DIWYDIANT;CULTURE

DIWYLLIANT YMYSG DATHLU TREFTADAETHAMIDST BLAENAU AR Y STRYD INDUSTRY;

CELEBRATING BLAENAU’S HERITAGE ON THE STREET 02 03 05 DIWYLLIANT YMYSG DIWYDIANT; CULTURE AMIDST 07 DATHLU TREFTADAETH BLAENAU INDUSTRY; 09 11 Mae gan hanes deinamig a hunaniaeth ddiwylliannol unigryw, CELEBRATING BLAENAU’S HERITAGE 13 diolch i ddatblygiad dramatig ei chwareli llechi ynghanol tirwedd mwyaf 15 trawiadol cefn gwlad Meirionnydd. O’i chyfoeth o dermau chwarelyddol, i lond Blaenau Ffestiniog has a dynamic history and an unique cultural 17 19 bro o feirdd, llenorion a cherddorion, esgorodd creadigedd yr ardal ar dreftadaeth identity, owing to the town’s dramatic industrial development in the 21 most striking countryside in rural Meirionnydd. From a wealth of original ddiwylliannol unigryw ac amhrisiadwy. Yn gyfuniad o’r traddodiadol a chyfoes, y 23 quarry terms to a host of poets, writers and musicians, Blaenau’s creativity gwledig a’r diwydiannol, cynhyrchodd y dreftadaeth hynod, a chwbl Gymreig, hon 25 rai o ddywediadau ac ymadroddion mwyaf lliwgar ac unigryw yr iaith Gymraeg. produced a priceless cultural heritage. A combination of the traditional and 27 modern, the rural and industrial, this vibrant and distinctively Welsh heritage 29 I gyfleu y cyfoeth diwylliannol hwn, casglwyd cannoedd o ddywediadau lleol produced some of the most unique and colourful phrases in the Welsh language. 31 a thermau chwarelyddol unigryw, cyfeiriadau hanesyddol, a dyfyniadau gan 33 35 artistiaid yr ardal, gan ddewis detholiad ohonynt i’w cynnwys ar y bandiau To reflect this rich heritage, hundreds of local sayings, unique quarry terms, historical 37 references, and quotations from local artists were chosen for inclusion on the slate llechi a welir o amgylch y stryd fawr. Cynhwyswyd hefyd ddywediadau cyfoes 39 bands that are seen on the town’s streets. Also included are contemporary sayings, as well gan drigolion lleol, ac ymadroddion a grewyd mewn gweithdai gyda disgyblion 41 ysgolion y plwy, er mwyn adlewyrchu hunaniaeth cyfoes y dref, yn ogystal â as phrases created in workshops held with pupils of the local schools, reflecting current 43 gobaith a dyheadau’r gymuned ar gyfer y dyfodol. cultural identity as well as the community’s hopes and dreams for the future. 45 47 Yn ddathliad o ddiwylliant lliwgar y Blaenau, mae’r dywediadau wedi A celebration of Blaenau’s colourful culture, the phrases have been numbered to encourage 49 51 eu rhifo er mwyn eich annog i gerdded y stryd tra’n dysgu am y you to walk the town’s high street as you learn of this vibrant and unique heritage. And while you’re at it, pop in to the town’s shops and businesses to see what else we have on offer. You 53 dreftadaeth unigryw hon. A thra’r ydych wrthi, be am daro i mewn i 55 won’t be disappointed. siopau a busnesau’r dref i weld be arall sydd gennym i’w gynnig. 57 Chewch chi ddim eich siomi. 59 61 63 65 03

