Gwobrau Gwerin Cymru - Wales Folk Awards

27/06/2025

Yma o Hyd : We’re still here 🎻🎶
[english below]

Rydym yn croesawu'r adolygiad am gymorth ar gyfer cerddoriaeth draddodiadol yng Nghymru. Am bob Dafydd Iwan mae cannoedd o ffidlwyr, telynwyr, dawnswyr a chantorion sy'n cwrdd mewn ceginau, caffis a bariau i ganu, dawnsio a chwarae. Mae cerddoriaeth gwerin, yn ôl diffiniad, yn cael ei throsglwyddo o un genhedlaeth i'r llall. Os mae un ddolen yn cael i gymryd o'r gadwyn, mae'r gadwyn yn torri, ac mae'r gerddoriaeth yn stopio. Felly os nad yw ein hysgolion yn ei dysgu, neu os nad yw'r rhai sy'n tyfu fyny yn y cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig yn gallu fforddio neu gael mynediad i ffidil neu wers cerddoriaeth, yna bydd yn troi yn hobi i'r rai sy'n well eu lle. Felly mae'r angen am gymorth yn frys.

Er bod cyhoeddiad o'r buddsoddiad £300,000 yn gam positif, dyw hi ddim yn gwbl glir bod hyn yn cynrychioli buddsoddiad triphlyg mewn cerddoriaeth draddodiadol. Gan ddefnyddio data CCC, ddylai fod o gwmpas £450,000 y flwyddyn. Byddem yn gefnogol iawn pe bai Cymru yn mabwysiadu model cyfoethog yr Alban, a fyddai'n arwain at fuddsoddiad o £2.5 miliwn y flwyddyn yn y ffurf gelf hon sy'n gallu hybu a diogelu diwylliant, etifeddiaeth, a'r iaith Gymraeg.

Mae cerddoriaeth draddodiadol yn rhan fyw o'n diwylliant. Dyna beth sy'n gwneud ein cerddoriaeth draddodiadol yn arbennig. Gall canwr gwerin canu mewn stadiwm pêl-droed llawn ar nos Sadwrn ac wedyn ar ddydd Sul, dysgu eu nithoedd hen ganeuon y pentref yn y gegin.

Ond os ydym am sicrhau bod y gerddoriaeth hon a'r traddodiad yn parhau ac yn cael eu diogelu a chryfhau ar gyfer cenedlaethau'r dyfodol, mae angen sefydliadau fel Trac Cymru i barhau i wneud y gwaith. Mae ymatebion y cyhoedd i'r adolygiad yn cefnogi hynny'n eithriadol. Mae hyn yn symud Cymru yn y cyfeiriad cywir. Rydym yn edrych ymlaen at barhau i ddarparu adnoddau, cyrsiau a hyfforddiant sy'n cynyddu cyfranogiad a rhagoriaeth proffesiynol, a gweithio gyda’r CCC a sefydliadau eraill i sicrhau bod diwylliant unigryw Cymru o hyd yn fyw i ni ei drosglwyddo i'n hwyrion.

"Mae'r adolygiad hwn yn helaeth iawn, gan roi rhybudd i bawb am y ffaith bod cerddoriaeth draddodiadol (ac felly enaid Gwlad y Gân) dan fygythiad os nad ydynt yn cael y lefel o gymorth a welwn mewn gwledydd eraill." Dwedodd Dr. Jim Blythe, Cadeirydd Trac Cymru.

Adolygiad llawn yma👇
https://arts.wales/news-jobs-opportunities/major-review-highlights-opportunities-strengthen-traditional-music-wales?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLKVsNjbGNrAspMRmV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMHlrSjhWNWZCTldaSEZScTIBHj5UUjezq4_xgaLHJQ_FGxeZX56yG3tcY6cOE2DysZR7xVFGXIxjnBGHC96a_aem_dok30jtCkqvh00puSh-FGw

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We welcome this review of traditional music support in Wales. For every Dafydd Iwan there are hundreds of fiddlers, harp players, dancers and singers meeting in kitchens, cafes and bars to sing, dance and play. Folk music is, by definition, handed down from one generation to the next. If one link is taken from the chain, the chain breaks, and the music stops. So if our schools won’t teach it, or those growing up in the most deprived communities are unable to afford or access fiddles or music lessons, then it will become a bit of a hobby for the well off. So the need for support is urgent.

Although the £300,000 investment announced is a positive step, it’s not at all clear that it represents trebling their investment in traditional music. Using ACW data that should be in the region of £450,000 a year. We would be extremely supportive were Wales to adopt Creative Scotland’s model, which would result in £2.5 million per annum investment in this art form which is able to promote and protect culture, heritage, and the Welsh language.

Traditional music is a living, breathing part of our culture. That is what makes it special. A folk singer can be singing to a full football stadium on Saturday and on Sunday they can be in a kitchen teaching their nieces the old songs from the village.

But if we want to make sure that that music and tradition continues and is safeguarded and strengthened for future generations, we need organisations like Trac Cymru to continue doing the work. The public’s responses to the review overwhelmingly support that. This moves Wales in the right direction. We’re really looking forward to continuing to deliver resources, courses and training that increases participation and professional excellence and to work with ACW and other organisations to ensure that Wales’ unique culture is still alive for us to hand on to our grandchildren.

