Mwy o'r Maes - Sadwrn Olaf Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru

-Welcome back to the National

-Eisteddfod. These are beautiful

-pictures of Abergavenny, which has

-welcomed as during the course of the

-week. It has been a wonderful week

-and it has been good to have you

-with us. One of the main

-competitions of the day was the

-David Ellis Memorial Prize. Let's

-look back over the highlights.

-# On an old lonely rock

-# In a dark forest

-# Her heart breaking

-# Sat a pretty girl

-# She looked out over the edge

-# To the lake below

-# But she saw someone's face

-# And fainted in shock

-# But she saw someone's face

-# And fainted in shock

-# Lamb of God

-# That takest away

-the sins of the world

-# In thy mercy grant them rest

-# Lamb of God

-# That takest away

-the sins of the world

-# Lamb of God

-# In thy mercy grant them rest

-# In thy mercy grant them rest #

-# It may have been a folly

-# This life that passeth by

-# A beauty wasted wholly

-# A being doomed to die

-# A love lines now rotten

-# A bloom so soon decayed

-# That dawns and cannot die. #

-the joy of their life

-# The joy of their life. #

-Those are the four competitors who

-won their individual competitions

-and were selected to go on for the

-Blue Riband competition. Now let

-find out who won the Memorial prize

-this year.

-Who has won? I'm sure you've all got

-your own opinions. Kees Huysmans.

-Congratulations to him. The bass

-from Lampeter. Now let's hear from

-him.

-# No, her heart is closed to me

-# She doesn't love me. #

-That was the winning performance

-from the man from the Netherlands.

-He now lives in Lampeter and joins

-us backstage.

-Congratulations. I sent a lot of

-relief. Definitely. I've been

-competing since 1997 and it is

-amazing to get an opportunity to

-compete in the Blue Riband

-competition. To have won it is

-wonderful. I am so relieved and I'm

-really enjoying it.

-This is the last big competition for

-singers.

-I came here from overseas years and

-years ago and I didn't even know

-Wales existed. Now the people of

-Wales are telling me I am the best

-singer in the festival. I'm so

-proud.

-It's amazing. The adjudicators were

-very pleased with your performance,

-saying your performance was

-terrific.

-I always try and do my best in

-everything I do. I always try to

-create an atmosphere. Lovely that

-the adjudicators appreciate the work

-I've put in. I know it's all about

-taking part but when you win, it is

-nice.

-You've been competing in small

-Eisteddfodau and a lot of work has

-led to this.

-The boys used to tell me to sing as

-a soloist. I started competing in

-the smaller Eisteddfodau. Singing

-and competing feels strange to me

-that it means that you always try

-your best and always try to improve

-your best and always try to improve

-your interpretation of the song.

-That is the point. There's nothing

-better than reaching that point.

-And singing on stage must be quite a

-thrill.

-It is. To be honest, I have to say

-the new Pavilion is easier to sing

-in than the old one was. As a

-singer, it is a more natural

-acoustic. I remember I had a shock

-before but I didn't know what to

-expect.

-It is definitely an

-improvement.

-The medal looks good around your

-neck.

-Congratulations. It was a great

-pleasure.

-A lovely interview. Congratulations

-to Kees Huysmans. We have another

-result for the main dance

-competition, the Lois Blake Memorial

-Prize. We had two parties competing

-and I don't believe this has

-happened before but Les Morris and

-Morwel Palmer couldn't reach a

-decision on an overall winner so

-this year 's prize is going to be

-divided. A split first place between

-Dawnswyr Talog and Dawnswyr

-Nantgarw. I'm not sure how they will

-sort that out, six months each,

-maybe. Plenty more to come. Join us

-after the break.

-Alan Quinn is crowned bard -- Elinor

-Glyn. Guto Dafydd... Eirug

-Salisbury. This year's Musician's

-Medal goes to Gareth Olubunmi

-Hughes. Hefin Robinson from

-Carmarthen.

-Dic Jones, more than anyone else,

-would be relieved to hear that we

-have a worthy winner. His name is

-Aneirin Karadog.

