Eisteddfod: Hanes / History

Pan gynhelir Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Penrhyn-coch ymhen yr wythnos bydd achos i ddathlu gan mai dyma’r bumed eisteddfod ar hugain yn y gyfres bresennol. Er mai ym 1964 y cynhaliwyd y gyntaf yn y neuadd roedd traddodiad o gynnal eisteddfodau yn Horeb, Capel y Bedyddwyr, lle cynhaliwyd un ar ddydd Nadolig am flynyddoedd hyd 1919, ar ddydd Gŵyl San Steffan am rai blynyddoedd, ac yna o 1924 ymlaen cynhaliwyd hi ar nos Fercher ar ddechrau mis Rhagfyr hyd ddiwedd y tridegau. Mae’n ddiddorol edrych trwy’r rhaglenni a chymharu’r testunau â rhai heddiw. Nid oes fawr o newid yn y cystadlaethau cerddorol na’r adrodd ar wahân i’r ffaith fod darnau penodol wedi eu gosod yn y rhai cynharaf. Ceir yno hefyd adran ‘Celfyddydwaith’ lle gwobrwyir eitemau fel ffon gollen, coes rhaw, ‘tea cosy’ etc. Ceid traethodau ar bynciau sylweddol weithiau e.e. ‘Taith genhadol gyntaf Paul’, a’r ‘Proffwyd Amos’, ac yn 1921 ‘Hanes Eglwys y Bedyddwyr yn Penrhyn-coch a’i chymeriadau am yr hanner can mlynedd cyntaf’.

Ym 1937 cafwyd ‘Cystadleuaeth y gacen orau’. Roedd yn rhaid ei gwneud i rysêit arbennig a oedd ar gael oddi wrth yr ysgrifennydd am dair ceiniog. Nodir fod yn ‘rhaid i bob cacen ddwyn nod recipe yr Eisteddfod hon’. Roedd gwobr o 7/6 am yr orau, gwobr hael o ystyried mai 10/6 a gâi enillydd yr her adroddiad a 5/0 y pedwarawd.

Yn dilyn adeiladu’r neuadd newydd ym Mhenrhyn-coch a’i hagor ym 1960 dechreuodd cyfnod newydd yn hanes yr ardal. Wedi llwyddiant y carnifal cyntaf, daeth awgrym gan Carey Stephens y dylid ailddechrau’r eisteddfod a ffurfiwyd pwyllgor i’r pwrpas. Mae’r ysgrifennydd (Mrs Nesta Edwards) a’r trysorydd (Mrs Vera Evans) yn parhau yn eu swyddi. Mr Abraham Jones, Glanstewi, tad Mrs Edwards, oedd y cadeirydd cyntaf, a daliodd y swydd hyd 1971 pan ddilynwyd ef gan y cadeirydd presennol, Mr I. Gwyn Williams.

Roedd yn dipyn o fenter dechrau Eisteddfod o’r newydd ynghanol y chwedegau gan fod nifer o eisteddfodau lleol fel Goginan a Thal-y-bont wedi dod i ben erbyn hynny. Aethpwyd ati i gasglu arian a chwpanau. Penderfynwyd ei chynnal ar y Sadwrn olaf ond un ym mis Ebrill (cynhelid Eisteddfod Y Borth ar y Sadwrn olaf o’r mis). (Ym 1965 fe’i cynhaliwyd ar Sadwrn y Pasg ond ni fu mor llwyddiannus gan fod Eisteddfod Llanilar ar Ddydd Gwener y Groglith.) Hysbysebwyd yn y Cambrian News a chafwyd benthyg hen restr bostio Eisteddfod Tal-y-bont gan ei chyn-ysgrifennydd, J. R. Jones, a ddewiswyd fel beirniad llên ac adrodd. Nid oedd na ‘Helô Bobol’, ‘Stondin Sulwyn’ na ‘Post Prynhawn’ ar gael ym 1964 i yrru hysbys!