04 CLINCAR! 05 RHOI’R CERRIG I FYNY 07 1 Un o eiriau llafar unigryw’r ardal. Mae’n golygu rhywbeth Dywediad am ymddeol o’r chwarel, gyda’i wreiddiau yn y term am arferiad y 2+ 09 arbennig o dda, e.e. ‘clincar o noson!’ chwarelwr o roi cyfrif o’r llechi a gynhyrchodd ar ddiwedd pob mis. 11 GREAT STUFF! / A CRACKER! 13 TO GIVE UP THE STONES 15 One of many words unique to the area, describing something Saying for retiring from the quarry, derived from the quarryman’s custom of 17 giving an account of slates produced at the end of each month. that’s very good, such as ‘a cracking night!’ 19 21 23 25 TYWYDD HEN FFASIWN HEDDIW! 27 TRAWIADOL! 29 Dywediad lleol am ddiwrnod glawog ofnadwy. 2 Yn y gweithdai yn yr ysgolion gofynnwyd am ansoddeiriau i ddisgrifio 3 31 Blaenau. Cafwyd hwn gan ddisgyblion Ysgol y Moelwyn, yn cyfleu yr OLD FASHIONED WEATHER TODAY! 33 argraff a gaiff tirwedd a thomenni llechi’r dref ar yr ymwelydd, yr arfer 35 Local saying for a very rainy day. o ‘daro bargen’ yn y chwareli, a’r holl waith taro oedd yn digwydd 37 ynddynt. 39 GWYNAB FEL MIS PUMP 41 STUNNING! / STRIKING! Dywediad ddaeth o’r chwarel, yn cyfeirio at rywun efo gwyneb 43 45 Asked for words to describe Blaenau, Ysgol y Moelwyn hir, yn flin neu yn pwdu. Pob 4 neu 5 mlynedd mae yna un mis 47 pupils gave us ‘trawiadol,’ which is Welsh for something sy’n cynnwys pum wythnos. Yn y chwarel, golygai hynny aros 49 that is striking in beauty or power. The word ‘taro’ (to pum wythnos am gyflog. 51 strike) has further resonance due to the custom of 53 ‘taro bargen’ (to strike a bargain) between rockmen, FACE LIKE A MONTH OF FIVE 55 quarrymen and bosses – and all the work that A saying from the quarries, referring to someone with a long 57 involved the striking of tools. face (gloomy or in a foul mood). Every 4 or 5 years, one month 59 will have five weeks in it. In the quarry, this meant waiting five 61 weeks for pay day. 63 65 03 GEFAIL DDOE, GOFAL HEDDIW 05 06 IÂR DAN BADALL 07 3+ 4+ Llinell o waith y bardd lleol Gwilym Price, yn son am adfer hen Dywediad traddodiadol lleol am rywun sy’n edrych yn llipa neu ddifywyd. 09 efail yn Nhanygrisiau. Cyfrannwyd gan blant Ysgol Bro Cynfal. 11 13 CHICKEN UNDER A FRYING PAN A SMITHY YESTERDAY, CARE TODAY 15 A traditional local reference to someone who looks listless, weak or floppy. Line from local poet Gwilym Price, referring to restoring an old 17 Contributed by Ysgol Bro Cynfal children. 19 smithy in . 21 23 FY ENW WEDI’I GRAFU EFO HOELEN WEDI RHYDU 25 27 SIARAD FEL INJIAN HOGI Cyfeiriad at linell gyfarwydd o gân Mim Twm Llai, ‘Cwmorthin.’ Gyda’i dawelwch hudolus, ei brydferthwch trawiadol ac olion 29 4 Dywediad o fyd y chwarel am rywun sy’n siarad pymtheg yn y dwsin 5 31 diwydiannol dramatig, mae gan Cwmorthin le arbennig iawn 33 yng nghalonnau trigolion yr ardal hon. TALKING LIKE A SLATE-SAW 35 SHARPENING MACHINE 37 MY NAME IS SCRATCHED WITH A RUSTY NAIL A quarry saying, describing someone who talks non-stop. 39 A quote from the beautiful song ‘Cwmorthin’ by Mim Twm 41 Llai. With its peace and quiet, dramatic beauty and haunting 43 TOMENNI YDI’N CESTYLL NI industrial ruins, it holds a special place in the hearts of local 45 Gan blant Ysgol y Moelwyn. Mae gan rai trefi eu cestyll. Mae people. 