- John Ceiriog Hughes
John Ceiriog Hughes (
September 25 ,1832 -April 23 ,1887 ), was a Welsh poet and well-known collector of Welsh folk tunes. Sometimes referred to as the 'Robert Burns of Wales'. "Ceiriog" was born at "Penybryn" farm overlooking the village ofLlanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog , in theCeiriog Valley , which was then in Denbighshire in north-eastWales . He worked as a railway clerk inManchester andLondon . He was employed as a station master atCaersws railway station station from 1868 until his death in 1877Poetry
Through his desire to restore simplicity of diction and emotional sincerity, he did for Welsh poetry what Wordsworth and Coleridge did for English poetry. He became famous winning a serious of prizes for his poems in the 1850's. His first collection of poetry was published in 1860 and is called "Oriau'r Hwyr" (“Evening Hours”). As well as writing poetry he wrote many light hearted lyrics which he adapted to old Welsh tunes, or the original music of various composers. Many of his songs were written to folk airs. Ceiriog Hughes' song lyrics include "
Dafydd y Garreg Wen " ("David of the White Rock") and "ClychauAberdyfi " ("The Bells of Aberdyfi"). He also wrote the Welsh words to the song, "God Bless the Prince of Wales ". TheWelsh language version of the song "The Ash Grove " is putatively attributed to Ceiriog Hughes.Musicologist
His fascination with Welsh folk music led to an investigation of the history of the music and particularly the harpists who would often accompany then. This led to a grand project to publish four volumes of Welsh airs, of which only the first volume actually made it to press in 1863: "Cant O Ganeuon" ("A Hundred Songs").
Bardic Name
Like many Welsh poets, he took a
bardic name - "Ceiriog" - from the River Ceiriog, which flows through theCeiriog Valley , where he was born. In his home village, the public library contains a memorial inscription to him.External links
*
* [http://www.chirk.com/ceiriog.html Ceiriog Valley Information]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.