Norah Isaac (1914 – 3 August 2003) was a Welsh author, drama producer and campaigner for Welsh-language education. She became head of the country's first Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd, in 1939.

Background

Norah Isaac was born in 1914 in the village of Caerau near Maesteg in the old county of Glamorgan,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. She was educated at Glamorgan Training College in

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

Welsh-language advocate

Isaac was an advocate of the Welsh language. In 1935 she became head of the Glamorgan division of

Urdd Gobaith Cymru Urdd Gobaith Cymru () (known as the Urdd) is a national voluntary youth organisation, which claimed over 56,000 members in 2019 aged between 8 and 25 years old. It provides opportunities for children and young people across Wales to take part ...

, a Welsh-medium youth movement, remaining there until her appointment as founding head of Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd in 1939, the country's first school to teach in Welsh. When Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd opened as a private school, Isaac was the sole teacher and there were only seven pupils. The success Isaac brought to it caused annual growth, until by 1945 there were four teachers and 71 pupils in an original building was too small for its purpose. The school moved to a country house near Llanbadarn and changed its name to Ysgol Lluest. Isaac remained as head teacher until 1949. During her time there she and

Ifan ab Owen Edwards Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards (25 July 1895 – 23 January 1970) was a Welsh academic, writer and film-maker, best known as the founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth. He was born at Tremaran, Llanuwchllyn, Merionethshire, the ...

, who established the school, campaigned for the introduction of Welsh-medium schools throughout Wales. Between 1950 and 1958 she lectured at her old college in Barry, before becoming the principal lecturer in Welsh and Drama at Trinity College Carmarthen, establishing the first Welsh Drama Department in Wales.

Publications and plays

Isaac published several books, including two collections of short stories, ''Storiau Awr Hamdden i Blant'' (1979 and 1982), and a monograph on Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards. She also wrote travel books, after visits to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and Colombia. She produced several plays based on major Welsh cultural figures, notably

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclop ...

(1974), Griffith Jones (1984) and William Williams (1991).

Honours

Along with her drama and literary work, Isaac was an important figure in the National Eisteddfod and awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the National Eisteddfod for her lifelong commitment, the first woman to be given this honour. After her death in August 2003, Iolo Wyn Williams declared in his book ''Our Children's Language: The Welsh-Medium Schools of Wales, 1939–2000'' that Isaac was "the most influential individual in the history of Welsh-medium education".Williams (2003), p. 50.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, Norah 1914 births 2003 deaths 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century Welsh educators 20th-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 20th-century women educators People from Bridgend County Borough Welsh-language writers Welsh language activists Welsh women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights Welsh women educators People associated with Trinity University College Welsh short story writers British women short story writers Welsh travel writers British women travel writers