47 gennym ni ein tomenni, yn llawn cystal cofeb i wrhydri’r 49 oesau a fu. GLAW. MI DDAW FEL Y MYNN 51 Llinell o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y bardd o Danygrisiau, 53 THE SLATE TIPS ARE OUR CASTLES yr Athro Gwyn Thomas. 55 From Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils. Some towns 57 have their castles, but our slate tips are also a RAIN. IT COMES WHEN IT WANTS. 59 61 testament to an epic past. Famous line from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by Tanygrisiau poet, Prof. Gwyn Thomas. 63 65 ^ FEL WAGAN GYNTA’R RYN 03 05 Dywediad lleol wedi tarddu o’r chwarel, yn LLECHAN YN Y GWAED 07 5+ ^ 7+ Cynigiwyd gan sawl aelod o’r gymuned a gweithdai yr ysgolion, 08 golygu rhywun hy ac ymwthgar – ‘mor ddigwilydd 09 ^ wedi ei ysbrydoli gan linell yn y gân ‘Graffiti Cymraeg’ gan â wagan gynta’r ryn .’ 11 Anweledig. 13 LIKE THE FIRST WAGON SLATE IN THE BLOOD 15 OF THE RUN 17 Chosen by many people, and in all workshops held in the With its origin in the quarries, a local saying for a 19 schools, inspired by a line in Anweledig’s song ‘Graffiti pushy or brazen person. 21 Cymraeg.’ 23 25 ASGWRN CEFN GWLAD LLECHAN LÂN 27 Chwarae ar eiriau gan ddisgyblion Ysgol y Moelwyn. Mae siap tref y 29 6 Dechrau newydd i Blaenau, medd plant Ysgol y Moelwyn. Blaenau fel asgwrn cefn yn cynnal cefn gwlad y fro o’i chwmpas, ac 8 31 oherwydd i’r dref roi to ar dai y wlad mae hi hefyd yn cynnal Cymru 33 A CLEAN SLATE 35 gyfan. A new beginning for Blaenau, say the children of Ysgol y 37 THE BACKBONE OF THE COUNTRY Moelwyn. 39 41 Clever play on words by Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils describing 43 the town as the spine of the surrounding countryside. BLAENAU AM BYTH! 45 Gan Ysgol y Moelwyn, yn benthyg oddi ar ‘Cymru am Byth.’ 47 49 CELFRYDOL BLAENAU FOR EVER! Cyfuniad o’r geiriau ‘celf’ a ‘delfrydol’ gan blant 51 7 From Ysgol y Moelwyn, borrowing from the Welsh saying 53 gweithdy Ysgol y Moelwyn. ‘Cymru am byth’ ( for ever). 55 ART / IDEAL 57 59 Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils describing the town 61 again, this time by combining the words ‘celf’ 63 (art) with ‘delfrydol’ (ideal). 65 03 BRAF O HYD YM MLAENAU FFESTINIOG 05 PLU STINIOG 07 Ateb pobl Blaenau i honiadau traddodiadol ei bod o hyd 9 Gyda dwsinau o lynnoedd yn llechu ym mryniau’r ardal mae 09 10 yn bwrw glaw yma. Yn ddewis poblogaidd gan oedolion a 10 pysgota yn boblogaidd tu hwnt yn yr ardal. Sefydlwyd Cymdeithas 11 phlant yr ysgolion, daw’r dyfyniad o gân Anweledig, ‘Dawns Enweiriawl y Cambrian yn 1885. Casglodd y pysgotwr, awdur a 13 y Glaw.’ hanesydd lleol, y diweddar Emrys Evans, batrymau 133 o blu pysgota 15 unigryw yr ardal ar gyfer y gyfrol ‘Plu Stiniog.’ 