Newydd ddychwelyd o’r Wyl yng Ngharlow (Ceatharlach) ar ôl penwythnos hir, llawn a llwyddiannus. Y côr wedi ennill mewn pedwar categori sef y côr ieuenctid, cymysg, canu i gyfeiliant a’r côr merched. Ar ddiwedd y cystadlu fe enwebwyd y Côr yn “Gôr yr wyl” gan banel o bedwar beirniad. Dyma’r tro cyntaf inni gystadlu hefo’r côr merched ac roedd yr arbrawf yn amlwg wedi llwyddo. Buom hefyd yn canu mewn dau gyngerdd, un yn yr eglwys yn y dref a’r llall yng ngwest’r Seven Oaks, lle roedd prif ddigwyddiadau’r wyl yn cael eu cynnal.
Mae’r croeso yn yr Iwerddon bob amser yn gynnes ai lond o o hiwmor a ffraethineb. Yn ystod y cystadlu fe biciodd un o’r aelodau allan i’r siop dros y ffordd i nôl pacad o greision.
“Do you sell plain crisps?” gofynodd; ar frys i fynd yn ôl i gystadlu.
“Now then,” daeth yr ateb, “would they be the salt and vinegar ones without the salt and vinegar?”
Un o uchafbwyntiau’r wyl i’r aelodau oedd mynd i lawr i’r dre ar ôl y cystadlu a mwynhau’r awyrgylch a’r ysbryd oedd yn y dre. Aethom i un o’r tafarndai yng nghanol y dre am bryd o fwyd i gychwyn, gan orffen drwy ymuno â’r corau eraill a Dawnswyr Nantgarw yn y gwesty i ganu a dawnsio tan oriau mân y bore. Roedd hi’n braf gweld dawnswyr yn fodlon adlonni fel hyn mewn cyntedd gwesty am y ffasiwn oriau gan godi’r ysbryd yn ddiweddglo teilwng i wyl sydd yn enwog am ei hanffurfioldeb gan ddibynnu ar yr ysbryd Celtaidd i’n cynnal yn hytrach na ffurfioldeb a threfn, sydd weithiau’n gallu llethu cystadleuwyr. O bosib fod pethau’n mynd yn flêr ar adegau gan adael i’r corau a’r partion ar unawdwyr ddibynnu ar reddf i ffeindio’u cystadleuaeth, ond roedd y Sat Nav Celtaidd yn cicio’i mewn yn y diwedd a glaniodd y rhan fwyaf yn y lle iawn ar yr amser iawn yn canu’r gân iawn!
Yn y tacsi ar y ffordd i lawr i dre wedi’r cystadlu gofynodd y gyrrwr tacsi i Sion Trewyn:
“Have you tried some of our Guiness yet young man?”
“No sorry – I’m under age,” meddai Sion wrtho’n fonheddig.
“Exactly why I was asking you,” oedd ei ymateb cyflym.
Roedd ‘na nifer helaeth o Gymru wedi mynychu’r wyl eto eleni, a nifer o rai ifanc iawn yn eu plith, gan gynnwys côr plant o Ddeiniolen. Tra’n perfformio yn yr eglwys ar y nos Wener clywodd Rhian blentyn bach yn deud wrth un o’i ffrindiau:
“Ma’ dy fam di achan yn fan’na”
“Nain ydi hi!”
“Ma’ dy nain di achan yn fan’na ta.”
Fe allech daeru mai tu allan i eglwys rhywle rhwng Llanberis a Phenisarwaen yr oeddan ni go iawn!
Diolch i drefnwyr yr wyl am eu holl waith a llongyfarchiadau hefyd ar ddewis Derry fel cartref i’r wyl ymhen dwy flynedd. Cawsom y fraint o ganu mewn eglwys brotestanaidd yno rhyw chwe mlynedd yn ôl hefo côr catholig, o ran arall o’r ddinas, yn canu hefo ni. Fel rhan o’u deisyfiad fel trefnwyr yr wyl i gyfranu at y broses heddwch roedd hi’r tro cyntaf i gôr o Gymru a chôr catholig ganu yn yr eglwys honno erioed mewn hanes. Rydym rwan yn edrych ymlaen at ddychwelyd yno yn 2014 i ranu ein cariad at ein hetifeddiaeth a’n cerddoriaeth gyda gweddill y gwledydd Celtaidd.
Just returned from the Pan Celtic festival in Carlow (Caetharlach) after a very long, busy and successful weekend. The choir won in four categories – the mixed choir, mixed choir with accompniment, youth choir and female voice choir. At the end of the choral competitions the Choir was also nominated “The Choir of the Festival” award by the panel of four judges. We also sang in two concerts, one at the local church and the other at the “Seven Oaks Hotel” where most of the Festival’s main events were staged.
The Irish welcome is always warm and friendly and full of humour and charm. During the competitions one of our members popped over to the local shop for a bite to eat.
“Do you sell plain crisps?” she asked; in a hurry to go back to the venue.‘Now then,” came the shopkeeper’s answer, “would they be the salt and vinegar ones without the salt and vinegar?”
One of the highlights of the Festival was visiting the town after all the competitions and the concerts were done and dusted. We went to one of the colourful local pubs for a meal and to enjoy the atmosphere and local banter. Then we joined all the other competitors at the “Seven Oaks” where “Dawnswyr Nantgarw” danced till dawn and all the choirs sang till their voices faded into a Celtic rasp and squeal in the early hours. It was great to have the dancers there to entertain in the holel reception and to bring the Festival to a fantastic climax.
The Pan Celtici is famous for its informal atmosphere, and even though all the competitors depended more on instinct than a formal timetable to find their way from one competition to the next, it can be quite refreshing compared to other more formal and sometimes strictly regimented Festivals. Possibly things can get a little confusing at times, but the “Celtic Sat Nav” always cicks in once you get the hang of it, and eventually most groups made it to the right competition to sing the right song in the right key!
In the taxi on the way down to the town for the final night the taxi driver asked one of our young members
“Have you tried some of our Guiness yet young man?”“No sorry – I’m under age,” said Sion courteously.“Exactly, that’s why I was asking you,” was the driver’s quick response.
Thanks to the organisers of the festival for all their hard work and for choosing Derry as the host city for the 2014 Festival. Glanaethwy was invited to a very historical event in the wonderful city of Derry in 2007 where we shared the stage with a catholic choir at a protestant church within the city walls. This was the first time that a Welsh choir and a Catholic Choir had ever sung in their Celtic languages in that particular church. It was staged as part of the peace movement in Northern Ireland and our former members still tell me that it was one of the best experiences they ever had with Glanaethwy. And I’m sure we will return there to the Pan Celtic Festival in 2014 to share again our herritage and love of music with all the other Celtic Nations.
Tags: ban geltaidd, Carlow, festival, gwyl, hwyl, Ireland, pan celtic, Yr Iwerddon, ysgol glanaethwy