Deiniolen (; ; ) is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, at the foot of

Elidir Fawr Elidir Fawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, north Wales, the northernmost peak in the Glyderau. Its name means 'Big Elidir', named after a legendary warrior king of the 6th century also known as Eliffer Gosgorddfawr (Elidir of the Great Army). To ...

, in

Llanddeiniolen Llanddeiniolen (; ; ) is a hamlet and name of a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, and is from Cardiff and from London. It comprises the villages of Deiniolen, Bethel, Dinorwig, Rhiwlas, Brynrefail and Penisarwaun, and is the t ...

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

. Deiniolen has views over

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

(7 miles away) and on a clear day,

Holyhead Mountain Holyhead Mountain (''Mynydd Twr'' in Welsh: from ''(pen)twr'', meaning "tower") is the highest mountain on Holy Island, Anglesey, and the highest in the county of Anglesey, north Wales. It lies about two miles west of the town of Holyhead, and s ...

and occasionally the

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, can be seen. The population of the electoral ward was 1,909 as of 2011, including nearby Dinorwig, with 81.2% of the population speaking Welsh. The community,

, has a population of 5,072 as of the 2011 census, the third-largest in Gwynedd. Ysgol Gynradd Gwaun Gynfi provides Welsh-medium education for children between 3 and 11 years in the village. The

slate industry The slate industry is the industry related to the extraction and processing of slate. Slate is either quarried from a ''slate quarry'' or reached by tunneling in a ''slate mine''. Common uses for slate include as a roofing material, a flooring m ...

was an important employer in Deiniolen until the closure of Dinorwig Quarry in 1969.

Village History

The settlements now known as Deiniolen and

Clwt-y-Bont Clwt-y-bont is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, lying just to the south of Deiniolen. The two villages form one urban unit. Both were built in the early 19th century to house workers in the Dinorwig slate quarry, and both suffered when the quarry was ...

began in the 1820s based along the road and railway to the nearby Dinorwig Quarry. The village was originally known as ''Llanbabo'' (since several settlers arrived from the Anglesey village of

Llanbabo Llanbabo ''(Welsh: Church of Pabo'') is a small village two miles north west of Llannerch-y-medd in Anglesey, Wales. It lies within the community of Tref Alaw. The ancient church of St Pabo, Llanbabo is dedicated to Saint Pabo: possibly Pabo Po ...

) and later the village adopted the name ''Ebeneser'' (from the Chapel established in 1823). In the 1920s, after a campaign led by

Huw Robert Jones Huw Robert Jones (1894 – August 1930), known as H. R. Jones, was a Welsh nationalist politician. Jones was born in Ebenezer in Caernarfonshire,John Davies et al, ''The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales'', p.424 where he worked in the q ...

, the village adopted its current name of ''Deiniolen''. ;Christ Church, Llandinorwig:Christ Church (''Eglwys Grist'') was built in 1857. The money to build the church was donated by

Thomas Assheton Smith (1776–1858) Thomas Assheton Smith (the younger) (2 August 1776 – 9 September 1858) was an English landowner and all-round sportsman who was notable for being one of the outstanding amateur cricketers of the early 19th century. He was a Tory politician who ...

of Faenol, who was the owner of the village's main employer, Dinorwig Quarry. ;Ebenezer Chapel:Ebenezer Chapel (''Capel Ebeneser'') was built in 1823. The first minister was the Rev. David Griffydd with Rev. John Prichard being the last. Two of the most important annual events in Deiniolen are held in the chapel's vestry. These are the Deiniolen Eisteddfod and the Carnival Queen Crowning Concert; local school children take part in both events which still continue to this day throughout the village. The chapel was the source of the village's original name ''Ebeneser''. ;Cefn y Waun Chapel:Cefn y Waun Chapel (''Capel Cefn-y-Waun'') was built by local quarrymen in 1838. Before the chapel was built the local people held their services either in local farmhouses or in the open air. In 1867, the chapel was worth £2,100 but the chapel also had a debt of £2,100. The first minister was Rev. W. Rowlands.

Seindorf Arian Deiniolen - Deiniolen Silver Band

Deiniolen Silver Band (''Seindorf Arian Deiniolen'') was formed (originally as ''Llandinorwig Brass Band'') in 1835 by a group of quarrymen, and has now grown to be one of Wales' major brass bands. The band is currently competing in the First Section. Most recent success includes a third place at the National Brass Band Championships in 2015 and coming second at North Wales Rally (Open Section) in 2017.

Deiniolen Football Club

Deiniolen FC Deiniolen (; ; ) is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, at the foot of Elidir Fawr, in Llanddeiniolen Community. Deiniolen has views over Caernarfon (7 miles away) and on a clear day, Holyhead Mountain and occasionally the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland ...

was formed in around the 1950s when the side was playing in the local Caernarfon & District League. After a year absent from the local league, the team has recently reformed.

Notable people from Deiniolen

* Thomas Johns (1836–1914), Congregational minister, held his first pastorate here *

(1894–1930), Welsh Nationalist politician, first general secretary of

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

* Gwenlyn Parry (1932–1991), a Welsh dramatist and scriptwriter * Peter Prendergast (1946–2007), a Welsh landscape painter. * Eirug Wyn (1950–2004), Welsh author, lived in Deiniolen * Dave Brailsford CBE (born 1964), performance director for

British Cycling British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It represents Bri ...

, brought up in Deiniolen. * Annette Bryn Parry (born ca.1965), professional pianist * Malcolm Allen (born 1967), professional footballer, TV S4C presenter

References

External links

Deiniolen Silver Band WebsiteDeiniolen FC Club Websitewww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Deiniolen and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Gwynedd Llanddeiniolen Mining communities in Wales