Penderfynwyd y dylai fod yn Eisteddfod Gadeiriol a rhoddwyd model o gadair gan Mr a Mrs Evans, ‘Bwthyn’, wedi ei gwneud gan eu diweddar fab Brian. Fe’i henillwyd gan Miss June Kenny Aberystwyth (Mrs June Griffiths erbyn heddiw). Model o gadair a gafwyd yr ail flwyddyn hefyd, ac yn y drydedd eisteddfod cafwyd y gadair esmwyth gyntaf, yn rhoddedig gan swyddogion y pwyllgor. Yr enillydd oedd Vernon Jones, Bow Street.

Dewiswyd dwy ferch yn llywyddion: Miss Sally Jenkins yn y prynhawn, ac yn yr hwyr Miss Megan Richards, un o Gymry Llundain oedd â’i gwreiddiau yn yr ardal. Deuai ei thad o Nantybwla, Cwm Madog, a’i mam yn chwaer i dad Mr Alwyn Davies, Llwyngronw. I ddathlu pen blwydd yr Eisteddfod gwahoddwyd y ddwy yn ôl i lywyddu cyfarfodydd 1988.

Yn wir ymddengys mai steddfod y merched oedd un 1964! Merched yn ysgrifennydd a thrysorydd, merched yn llywyddion, merch yn ennill y gadair a merch yn feirniad Cerdd ?un arall â chysylltiad â’r ardal, sef Gwyneth Alban Jenkins, Y Rhyl, un o deulu Masons Blaendolau.

O’r pwyllgor presennol (yr aelodau eraill yw Mrs Eirlys Mason Hughes, Mrs Eirwen Hughes a Mrs Mairwen Jones) bu’r ysgrifennydd a’r trysorydd yn eu swyddi o’r cychwyn cyntaf ac yn ddiamau iddynt hwy y mae’r diolch am lwyddiant yr Ŵyl. Cafodd y ddwy yn eu tro gyfnodau o waeledd a mawr obeithiwn y bydd Mrs Evans yn ddigon da i gael bod yn rhan o eisteddfod 1988.

Mae gan y ddwy lu o atgofion am yr eisteddfodau a fu. Yn yr ail eisteddfod y beirniad cerdd oedd y diweddar Dr Leslie Wynne Evans, Caerdydd, un a chanddo gof anhygoel. Cofiai enwau tua phymtheg o gystadleuwyr heb ddarn o bapur. Aeth yr eisteddfod ymlaen tan ddau o’r gloch y bore a bu’n rhaid iddo aros dros nos, gan gychwyn ben bore trannoeth am Gastell-nedd lle roedd yn arwain cymanfa blant am 10.00 y bore.

Ym 1967 bu’n rhaid i’r beirniad adrodd, Geraint Lloyd Owen, fynd i Maesaleg, cartref y Dr a Mrs David Jenkins, i gynnal rhagbrawf gan fod cynifer ag 14 yn cystadlu ar yr her adroddiad.

Hunllef pob ysgrifennydd yw clywed na fydd y beirniad yn gallu dod, ac un flwyddyn derbyniwyd neges yn fuan cyn dechrau’r eisteddfod i ddweud na allai Aled Gwyn ddod oherwydd gwaeledd ei wraig. Er mawr ryddhad i’r swyddogion roedd fodd bynnag wedi trefnu fod ei frawd, T. James Jones, Caerfyrddin, yn dod yn ei le. Chwe blynedd yn ôl, y bardd buddugol T. Gwynn Jones, Caerfyrddin, a fethodd ddod; gyrrodd yntau ei fab Rhys i gael ei gadeirio yn ei le.

Gwelwyd cenhedlaeth o gystadleuwyr yn mynd a dod. Deuai Ifor Lloyd, Dai Jones a Dafydd Edwards i’r eisteddfodau cyntaf, a dilynwyd llwyddiant rhai eraill fel Delyth Hopkins, Huw Evans a Gwawr Owen drwy adran yr oedolion ac ymlaen i gipio prif wobrau’r Brifwyl.

Mae’r swyddogion yn uchel eu clod i’r gwragedd lleol sy’n gweithio mor brysur gydol y dydd gyda’r bwyd. Cofiant am y gwaith a gaed un flwyddyn i’w cadw’n dawel; deuai chwerthin afreolus i fyny o’r ystafell waelod a bu’n rhaid gweiddi arnynt i fod yn dawel sawl gwaith. Sylweddolwyd wedyn mai enillydd y gadair, Ifan Gruffydd Tregaron, oedd yno yn eu diddanu â’i straeon.