“This review is very comprehensive, and alerts everyone to the fact that traditional music (and thus the soul of the Land of Song) is under threat if there isn’t the level of support that we see in other countries.” Says Dr Jim Blythe, Chair of Trac Cymru.

Full report here 👇
https://arts.wales/news-jobs-opportunities/major-review-highlights-opportunities-strengthen-traditional-music-wales?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLKVsNjbGNrAspMRmV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMHlrSjhWNWZCTldaSEZScTIBHj5UUjezq4_xgaLHJQ_FGxeZX56yG3tcY6cOE2DysZR7xVFGXIxjnBGHC96a_aem_dok30jtCkqvh00puSh-FGw

08/02/2024

19/12/2023

From my good pals Angharad Jenkins Gareth Bonello Jordan Price Williams and Owen Shiers. Published in Songlines

Wake up to Wales!

Dear Songlines,

We noticed that your British/Irish Folk round-up last issue made no mention of Welsh artists. Sadly, it's not uncommon for Welsh music to be overlooked. This stems partly from the lack of music industry infrastructure in Wales herself.

There are few professional agents and managers operating here and those with influence beyond the border are rare. As a niche genre within a small scene, folk and traditional music have not historically received as much funding as other art forms in Wales. The situation is set to get worse following a recent decision by the Arts Council of Wales to remove core funding from Trac Cymru; the only organisation with a mandate to promote and develop folk music in Wales.

Wales' broader political and cultural isolation also plays its part. Long-established prejudices that view the language as dead, investment as a waste and our music as inferior means many bookers are wary of artists singing in Welsh. This is as much a problem within Wales as the rest of the UK and Ireland, where there is pressure to conform to Anglo-centric expectations of Welsh folk.
Most artists singing in Welsh have been told to switch to English, or had a review bemoaning
'impenetrable' lyrics or worse. It is telling that the few Welsh artists operating in the wider UK/Irish scenes today play predominantly instrumental music.

Our exclusion is also a symptom of the general lack of diversity and inclusion in the folk scene. It's a closed shop where knowing the right people is essential for admittance. The rosters of a handful of agencies and legacy labels still dominate the lineups of prominent festivals, tours and venues. Indeed, many still have no open application process for performing artists. The scene would be much richer if a larger platform were given to the variety of cultures and languages that exist in the UK/Ireland today.

Engaging more with the Welsh scene would be a positive step forward. We encourage publications such as Songlines to commission more work from English and Welsh-speaking writers in Wales. Attendance at cultural events, such as the Tŷ Gwerin at the National Eisteddfod would provide an insight into the musicianship, passion and variety of Welsh music. Bookers throughout the UK and Ireland should have more faith in their audiences and make an effort to reflect these islands' diversity in their lineups. And please, for the love of Dewi Sant, no more 'Celtic' festivals without us.

Yr eiddoch yn gywir,

Gareth Bonello, Angharad Jenkins, Jordan Price Williams, Owen Shiers

24/04/2023

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Dafydd Iwan, Ar Log A’r Wal Goch 🎉
Mae ‘Yma o Hyd’ yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Y Gân Gymraeg Wreiddiol Orau 🏆

Congratulations Dafydd Iwan, Ar Log & The Red Wall 🎉
‘Yma o Hyd’ wins the Wales Folk Award for Best Original Welsh Language Song 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau VRï 🎉
Mae ‘Islais a Genir’ yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Yr Album Gorau 🏆

Congratulations Vri 🎉
‘Islais a Genir’ wins the Wales Folk Award for Best Album 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Bwncath 🎉
Mae Bwncath yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Y Grŵp Gorau 🏆

Congratulations Bwncath 🎉
Bwncath win the Wales Folk Award for the Best Group 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Dafydd Iwan 🎉
Mae Dafydd Iwan yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Yr Artist Unigol Gorau 🏆

Congratulations Dafydd Iwan 🎉
Dafydd Iwan wins the Wales Folk Award for Best Solo Artist 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Rusty Shackle 🎉
Mae Rusty Shackle yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru gan pleidlais gyhoeddus am Ffefryn Gwerin Cymru 🏆

Congratulations Rusty Shackle 🎉
Rusty Shackle wins the Wales Folk Award by public votes for Wales’ Folk Favourite 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Phyllis Kinney am ennill y Gwobr Cyfraniad Oes 🎉🏆

Congratulations Phyllis Kinney for winning the Lifetime Contribution Award 🎉🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau VRï 🎉
Mae ‘Yr Ehedydd’ yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Y Trac Offerynnol Gorau 🏆

Congratulations Vri 🎉
‘Yr Ehedydd’ wins the Wales Folk Award for the Best Instrumental Track 🏆

21/04/2023

Llongyfarchiadau Cerys Hafana 🎉
Mae Cerys Hafana yn ennill y Gwobr Gwerin Cymru am Y’r Artist neu Fand sy’n Dechrau Dod I Amlygrwydd 🏆

Congratulations Cerys Hafana 🎉
Cerys Hafana wins the Wales Folk Award for Best Emerging Artist/Band 🏆