-Just some of the main winners this

-week. There have been winners in all

-of those categories. It has been a

-memorable week for all of us,

-including Elin Elis, the organiser

-who joins us now. We had a winner in

-all of the main ceremonies. That

-must be a relief for you as an

-organiser.

-It is. And I've had the pleasure of

-speaking to them all.

-Especially because this year we've

-got a special Chair in memory of Dic

-Jones. We had the Crown designed by

-a local crafts person so it would be

-heartbreaking if these important

-things when wasted.

-The people of Abergavenny funded the

-Crown and the prize that go with the

-Chair. Everyone was just so proud of

-the event and quietly I knew that we

-had a winner and everyone would be

-pleased.

-We've got some lovely images of the

-civilian. It has been making some

-headlines. The pink Pavilion has

-gone and people are already

-forgetting about it, and getting

-accustomed to the new Pavilion.

-People weren't sure to begin with

-but we've been working hard and

-speaking to experts in lighting,

-sound, technical elements. We have

-been talking around a table and when

-you have so many experts having an

-input and it pays off in the end,

-it's a great thing. And throughout

-the week we've had different things

-happening and people start to forget

-about the pink Pavilion because it

-is the experience that matters.

-And Kees Huysmans, the Blue Riband

-winner, said he enjoyed it. The

-concerts have also been very

-successful.

-Yes, they've given us an opportunity

-to use the new facilities. The

-lighting has been fantastic and the

-acoustics are great. In a way it is

-a theatre. There is nothing

-obstructing the view. It is more

-comfortable and the performers and

-the audiences enjoy it more.

-I've got some good news for you.

-Today's figures. 19,000 visitors,

-the most on a Saturday since 2009.

-Fantastic. Great. I know we had

-great visitor numbers. Maybe not

-Monday because it was raining but we

-still had 14,000 on Monday.

-It is a

-great thing for Monmouthshire.

-297,000 over the week. The region

-has really welcomed the Eisteddfod.

-We got a team of volunteers and the

-local people have been great. It has

-been lovely seeing people come

-through the doors and give us

-positive feedback. It has been

-great. We had a lovely atmosphere

-and people have come to me, praising

-the Eisteddfod.

-It must be lovely as an organiser.

-People have worked so hard and you

-want people to enjoy it. If they

-come to you to tell you that they

-have then, it is the I sing on the

-cake.

-Elin Elis, thanks for now. Over the

-next few minutes we will be looking

-back at some of the days

-competitions and let's start with

-the Open Instrumental Group.

-me again embrace you

-# As once in May. #

-# Then softly come unbound

-# All myst'ries to unfold.#

-# The bushes are left stripped naked

-# Come closer, soul to soul

-# Oh, I fear that the

-night will also steal

-# You from me. #

-# In the rocks, left behind

-# She is a different Winni. #

-# My lover is like the sparks

-# Sometimes great

-and sometimes silly

-# My lover is like the candle

-# A secret comfort

-when it's dark

-# But the day after

-# There are wax tears

-on the pillow

-# In the rocks, left behind

-# She is a different Winni. #

-Elin Elis, looking back on the

-festival, do you think there is room

-for improvement?

-There is always room for

-improvement. Nobody is perfect. Now

-we are going to look ahead for the

-Anglesey Eisteddfod.

-There have been changes, such as the

-Wednesday male voice choir

-competition today and there were

-changes to the Osborne Roberts. Are

-you happy with these changes?

-If you look at the good-sized

-audience and the quality on stage,

-personally I was very proud of the

-quality on stage. This year we had

-some great tenors and baritones. The

-men were great. In the past it has

-been the other way round. We have

-got some great young singers coming

-through as well, and people in the

-over 25 categories.

-As the organiser of this very

-successful festival, I'd like to

-congratulate you.

-Don't go away because we've got

-plenty left to come before the end

-of the programme. Join us after the

-break.

-Welcome back to the National

-Eisteddfod. It is the end of a

-memorable week. We will take a look

-back at the week now with Dr Elin

-Jones, the President of the

-festival. It has been a week to

-remember. Have you enjoyed yourself?