17 ALWAYS SUNNY IN BLAENAU 19 THE FISHING FLIES OF FFESTINIOG FFESTINIOG 21 With dozens of lakes lying in the surrounding hills, trout fishing is 23 Blaenau people’s answer to traditional claims that it’s 25 a popular pastime in the area. The Cambrian Angling Society was always raining here. A popular choice among adults and 27 founded in 1885. The late Emrys Evans, a local author, historian and schoolchildren, it is a quote from Anweledig’s popular 29 keen angler, collected 133 patterns of traditional local fishing flies anthem ‘Dawns y Glaw’ (Raindance). 31 for his book ‘Plu Stiniog.’ 33 35 EGARYCH CLUST SGWARNOG 37 39 Engraifft o’r enwau lliwgar ar blu pysgota’r ardal a Y COED LLUS YN CADW’U LLIW 41 gasglwyd yng nghyfrol y diweddar Emrys Evans, ‘Plu Mae’r Manodau yn frith o goed llus, ac mae hel llus yn 43 Stiniog.’ 11 arferiad cyffredin yn yr haf. Dyma linell o gynghanedd yn 45 cyfleu fod hyn yn dal i fod er gwaethaf newidiadau’r oes. 47 HARE’S EAR SEDGE 49 An example of the unique, colourful names of local THE BILBERRY BUSHES KEEP THEIR 51 fishing flies collected by the late Emrys Evans in COLOUR 53 ‘Plu Stiniog.’ Gathering bilberries is a popular pastime here in summer. 55 57 This line of cynghanedd notes that despite changing times, 59 some things never change. 61 63 65 03 05 GLESNI MWRLLWCH SAFON, GYFAILL! 07 11+ 12+ Gair i ddisgrifio’r dref a’r ardal gan ddisgyblion Ysgol y Moelwyn. Mae’n Gair lleol am law mân, neu Ffordd gyfoes o fynegi 09 cyfeirio at lesni’r llechi, y mynyddoedd, llynnoedd ac awyr, ac ysbryd y gymysgedd annymunol o canmoliaeth. 11 12 gymuned. law, niwl, mwg a thywyllwch. 13 15 MWRLLWCH SHOT, MATE! 17 BLUENESS / GREEN-NESS / FRESHNESS A local word for a miserable Literally, “Standard, mate!” 19 ‘Glesni’ means blueness, green-ness and freshness in Welsh. The word was mixture of drizzle, fog, smoke A contemporary compliment. 21 put forward by Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils as a catch-all description of the 23 and darkness. town and surrounding area, from the blue slate, lakes and skies, to the green 25 mountains and valleys, and the freshness of the people’s spirit. 27 STRYD Y BLAENAU’N LLAWN WYNEBAU... 29 31 Dyfyniad o ‘Mari Wyn’ – nofel yr awdur lleol, Sara Ashton BWM BWM BWM, CEFFYL ROBIN TWM 33 Ffordd unigryw W.R. Jones, arweinydd Seindorf Gwaenydd (Seindorf 13 BLAENAU’S STREET FULL OF FACES 35 12 Arian yr Oakeley heddiw) o gael y band i gadw amser oedd adrodd 37 Quote from ‘Mari Wyn’ – a novel by local author Sara Ashton. rhigymau fel hwn! Ar gyfer yr hanner curiad, byddai’n adrodd “Ty^ 39 popty, ty^ popty, ty^ popty...”! 41 PAWB YN NABOD PAWB 43 45 BOOM BOOM BOOM, ROBIN TWM’S Mae pawb yn nabod pawb yn y gymuned agos hon. Daw’r 47 HORSE dyfyniad o un o ganeuon y band lleol Gwibdaith Hen Fran, gan y 49 W.R. Jones, conductor of Seindorf Gwaenydd (today’s cerddor o Danygrisiau, Phil Lee Jones. 