Gweithgarwch arall a ddaeth yn sgil y Steddfod oedd Côr Penrhyn-coch a ffurfiwyd pan ddaeth Mrs Eirwen Hughes, Pencwm, i fyw i’r ardal. Fe’i ffurfiwyd yn arbennig ar gyfer yr Eisteddfod a thra bu mewn bodolaeth fe’i gwelwyd ar lwyfan nifer o eisteddfodau’r ardal. Aeth nifer y corau a ddaw i’r Ŵyl i lawr yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf yma a thra deuai corau o Raeadr, Tregaron a Llan-non ar un adeg, erbyn hyn Côr Glannau Ystwyth, Pontrhydygroes yw’r gweddill ffyddlon. Yn sgil hyn , wrth gwrs, aeth y gynulleidfa i lawr gan fod tri neu bedwar côr yn chwyddo eu nifer.
Erbyn heddiw darfu nifer o’r eisteddfodau a oedd mewn bodolaeth pan ddechreuwyd Eisteddfod y Penrhyn (megis Y Borth a Thrisant). Ar drothwy’r bumed eisteddfod ar hugain dymunwn bob llwyddiant i’r Ŵyl i’r dyfodol ac i’r tim gweithgar fu yn ei chynnal ar hyd y blynyddoedd.

Chwarter canrif o’i rhifo – yw ei hoed
Ym Mhenrhyn ei henfro,
Di-atal, parhaed eto
A’i mawr hwyl yn brifwyl bro.
D. Gwyn Evans

The following article appeared in Y Tincer 108 (April 1988) pp. 8-9. It traces the first 25 years in the history of the Penrhyn-coch Eisteddfod.

With this year’s eisteddfod we celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the present series of eisteddfodau, the first of which was held in the village hall in 1964. The village of Penrhyn-coch boasts a strong eisteddfodic tradition. For many years prior to 1919 an eisteddfod was held at Horeb Chapel on Christmas Day, and then on Boxing Day for several years. From 1924 until the end of the 1930s an eisteddfod was held on a Wednesday evening at the beginning of December. The programmes of these early eisteddfodau make interesting reading. In the music and recitation sections, little has changed since the early eisteddfodau, apart from the fact that specific songs and recitations were set in the early years. There was also a section entitled ‘Arts and Crafts’ where competitors were required to produce items such as a hazel walking-stick, a handle for a spade, and a tea cosy. Substantial essays on subjects such as ‘The first mission journey of the Apostle Paul’ and ‘The prophet Amos’ were set, and in 1921 an essay on ‘The history and characters of Penrhyn-coch Baptist Chapel during the first fifty years’. In 1937 there was a competition for the best cake. It had to be made from a special recipe to be obtained from the secretary for three pence. A prize of 7/6 was to be awarded to the winner, a generous prize considering that the prize for the winner of the chief recitation was 10/6 and 5/0 for the winning quartet.

The opening of the new village hall in 1960 hailed the beginning of a new period in the history of the community. Following the success of the first carnival, Carey Stephens proposed that the eisteddfod was resurrected and a committee was established. The first secretary (Mrs Nesta Edwards) and the treasurer (Mrs Vera Evans) are still in office twenty-five years later. Mr Abraham Jones, Glanstewi, Mrs Edwards’s father, was the first chairman, and held the office until 1971 when he was succeeded by the present chairman, Mr I. Gwyn Williams.

The recommencement of the eisteddfod was a risky undertaking in the mid-1960s since local eisteddfodau such as Goginan and Tal-y-bont had recently come to an end. However, committee members began to raise funds and to seek prizes and a date was set ? the last Saturday but one in April (Borth Eisteddfod was held on the last Saturday of the month). (In 1965 the eisteddfod was held on Easter Saturday, but was not so successful since Llanilar Eisteddfod was held on Good Friday.) An advertisement was sent to the Cambrian News and the mailing list of Tal-y-bont Eisteddfod was obtained from its secretary J. R. Jones, who was selected as the adjudicator of the literature and recitation sections. Radio programmes such as ‘Helo Bobol’, ‘Stondin Sulwyn’ and ‘Post Prynhawn’ did not exist in 1964 to publicise local events. It was decided that a bardic chair should be awarded and Mr and Mrs Evans, Bwthyn, donated a model chair made by their late son Brian. It was won by Miss June Kenny Aberystwyth (now Mrs June Griffiths). A model chair was also awarded in the second year, and in the third eisteddfod the first easy chair was awarded, donated by the committee members. The winner was Vernon Jones, Bow Street.