-Yes, just about. I have had a chance

-to catch up with friends and

-socialise and see everyone enjoying

-themselves. It was wonderful to see

-everyone gathering and enjoying

-themselves.

-You were on stage this

-afternoon giving your speech, what

-was your message?

-The message I was

-trying to put forward was how

-important it is to remember how the

-National Eisteddfod has changed over

-the past century. It was a very

-different world back then. And they

-mentioned the history of the Welsh

-language in this area. Hopefully the

-National Eisteddfod can continue to

-help the Welsh language. It means

-different things to different

-people. There are those competing,

-those helping, and so I was putting

-forward the way that it means

-different things to everyone but

-everyone enjoys themselves.

-We

-mentioned at the start of the week

-the rich history of this area. Lady

-Llanover and so on.

-Well, the Welsh

-language was so important to Lady

-Llanover and her husband. It is

-important to remember that the pair

-of them worked in a partnership.

-They worked very hard. We had a

-fantastic night on Thursday night.

-It was unforgettable.

-It is

-wonderful what is happening around

-the National Eisteddfod and the way

-that it affects the town and the

-area. Will it leave its mark?

-Well I

-hope so. One of the best thing for

-me was to meet a former pupil. She

-is now the director of education for

-Monmouth. That was fantastic to meet

-the and we will now keep in touch.

-But it is through her, I met a

-number of council officials and they

-all said how much they have enjoyed

-the festival and how much benefit it

-has made for the area, socially and

-economically. I was so pleased to

-hear that.

-We have also enjoyed

-hearing your accent.

-I am one of the

-few remaining that speaks in this

-accent. As we have lost respect to

-our language in the 19th century and

-then began speaking English

-instead... That is what happened. I

-went to chapel while I was growing

-up and I was the only when speaking

-Welsh. Everyone else spoke English

-with their parents. My parents were

-criticised for speaking Welsh with

-me. But they said I would -- they

-said that I would be held back by

-speaking world. We were ashamed of

-our language and accent. So it is

-important that we are proud of the

-language.

-We have enjoyed hearing

-all the stories. Thank you joining

-us. And thank you for the welcome.

-I

-am glad that you have enjoyed

-yourself.

-As I mentioned, we are now

-looking back at some of the

-competitions of the day and next we

-will enjoy the old songs Solo.

-competitions of the day and next we

-# Peaceful island far away

-# Where reigns serene immortal day

-It has been a week to remember for

-you.

-Yes, I have had a great week.

-It was great to be involved in the

-ceremony. It has been a great week.

-Where do you keep all these prizes?

-I am not sure. My mother will put

-them somewhere.

-Congratulations.

-as a Welshman, not a Brit.

-The first Welsh suicide bomber ever.

-Home is the battlefield now.

-Another successful weekly him. After

-the break, we will be turning to the

-choirs. Bah.

-Welcome back the National

-Eisteddfod. It's a wonderful

-evening. It's been a wonderful week.

-It's been a week full of

-competitions. And we've had plenty

-of winners in the main ceremonies.

-We now continue to look back at the

-competitions of the day but first I

-have two new guests.

-We will take a look back at this

-week first of all. Is this the first

-time you have got sit down?

-It feels

-like it. I have been very busy,

-going from ceremony to ceremony. I

-have popped over to the Bilic Elf.

-The it's been very enjoyable. I've

-met a lot of people. A lot of people

-have come at me and I don't know

-them and they told me how much they

-enjoyed the National Eisteddfod.

-Looking forward to next year, you've

-been wondering around and learning a

-few things, what are the impressions

-you had of this festival?

-I'd like

-to congratulate Frank and the team.

-They have been very enthusiastic and

-successful. The location was

-remarkable. The town is very close

-by. That has been wonderful. There

-has been a wonderful feeling. There

-is a different feeling to every

-Eisteddfod. I know that we will put

-on a memorable one next year but

-congratulations on this one.

-We will

-have plenty of time to look back and

-look forward over the coming

-minutes. Now we will look back at

-some of the competitions of the day.

