As the last year, this year we had an opportunity to join the Eisteddfod at our university. Well, small one, but really good one. Eisteddfod means session. The event is about to choose the best artist who gets a chair (our is, well, smaller one). This is really an important day for all Welsh speakers. It’s really an old tradition, because the first one (the first we know about) took place in 1176. So yeah, wow, it’s REALLY old. Nowadays Eisteddfod has a lot of competitions. Everything looks so cute. The whole event takes place under really big pink tents, where we can find bards, druids, archdruid and so on, whose clothes are so colourful and out of this epoch. The funny thing about it is seeing some druids wearing traditional clothes but having adidas or “very” nowadays shoes. Here you can take a look on some photos from Eisteddfod that took place this year at our university:

(more you can find on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Towarzystwo-Polsko-Walijskie/196621543709158?fref=ts )

            Now, I want to show you some photos from real Eisteddfod, and I want you to listen two songs in Welsh. I hope you enjoy it ;)

Yma o Hyd Dwyt ti'm yn cofio Macsen, does neb yn ei nabod o. Mae mil a chwe chant o flynyddoedd, yn amser rhy hir i'r co'. Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru, yn y flwyddyn tri-chant-wyth-tri, a'n gadael yn genedl gyfan, a heddiw - wele ni! Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd. Chwythed y gwynt o'r Dwyrain, rhued y storm o'r môr, hollted y mellt yr wybren, a gwaedded y daran "encôr"! Llifed dagrau'r gwangalon, a llyfed y taeog y llawr. Er dued yw'r fagddu o'n cwmpas, ry'n ni'n barod am doriad y wawr! Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd. Cofiwn i Facsen Wledig adael ein gwlad yn un darn A bloeddiwn gerbron y gwledydd, "Mi fyddwn yma tan Ddydd y Farn!" Er gwaetha pob Dic Siôn Dafydd, er gwaetha 'rhen Fagi a'i chriw, byddwn yma hyd ddiwedd amser, a bydd yr iaith Gymraeg yn fyw! Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth. Ry'n ni yma o hyd, ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth...

Still Here You don't remember Macsen, nobody knows him. One thousand and six hundred years, a time too long to remember. When Magnus Maximus left Wales, in the year 383, leaving us a whole nation, and today - look at us! We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here. Let the wind blow from the East, let the storm roar from the sea, let the lightning split the heavens, and the thunder shout "encore!" Let the tears of the faint-hearted flow, and the servile lick the floor. Despite the blackness around us, we are ready for the breaking of the dawn! We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here. We remember that Macsen the Emperor left our country in one whole piece. And we shall shout before the nations, "We'll be here until Judgement Day!" Despite every Dic Siôn Dafydd, despite old Maggie5 and her crew, we'll be here until the end of time, and the Welsh language will be alive! We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here, we are still here, in spite of everyone and everything, in spite of everyone and everything...

Calon lân Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus, Aur y byd na'i berlau mân: Gofyn wyf am galon hapus, Calon onest, calon lân. Calon lân yn llawn daioni, Tecach yw na'r lili dlos: Dim ond calon lân all ganu Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos. Pe dymunwn olud bydol, Hedyn buan ganddo sydd; Golud calon lân, rinweddol, Yn dwyn bythol elw fydd. (Chorus) Hwyr a bore fy nymuniad Gwyd i'r nef ar adain cân Ar i Dduw, er mwyn fy Ngheidwad, Roddi i mi galon lân. (Chorus)

A pure heart I don't ask for a luxurious life, the world's gold or its fine pearls, I ask for a happy heart, an honest heart, a pure heart. A pure heart full of goodness Is fairer than the pretty lily, None but a pure heart can sing, Sing in the day and sing in the night. If I wished for worldly wealth, It would swiftly go to seed; The riches of a virtuous, pure heart Will bear eternal profit. (Chorus) Evening and morning, my wish Rising to heaven on the wing of song For God, for the sake of my Saviour, To give me a pure heart. (Chorus)

A key to irish.

Ok, so time to learn how to read in Irish! Are you excited? :P Ok, so let’s start with consonants:

hard consonants	letter	Polish +/- way of reading soft cons.	soft consonants
bórd- table	B	bj	beal- mouth
crann- tree	C	kj	céard- what
donn- brown	D	dj	deoch- drink
fuath- hatered	F	fj	féile- poet
gorm- blue	G	gj	geal- bright
	(H)
luath- early	L	lj	leann- beer
maith- good	M	mj	mean- middle
nua- new	N	nj	nigh- wash
páiste- kids	P	pj	peann- pen
rothar- bike (more like an English one)	R		rothair- bikes (more like a Polish one)
sásta- satisfied (s)	S	sz	páiste- kids
tuismithearí- parents	T	tj/ć	teach- house

But sometimes for instance when we want to say that something belongs to us, we have to use mutation nearby some consonants:

1.     SÉIMHIÚ mutation

letter	after mutation	how to read it
B	BH	v, w
C	CH	really strong h like you want to throw your throat out
D	DH	ɣ- at the beginning, (as I head that’s the sound between words when you say dach domu, it’s hard to explan but it’s like g but really deep from your throat), sometimes you don’t say it –Ø, sometimes is like polish j and, at the end is like polish k
F	FH	nothing Ø
G	GH	again ɣ or polish j
M	MH	v, w
P	PH	f
S	SH	h soft
T	TH	h soft

2.     ÚRÚ mutation

Basically you read only THE FIRST LETTER

letter	after mutation
B	MB
C	GC
D	ND
F	BHF
G	NG
P	BP
T	DT

Vowels:

Hard vowels:

a/á

o/ó

u/ú

Soft vowels:

e/é

i/í

Long vowels are more important than short one (fear- [fʲæːɾˠ]- man, husband, féar- [fʲeːɾˠ]- grass)

Diftongs:

ae	long e
ea	a
eo	long o
ia	ia
ua	uə
ei	ei or long e
ai	a or ai
ao	long i
aoi	long i

Got it? :D ok, there’s one more but also important rule. In Irish soft vowels are next to soft and hard next to hard one which means that consonants cannot be surrounded by different vowels. Ex: (C- consonant): aCo, uCa, aCa, eCi, iCi, but NO: aCi, eCa, uCe

Now try to read this:

"I die with every word, but rise again with every breath"