Cymru/Wales

The Rhondda Valleys were opened up at the time of the Irish famine bringing many to Wales, many others went to Merthyr which was already the largest town in Wales built on the migration from all parts of Wales attracted by the high wages. The Rhondda miners were Welsh speakers, and Welsh was the predominant language well into the 1920s in Merthyr, although to go shopping in the town centre English had to be used. Cardiff and Newport would have been built on Irish & West Country labour, so much so that whe Lloyd George visited the South in order to put across his ideas of Cymru Fydd he was shouted down by the audience claiming that they the 'English' wouldn't stand for it. Now through assimilation we are all Welsh, 'English', 'Irish' and native Welsh, but although we all support the 'National' rugby team we don't, sadly in my opinion, all support the National Mother tongue. For some unspecific reason, partly through lack of self-esteem, partly through wanting to 'get on', partly through the 'wrong' education and continuing immigration that we are finding impossible to control, not having the tools to do so the 'natives' are losing out on self-preservation. One has to ask oneself is it important? Apparently, except for a small minority, so long as we can win the 6 Nations it isn't, notwithstanding that rugby is the only thing that can give us any pride in ourselves! 'A Nation without a language is a Nation without a heart; that begets the question, are we a Nation?