-We will now enjoy the big battle

-that was between the male voice

-choirs.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you it's

-wonderful. I can't put into words.

-It's six years since we competed and

-we wanted to see if it is still do

-it. It's wonderful. Fantastic.

-I was

-making notes while the judges were

-talking. They enjoyed every note.

-They had learnt the script I had

-sent them. Fair play. I appreciate

-that. But thank you to everyone.

-These are the stars today.

-# In a milking pail. #

-Yeah, congratulations to call karma.

-A number of remarkable performances

-this week. The choirs are especially

-good. And on Sunday afternoon

-there's a big announcement, to name

-the best choir of the week. We will

-now hear who won the prize.

-So it

-gives me great pleasure to announce

-on behalf of the team that the choir

-of the festival 2016 is Cordydd.

-The judges

-As it was very difficult.

-I'm very

-proud that we were able to come and

-compete. I'm sure that is what she

-would have wanted. Fair play, we are

-here. And we've worked really hard.

-So thank you so much to hew as well.

-Congratulations and thank you for

-the chat. Congratulations to them.

-There are lots of high points that

-we have had over the week, the.

-Let's look at your personal

-highlights?

-The children's item on

-Sunday.

-There was not a dry eye in the

-house. That was a highlight.

-Thursday night in the Pavilion.

-That

-was very different.

-Yes, it is great

-to experiment.

-As someone who will

-be involved in the preparations for

-next year, you mentioned every

-Eisteddfod is different, what can we

-expect in Anglesey?

-Every Eisteddfod

-tries to pioneer in some ways. And

-that might was memorable.

-Apparently. I'm regretting not

-going. Over the coming months, we'll

-be thinking how we can put an extra

-spark into the Eisteddfod. There's a

-great group on Anglesey, they are

-full of ideas. Incrementing those

-ideas will be the challenge now.

-Where are we now as far as

-preparations? There is a full year

-to go.

-There is not as much time

-these days. It is two years, three

-at the most. We are lucky on

-Anglesey that it is easier to raise

-money than it is in areas like this.

-They have been incredibly successful

-here. We are headed via target. Such

-is the raising money, it's that we

-need the enthusiasm and that can

-really help.

-You're so close of the

-border year. You have to do a lot of

-work to promote the language

-locally. How much of a long-term

-effect will be Eisteddfod have?

-It

-will have a big effort. The county

-council is committed to establishing

-a language centre. That'll be

-brilliant. There is a lot of

-interest. We must remember that all

-these children I mentioned earlier

-will remember this for generations.

-It has given them a huge boost. It

-has given us a boost as far as

-confidence in the area.

-Thank you

-and congratulations on a memorable

-unsuccessful Eisteddfod. We are

-looking forward to next year. Well,

-we started the week with the piece

-by Robat Powel.

-August they all came

-Hordes of visitors

-seeking fun and fame

-The wind subsided to a peaceful

-balm Leaving a chasm

-On this park, so calm.

-Once crammed with life

-now solitude must

-bring, a sullen silence

-over dirt and dust.

-Despite that, the barn

-is filled tonight

-With the crops of our

-culture's delight.

-Brand new odes and so many a song

-Still echoes here, proud and strong

-The memories are all stored safe

-Against the winter's harsh embrace.

-What growth is this

-but our offspring

-Chaired as bards,

-their words we sing.

-Bold sunshine and busy, busy bees No

-sour faces from any of these.

-a choir in full throat

-Surging in their summer

-of sweet notes.

-For Elinor, there

-was a shining crown

-Her pathways gained

-her great reknown.

-A little one with head held high

-Watched his dad win a medal nigh

-And there was someone

-by and by To reward his

-Smiles with a kind eye.

-It pulls us in and lays its snare

-A field of great emotional fare

-Tears are shed on every single day

-We weep and weep with abandon gay

-And between the youthful

-voices came

-A hundred year

-old girl, just the same.

-Above the land the sun begins

-to set

-To close the fest,

-but as we leave I'll bet

-The seed of song we planted here

-By Abergavenny will

-last for year on year.