireland and is defined as an actual country, not a county, area, town, or city.
- Wales has its own parliament and there is a large percentage of the population who want it to become independent of the UK as they believe it should be a country in its own right. Wales is a Celtic nation that has been relentlessly bullied by the British and Romans over the centuries (like Ireland, Cornwall, and Scotland the other Celtic nations). Following a number of revolts including the Glyndwr rising in 1400 and the Chartist uprising in 1839 Wales was forced to join with England. That said, the Welsh are proudly patriotic and do NOT like to be referred to as English.
- Wales, otherwise known as Cymru in Welsh (Cymraeg), has its own language that is one of the country’s official languages. A member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages (along with Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Manx, Cornish and Breton) it is spoken in Wales, England, and in the Welsh colony of Chubut in Argentina. Welsh is not an easy language- see this video for an understanding of why!
- Wales has its own flag known as “Y Ddraig Goch” (which means ‘the red dragon’) and consists of a red dragon on a green field with a white background. The dragon is the red dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, combined with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 by Henry VII to show the Welsh support for the Tudor’s Welsh descent. The powerful Tudor Dynasty, that ruled England and Ireland from 1485 until 1603, originated in the small Welsh hamlet of Penmynydd on Anglesey.
- Wales has more castles per square mile than any other place in the world, all of which look like they are pretty much straight out of a fairy tale.
- The Welsh language is notoriously difficult and some of its place names give visitors a bit of a sore head. The longest place name in Wales, and possibly the world is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch and it is a small town in the north of the country.
- Wales is said to be the land of King Arthur, a legendary leader who led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the late 5thand early 6th
- Wales has four times as many sheep (approximately 9 million) as it does humans (3 million). Baa.
- The Welsh motto is ‘Cymru am byth’ (Wales forever) and the national anthem is “Hen Wlad fy Nhadau” (Land of my Fathers).
- Famous Welsh people include Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Charlotte Church Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dylan Thomas, Ioan Gruffyd, and Timothy Dalton.
- The national sport of Wales is rugby which is an integral part of its culture, more so than football or any other sport.
- Heard of Jack Daniels whiskey? It was created by the grandson of a Welsh emigrant to moved to the US in the 18th C.
- The world’s very first radio transmission was sent by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 between Penarth, Wales and Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel.
- The Welsh are famous for their beautiful singing voices and Welsh choirs. They also celebrate Eisteddfod every year, a festival of poetry, literature and music dating back to 1176.
- Mount Everest is named after the Welshman, Sir George Everest.
- Roald Dahl, the famous author of books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and the BFG was born in Cardiff, the capital of Wales in 1916.
- In Llangadwaladr lies Britain’s oldest royal tombstone, that of Cadfan ap Iago, King of Gwynedd from 616 to 625.
- Welsh people are Celtic and are descended from Celtic farming tribes who migrated from Central Europe almost 7000 years ago. The English are related to Anglo Saxons who invaded during the Dark Ages and tried to wipe out most of the Celts, pushing them to Alba (Scotland), Cymru (Wales), Kernow (Cornwall), Breizh (Brittany), Eire (Ireland) and Mannin (Isle of Mann).
- There have been many attempts to deny Celtic people the right to identify as Celtic and to be recognised as a race. Celts usually have either red/ red-tinged/ light brown/medium blonde hair with light and light mixed eyes. Pale skin, tall, long noses, and a feisty disposition are other defining characteristics (basically me).
- Notable Americans of Welsh descent include presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, but also William Penn (who founded Pennsylvania), J. P. Morgan (bank & securities), architect Frank Lloyd Wright, aviator and film producer Howard Hughes (whose life was immortalised in the Academy Award-winning movie “The Aviator”), Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.
- Wales is perhaps one of the most beautiful countries in the world!