51 Oakeley Silver Band) had unique ways of getting the 53 band to keep time – reciting rythmic rhymes such as EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY 55 this one for the full beat! For the half-beat he would Everyone knows everyone in this close-knit community, and this 57 use “Ty^ popty, ty^ popty!” (“Oven house, oven quote is from a song by local band Gwibdaith Hen Fran, written 59 house!”) by Tanygrisiau musician Phil Lee Jones. 61 63 65 03 ^ DIM SYRTHIO DROS DYFN! 05 ROEDD NOW’R ALLT YN DALLT Y DWR Un o’r damweiniau yn y chwarel a fyddai’n sicr o farwolaeth 07 Llinell o englyn yn cyfeirio at ddoniau pysgota Now’r Allt (Owen Jones), 14 oedd ‘disgyn dros dyfn’ – disgyn dros ymyl un o’r agorydd o dan 09 cymeriad lliwgar ac adnabyddus o’r ardal yn gynnar yn y ganrif ddiwethaf 17 ddaear. Yn y dywediad ‘dim syrthio dros dyfn’ rydym yn datgan fod y 11 gymuned hon, er gwaethaf blynyddoedd o ddirywiad, yn gwrthod marw. 13 14 NOW’R ALLT KNEW THE WATER 15 A line of cynghanedd referring to the notorious fishing skills of Now’r Allt NO FALLING OVER THE ‘DEEP’! 17 19 (Owen Jones), a legendary local character from the early 20th century. A quarry accident that rarely resulted in anything less than a fatality was 21 falling over the ‘deep’ – going over the edge of an underground chamber. The 23 saying is used here to state that Blaenau, despite years of industrial and social 25 MAE SEREN YN DISGLEIRIO decline, refuses to die. 27 Gan blant Ysgol Tanygrisiau, yn cyfeirio at waith Cwmni Seren, sy’n 29 15 darparu cyflogaeth i bobl gydag anhawsterau dysgu. 31 TRE’R BEDOL HORSESHOE TOWN 33 A STAR IS SHINING Cân y band lleol Twmffat, Song by local band Twmffat referring 35 From Ysgol Tanygrisiau children, referring to Cwmni Seren’s work 18 yn cyfeirio at siap pedol tref y to Blaenau’s horseshoe shape, from 37 providing opportunities to persons with learning difficulties. Blaenau, o’r Manod i Danygrisiau. Manod to Tanygrisiau. 39 41 43

^ 45 AMSER DYN YW EI GYNHYSGAETH SWN LLECHI’N CRAFU’R NOS 47 Llinell o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y bardd o Danygrisiau, yr Athro Gwyn Arwyddair Ysgol y Moelwyn, ysgol uwchradd y dref. 49 16 19 Thomas, yn cyfeirio at y synnau bychain a wna tomen fawr yr Oclis wrth i’r 51 A MAN’S TIME IS HIS FORTUNE llechi symud yn y nos. 53 55 School motto of Ysgol y Moelwyn, the town’s THE SOUND OF SLATE SCRAPING THE NIGHT 57 secondary school. Line from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by Tanygrisiau poet Prof. Gwyn Thomas referring to 59 61 the sounds made by the Oakeley slate tip as the rubble moves during the night. 63 65 03 BRO LLEU, BRO CREU, BRO CRAWIA CROESO I’R OCHOR DRAW 05 Llinell o gynghanedd o’r gweithdy gyda phlant Ysgol Bro Cynfal. Dyma fro Cyn i Gors Mynach (Cors Glanypwll) gael ei sychu a’i llenwi efo rwbel 07 20 Lleu Llaw Gyffes o’r Mabinogi, bro creadigedd (diwydiant a diwylliant), a 21 chwarel, ‘yr ochor draw’ oedd enw trigolion Rhiwbryfdir a Glanypwll 09 bro’r crawiau. am ran ganolog y dref, a orweddai ar ochr arall y gors. 11 13 WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE / FAR SIDE 15 16 LAND OF LLEU, LAND OF CREATIVITY, LAND OF SLATE ‘Yr ochor draw’ was what the residents of Rhiwbryfdir and Glanypwll 17 A line of cynghanedd with Ysgol Bro Cynfal pupils. Refers to the area 19 called the central part of the town before the Cors Mynach (Cors as the setting for the legend of Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Blodeuwedd in the 21 Glanypwll) swamp was drained and filled with quarry waste. Mabinogion, the area’s industrial and cultural creativity, and its trademark 23 ‘crawiau’ slate slabs. 25 Y GLORIAN Y GLORIAN (The Scales) 27 Enw un o bapurau Many newspapers were published in 29 31 HWRE I FERCHED YR HALL! newydd amlycaf Blaenau. ‘Y Glorian’ was among the most 22 33 Yn ystod y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf sefydlwyd ffatri gweu sanau ar gyfer y y Blaenau. Fe’i noteable, and fyddin yn Neuadd y Farchnad (Yr Hall), ac yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd 35 argraffwyd yma, yn was printed here 37 bu yno ffatri didoli a thrwsio esgidiau milwyr. Merched a weithiai hen Siop y Glorian, in the old ‘Siop 39 yn y ffatrioedd hyn, ac fe’i gelwid yn “Ferched yr Hall.” rhwng tua 1899 a y Glorian’ from 41 HURRAH FOR THE GIRLS OF THE HALL! 1916. 1899 to 1916. 43 45 During the First World War a factory was established in the MAE’R PYSGOD YN CAPAL 47 Market Hall making socks for the soldiers. Later, during 49 the Second World War a factory was set up to sort Dywediad ymysg pysgotwyr yr ardal pan nad yw’r pysgod yn ‘symud’ 51 and repair used army boots. The workers at these 23 (ddim yn codi, chwarae na chynnig), ac wedi mynd i orweddian i 53 factories were women from the town, and were waelod y llyn! 55 called “Merched yr Hall.” 57 THE FISH ARE IN CHAPEL 59 A saying among local anglers, referring to when the fish aren’t moving 61 (rising, playing or biting) and have gone for a lie-down at the bottom of 63 the lake! 65 TREF SY’N TARO TANT ^ 03 NYTARS YN NEIDIO I LLYN CWN 05 Llinell o’r gweithdy efo plant Ysgol Bro Cynfal, yn chwarae ar yr hen ddywediad Cyfeiriad at linell o ‘Tafarn yn Nolrhedyn’ – cân 07 ^ 24 Cymraeg ‘taro tant’ a chyfeirio at draddodiad cerddorol y dref, a’r swn taro oedd 25+ boblogaidd Mim Twm Llai, grw^ p y cerddor lleol Gai 09 fel trac sain i’r dydd yn y chwarel. Toms – sy’n disgrifio arferiad dewrion ifanc o neidio oddi 11 ar y graig i bwll Llyn Cw^ n yn yr afon islaw Cwmorthin. 13 THE TOWN THAT STRIKES A CHORD 15 ^ From the workshop with Ysgol Bro Cynfal children, referring to the traditional Welsh NUTTERS JUMPING INTO LLYN CWN 17 18 19 saying ‘taro tant’ (literally striking a string on a harp), the strong musical tradition of Reference to a line in a popular song by renowned Tanygrisiau 21 the town, and the sound of striking tools being the soundtrack to quarry life. singer-songwriter , with his band Mim Twm Llai, 23 describing daring local youths jumping from the rocks into Llyn Cw^ n 25 Y FRO YNG NGHESEILIAU’R MOELWYN - (dog lake) – a pool in the river below Cwmorthin. 