Two ladies were selected as presidents at the first eisteddfod: Miss Sally Jenkins in the afternoon and in the evening Miss Megan Richards, one of the London Welsh but whose family hailed from this area, her father from Nantybwla, Cwm Madog, and her mother an aunt of Mr Alwyn Davies, Llwyngronw. The two ladies were invited back as presidents in 1988 to celebrate the eisteddfod’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

It appears that the 1964 eisteddfod was dominated by females! Female secretary and treasurer, female presidents, female winner of the chair, and a female adjudicator in the Music section, namely Gwyneth Alban Jenkins, Rhyl, who also had family links with the area, being related to the Mason family of Blaendolau.

Of the present committee (the other members are Mrs Eirlys Mason Hughes, Mrs Eirwen Hughes and Mrs Mairwen Jones) the secretary and treasurer continued in office from the very beginning and we are indebted to them for the success of the eisteddfod. The two have also suffered periods of illness and we hope that Mrs Evans will be well enough to take part in the 1988 eisteddfod. They both have many memories about past eisteddfodau. In the second eisteddfod the music adjudicator was the late Dr Leslie Wynne Evans, Cardiff, who was blessed with an incredible memory. He could remember the names of about fifteen competitors without any notes. The eisteddfod went on until 2 o’clock in the morning and he had to stay the night, leaving at the crack of dawn the following day for Neath, where he was to conduct a children’s singing festival at 10 a.m.

In 1967 the recitation adjudicator Geraint Lloyd Owen had to go to Maesaleg, the home of Dr and Mrs David Jenkins, to hold the preliminary round of the chief recitation competition as there were 14 competitors.

It is a nightmare for any secretary when an adjudicator is unable to fulfil his duties. One year Aled Gwyn had to withdraw at the last minute because of his wife’s illness, but it was a great relief to the officers to understand that he had arranged for his brother T. James Jones, Carmarthen, to take his place. Six years ago the winning poet T. Gwynn Jones, Carmarthen, was unable to come but he sent his son Rhys to be chaired in his place.

A generation of competitors have been and gone. Ifor Lloyd, Dai Jones and Dafydd Edwards came to the first eisteddfodau, and we followed the success of people like Delyth Hopkins, Huw Evans and Gwawr Owen through into the adult section and on to become national winners.

The eisteddfod officers are full of praise for the local ladies who work so hard throughout the day preparing food. One year the hilarity of these ladies was heard in the hall and they had to be asked several times to be quiet! Ifan Gruffydd of Tregaron, that year’s winner of the chair, was to blame for entertaining them with his jokes!

Another activity which arose as a direct result of the eisteddfod was the Penrhyn-coch Choir, which was formed when Mrs Eirwen Hughes, Pencwm, settled in the village. Although it was formed to take part in Penrhyn-coch Eisteddfod, it also competed at several other local eisteddfodau. During recent years the number of choirs has fallen. At one time choirs from Rhayader, Tregaron and Llan-non entered the competition, but by now Côr Glannau Ystwyth, Pontrhydygroes, is the sole competitor. As a result of this, the audience has dwindled since three or four choirs obviously swell their numbers.

By now several of the eisteddfodau which were in existence when Penrhyn-coch Eisteddfod began (such as Borth and Tristant) have come to an end. On the eve of the twenty-fifth eisteddfod we wish the eisteddfod and its hard-working team every success for the future.

Chwarter canrif o’i rhifo – yw ei hoed
Ym Mhenrhyn ei henfro,
Di-atal, parhaed eto
A’i mawr hwyl yn brifwyl bro.
D. Gwyn Evans