"God Bless the Prince of Wales" ( cy, Ar Dywysog Gwlad y Bryniau) is a patriotic song written to mark the occasion of the marriage of the future King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

. The song was first proposed at the

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 ...

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

of 1862. The words were written by the poet,

John Ceiriog Hughes John Ceiriog Hughes (25 September 1832 – 23 April 1887) was a Welsh poet and collector of Welsh folk tunes, sometimes termed a Robert Burns of Wales. He was born at Penybryn Farm, overlooking the village of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog in the Ce ...

and the music by

Henry Brinley Richards Henry Brinley Richards (13 November 1817 – 1 May 1885) was a Welsh composer, who also published some works under the pseudonym 'Carl Luini'. Richards was born in Hall Street, Carmarthen, his father being organist at St Peter's Church in the ...

. :''Ar D'wysog gwlad y bryniau,'' :''O boed i'r nefoedd wen,'' :''Roi iddo gyda choron,'' :''Ei bendith ar ei ben!'' :''Pan syrthio'r aur wialen,'' :''Pan elo un i'r nef,'' :''Y nef a ddalio i fyny'' :''Ei law frenhinol ef!'' The English words are by

George Linley George Linley (27 December 1797 – 10 September 1865), was an English verse-writer and musical composer, who was born in Leeds. He contributed verses to the local newspapers and published some pamphlets, before leaving his native city in early li ...

. The song was completed and performed in 1863. The opening lyrics are: :''Among our ancient mountains,'' :''And from our lovely vales'', :''Oh! Let the prayer re-echo'' :''God bless the Prince of Wales!'' :''With hearts and voice awaken'' :''Those minstrel strains of yore,'' :''Till Britain's name and glory,'' :''Resounds from shore to shore.'' In parts of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and

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 ...

the tune is used to sing "

Derry's Walls "Derry's Walls" is a historical song sung in Northern Ireland. It commemorates the Siege of Derry in 1689. The author of the words is unknown, and it is sung to the tune of "God Bless the Prince of Wales.” A modified rendition is also popu ...

", a unionist song.

References

External links

Full lyrics
{{authority control Welsh songs Welsh patriotic songs 1862 songs Princes of Wales