27 ^ NYTARS YN NEIDIO I LLYN CWN 29 Thema gyson gan blant gweithdai Ysgol y Moelwyn oedd fod y Moelwyn fel YMA O HYD! 31 25 33 pe tai’n estyn ei freichiau i ddiogelu’r ardal yn ei gôl. Ceseiliau Moelwyn Cân anthemaidd Dafydd Iwan. O ystyried hunaniaeth Gymreig cryf pobl 35 yw’r enw ar y fraich greigiog sy’n estyn o’r Moelwyn Mawr at Foel yr Stiniog, a bod hanes y gymuned yn un o fod “yma o hyd er gwaethaf pawb 37 Hydd, gan gynnwys Craig Stwlan, Clogwyn y Bustach a Chlogwyn a phopeth,” nid yw’n syndod fod disgyblion Ysgol y Moelwyn wedi dewis y 39 yr Oen. Mae’r llinell yn cyfleu cadernid gwarchodol a chartrefol y geiriau hyn. 41 Moelwyn. 43 STILL HERE! 45 THE TOWN IN THE BOSOM OF THE Sung by Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan, ‘Yma o Hyd’ is an anthemic song about 47 MOELWYN the Welsh nation and language surviving against the odds. Considering the 49 A recurring theme with Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils was a strong Welsh identity of Blaenau people, and the town’s survival against the 51 sense that the Moelwyn seemed to be protecting the odds, it’s no surprise to see Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils chosing these words 53 community in it’s bosom. Ceseiliau Moelwyn is the 55 57 name of the rocky ridge that extends between 59 Moelwyn Mawr and Moel yr Hydd (including 61 Craig Stwlan, Clogwyn y Bustach and Clogwyn 63 yr Oen) like a homely, protective arm. 65 03 05 BLAENAU ROC A RÔL EIN LLYNNAU GLEISION LLONYDD 07 O’r gweithdy yn Ysgol Maenofferen, yn chwarae ar gân Edward H Dafis, 26 28 Benthyg llinell enwog Gwilym Cowlyd, ‘Y llynnau 09 ‘Breuddwyd Roc a Rôl,’ wrth gyfeirio at ran flaenllaw Blaenau yng nghanu pop gwyrddion llonydd’ – sy’n cyfeirio at lynnoedd ardal 11 Cymraeg. Dyffryn Conwy – a’i newid, gyda thafod yn y boch, i gyfleu 13 ein llynnau gleision ni. 15 ROCK N ROLL BLAENAU 17 From workshop with children of Ysgol Maenofferen, playing on the title of OUR STILL, BLUE LAKES 19 20 the famous Edward H Dafis song ‘Breuddwyd Roc a Rôl’ (Rock n Roll Dream) Paraphrasing a line of Gwilym Cowlyd’s poetry describing 21 whilst highlighting Blaenau’s role in Welsh pop music. ‘the green, still lakes’ of the Conwy valley hills, to describe 23 25 the ‘blue, still lakes of Ffestiniog.’ 27 29 ROWND Y BEDLAN Y MOELWYN YN GWISGO’I GAP 31 Dywediad lleol am rywun neu rywbeth sydd byth yn stopio, e.e. “siarad ‘Mae’r Moelwyn yn gwisgo’i gap, does fawr o hap am 33 35 27 rownd y bedlan.” dywydd.’ Coel tywydd traddodiadol yn yr ardal. Mi ddaw i 29 37 fwrw glaw os oes cwmwl ar gopa’r Moelwyn. ON AND ON AND ON (Constantly, non-stop) 39 41 Local saying for someone or something that never stops, e.g. “he 43 talks all the time.” THE MOELWYN IS WEARING ITS CAP 45 A traditional sign of rain locally is cloud covering the 47 Moelwyn’s summit. CYMOWTA 49 51 Gair lleol am droi o gwmpas yn gwneud fawr o ddim ATGOFION SWEET MEMORIES 53 byd, “fel rhyw gi yn cymowta.” MELYS, YFORY AND A BETTER 55 GWELL TOMORROW 57 MOOCHING AROUND 30 59 A local word for sniffing around while going O’r gweithdy gyda phlant From the workshop with Ysgol 61 nowhere – much like a dog does. Ysgol Maenofferen. Maenofferen children. 