Ifor ap Glyn (born 1961) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

and

Welsh-language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has al ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

.Wales Online, "Interview: Poet and presenter Ifor ap Glyn on his new TV series", 4 June 2011
Accessed 25 August 2013 From 2016 to 2022 he served as

National Poet of Wales The post of National Poet of Wales ( cy, Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in May 2005 by Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appoin ...

Early life and education

Ifor ap Glyn was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

into a Welsh-speaking family, but graduated from

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

. He relocated as an adult to

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

and later to

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 ...

Career

As a poet Ifor ap Glyn primarily writes in Welsh, though he has also composed poems in English. In 2018 he published ''Cuddle Call?,'' his first collection with English translation in a parallel text. In 1999 Ifor ap Glyn won the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

(a feat he repeated in 2013), and in the same year performed at the celebratory concert that marked the opening of the

Welsh National Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gov ...

. In 2008, Ifor ap Glyn was appointed Bardd Plant Cymru (Children's Poet Laureate for Wales), holding the role for a year. He has twice represented Wales at the

Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held on the National Mall for two weeks around the Fo ...

in the USA. Before becoming a poet and dramatist, Ifor ap Glyn worked as a television producer and scriptwriter, and has worked extensively with the theatre company Cwmni Dda. He also served as the executive producer of the documentary film '' Cysgod Rhyfel'' ''(The Shadow of War)'', a 2014 documentary film that explored the mental effects of conflict on former soldiers and their families. On 1 March 2016, Ifor ap Glyn was appointed

, succeeding

Gillian Clarke Gillian Clarke (born 8 June 1937) is a Welsh poet and playwright, who also edits, broadcasts, lectures and translates from Welsh into English. She co-founded Tŷ Newydd, a writers' centre in North Wales. Life Gillian Clarke was born on 8 J ...

. During his tenure, Ifor ap Glyn wrote in both Welsh and English, with his commissioned work including poems to mark the 20th anniversary of the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

, the centenary of the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

qualifying for the

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

football tournament, the 80th anniversary of

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales. The Ministry of Defence controversially evicted the community of Mynydd Epynt in 1940, creating what is now the core of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest mil ...

eviction, the reopening of the home of poet

Hedd Wyn Hedd Wyn (born Ellis Humphrey Evans, 13 January 188731 July 1917) was a Welsh-language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National ...

to the public, and the 2017 Champions League Final being held in Cardiff. He also composed poems for patients at

Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre ( cy, Canolfan Ganser Felindre) is a specialist facility caring for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Velindre University NHS Trust. History The facility was established as Velindre Ho ...

, to support DEC Cymru's Indonesia Tsunami appeal, and to welcome Syrian refugees to Wales. His time as National Poet of Wales lasted for six years, coming to an end in 2022. He was succeeded by

Hanan Issa Hanan Issa (born 1986/1987) is a Welsh- Iraqi poet, film-maker, scriptwriter and artist. She is the current National Poet of Wales. Biography Issa grew up in Cardiff, Wales. Her first solo publication was '' My Body Can House Two Hearts'', a ...

, who Ifor ap Glyn said was a poet that he admired and would "bring a fresh voice to the national conversation”.

Books

* * * * * * * *

Plays

*''Branwen'' *''Frongoch''

Television (as presenter)

*''Ar Lafar'' (2011) *''The Toilet: An Unspoken History'' (2012) *''Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places'' (2013)''The Telegraph'': Review by Ben Lawrence, 11 April 2013
Accessed 25 August 2013

References

External links

Ifor ap Glyn's commissioned poems as National Poet of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ifor ap Glyn Crowned bards Welsh-language poets Welsh dramatists and playwrights Welsh screenwriters 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century British male writers 21st-century Welsh writers 21st-century British screenwriters 1961 births Living people