Telling the Story of Welsh

Telling the Story of Welsh by Catrin Stevens is an interesting, if deeply partisan, pamphlet on the history of the Welsh language.

Published by Gomer who appear to have a Melati driven website, I bought my copy at the Dolaucothi Gold Mines.

I did notice a new confidence in Mid and West Wales. Wales looks best in sunlight, but towns that I remember as grim seem to be less so.

The number of young families speaking Welsh seemed high, and the RSPB warden, an incomer of twenty years, told me of his children's delight in talking Welsh in front of him, as he can still not understand.

It may be that a nationalist, socialist, elitist, academic and administered intervention has turned things around both for Welsh and Wales.

When I ask myself if this is a good thing I think of how sad I am that the last native speaker of Cornish has died and my sympathy for the Breton struggle with Frankish centralism.

The Welsh have probably got as big a grievance against the English as the Irish, Scottish or even the wider Empire, but respect for their language seems to be going a long way towards soothing ancient hurts.