The National Eisteddfod of Wales is a celebration of Welsh culture. It can be traced back to 1176 when it is said that the first Eisteddfod was held, under the auspices of Lord Rhys, at his castle in Cardigan. There he held a grand gathering to which were invited poets and musicians from all over the country. A chair at the Lord’s table was awarded to the best poet and musician, a tradition that prevails in the modern day National Eisteddfod. You will notice the main language used on the site is Welsh.
Archive for July, 2010
Eisteddfod Festival
Saturday, July 31st, 2010Isle of Man Fairy Letterbox
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010The Isle of Man is full of folklore, and one such tale is that some of the little people hide under the Fairy Bridge in Santon. It is considered bad luck to pass over the bridge without acknowledging the fairies known to be there. Some people write little messages and wishes on paper and tie them to the trees next to the bridge. Unfortunately this custom has got a bit out of hand and the place looks rather littered and untidy so there is a move afoot to install a letter box so that people can post their notes tidily.
The Isle of Man Today has the news article
Where do Leprechauns come from?
Sunday, July 25th, 2010Ireland abounds with stories and myths surrounding a variety of characters generally called ‘the little people’. Leprechauns are just one variety. So how did they originate? Obviously we don’t really know as these stories have grown up over a very long time. However many theories abound.
The word leprechaun comes from the Irish “leipreachán, lucharachán” which comes from the Middle Irish” luchrapán, lupra(c)cán”, originally from the Old Irish ”lúchorp(án)” meaning small body.
Read more about Leprechauns
The History of Golf
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010Golf has been around since at least 1457, when King James II of Scotland banned golf and football on the grounds that they where keeping his subjects from their archery practice. The first surviving written reference to golf in St. Andrews is contained in Archbishop Hamilton’s Charter of 1552. This reserves the right of the people of St. Andrews to use the linksland “for golff, futball, schuteing and all gamis”. As early as 1691, the town had become known as the “metropolis of golfing”.
The term seems to have originated from the old Scots words golve, gowl or gouf and is possibly borrowed from medieval Dutch (colf being club and “spel metten colven” being game (played) with club – this was a Dutch game resembling golf). As time has passed, the name has remained and been refined to golf, as we know it today. You will still hear older Scottish golfers refer to the game as the Gowf, keeping the older Scots name in use. Indeed, a golf club in Ayrshire is still called Loudoun Gowf Club today.
With thanks to the Museum of Golf which contains many other fascinating facts!
The Proms starts today
Friday, July 16th, 2010The Proms - billed as the World’s greatest classical music festival – starts today.
They started life in 1894 as ‘Mr Robert Newman’s Promenade Concerts’. Mr Newman, an impresario, had a vision of bringing the wide range of high standard classical music to the masses. Ticket prices were kept low. 5d a concert!
Mr Newman has long since been forgotten but not Sir Henry Wood, the first Proms conductor.
Read more about the History of the Proms
The Open 150th anniverary
Friday, July 16th, 2010The British Open Golf Championship (or simply ‘The Open’) is in full swing at St Andrew’s, the ‘home of golf’. Many think it should always be here. It is, as always, being played on The Old Course. Non members cannot play on the Old Course but there are 11 other courses to choose from.
St Andrews for more information about St Andrew’s golf courses.
Churchill Quotations
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010While researching the Battle of Britain for the recent post I wanted to get Churchill’s quote exacty right and came across a whole load of the great man’s words. They make fascinating reading. He really was a witty and wise man. This one in particular struck home:
Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
Oh if only this lesson was heeded more often…………….
Plucked, with thanks, from the web site www.quotationspage.com
The British Grand Prix
Sunday, July 11th, 2010Silverstone is a small village in Northamptonshire but its’ name is synonymous with F1 motor racing. Today it will host the British Grand Prix, as it has over the past 60 years. In 1950 the first ever World Drivers’ Championship event was held here. It would have been a tragedy (well, a real shame) if Silverstone had lost the contract as was feared. However, an updated track will be tested today with two British Drivers heading the Driver’s table (if not on the grid!)
Read more on the Silverstone site
Battle of Britain – 70 years ago
Friday, July 9th, 2010This year Britain is commemoratng the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the dog fight in the skies over southern Britain, between the 10th July and 31st October 1940, when the RAF saw off a German air force 4 times its size. As Churchill famously put it ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’
There are various events throughout the Summer to commemorate the event. On 11 July at the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, on the south coast of Kent, a special memorial day has been planned featuring a fly past of the iconic aircraft.
Find out where and when you can see a flypast of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
More on tennis – Real Tennis
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010As I am on a roll, tennis wise, I thought I would cover Real Tennis too. This was the forerunner to lawn tennis, or just tennis. It was (and still is – it is still played by a few people in the UK, Australia, USA and France) played on an inside court. You can score points by bouncing the ball off the walls of the court. The scoring is basically like Lawn Tennis but is a lot more complicated! For more info see the IRTPA website
It was a game popular with Royalty in the 16th/17th centuries and there is a real tennis court at Hampton Court Palace. This is the oldest surviving court in England and is stil actively used by the Royal Tennis Court Club
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