63 65 03 05 LLECHAN LAS YW’R....GARREG AELWYD NOS SADWRN BACH A WYTHNOS TÂL MAWR 07 Bro’r lechan las yw ein cartref. 35 ‘Nos Sadwrn Bach’ oedd yr enw ar nos Fercher, ac Wythnos Tâl 09 Mawr oedd adeg Pen Cyfri, pan delid y cyflog mawr unwaith y mis. 11 BLUE SLATE IS...... THE HEARTHSTONE 31&32 13 The ‘aelwyd’ is Welsh for the part of the home where the family gathers LITTLE SATURDAY NIGHT AND BIG PAY WEEK 15 around the fireplace. Hearthstones are commonly made of slate. Our Wednesday evening was called ‘Nos Sadwrn Bach’ (Little Saturday 17 collective hearthstone is the blue slate of our area. Night). ‘Wythnos Tâl Mawr’ (Big Pay Week) was the monthly 19 payment of the larger part of the quarryman’s pay. 21 22 23 25 PAWB AR YR UN LEFAL 27 Mae pawb yn gyfartal yn y Blaenau. Dywediad addas gan mai Y GWYNT O DWLL Y GLAW 29 33 ‘lefal’ yw’r gair am dwnel chwarel. Dywediad tywydd. Mi ddaw i fwrw pan fo’r gwynt o ‘dwll y glaw’ – 31 36 Bwlch Stwlan, rhwng y Moelwyn Mawr a’r Moelwyn Bach. 33 35 WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL THE WIND FROM THE RAIN HOLE 37 All are equal in Blaenau. An apt saying, as a ‘level’ is Another local weather saying. If the wind comes from the ‘rain hole’ 39 also a quarry tunnel. 41 (between Moelwyn Mawr and Moelwyn Bach) it will bring the rain 43 with it. 45 47 LOBSGOWS TROEDNOETH HEM WEN CRICIATH 49 Enw traddodiadol pobl Blaenau am lobsgows Dywediad tywydd o Danygrisiau yn disgrifio cymylau ffrynt 51 34 heb lawer o gig. 53 tywydd yn dynesu o’r gorllewin. 55 CRICCIETH’S WHITE HEM 57 BAREFOOT BROTH 59 A Tanygrisiau saying, describing an incoming weather front as the Local name for lobsgows (cawl, broth, 61 hem of a frock closing from the west (over Criccieth). scouse, hotpot) with hardly any meat in it. 63 65 SOMBREROS YN Y GLAW YR HAUL YN MELYSU’R MYNYDD 03 05 Teitl albwm gyntaf y grw^p enwog, lleol Anweledig. Mae’n O linell yn y gân ‘Llwybrau’ gan y band o Danygrisiau, Estella 07 cyfleu ysbryd pobl Stiniog i’r dim – os ydi’n bwrw, mi awn 36+ 37+ 09 allan i gael ffiesta beth bynnag! THE SUN SWEETENS THE MOUNTAIN 11 From a line in the song ‘Llwybrau’ (Paths) by Tanygrisiau band, SOMBREROS IN THE RAIN 13 Estella 15 Title of first album by succesful local rock/reggae/funk 17 band Anweledig, which typifies the spirit of Blaenau people – if it rains, we’ll still 19 have a fiesta! DEFAID SGEN YR HAWLIA YN FAMA 21 Llinell o’r gân ‘Dawns y Glaw’ gan Anweledig. Cynigiwyd gan 23 24 FFLIO MYND! 25 38 blant Ysgol y Moelwyn. Golygfa gyffredin yn y Blaenau oedd Disgrifiad lleol o rywbeth sy’n symud yn sydyn, tafarn brysur neu ddigwyddiad defaid yn crwydro’r stryd. Y gred oedd mai’r defaid, nid y 27 29 poblogaidd. “Mae hi’n fflio mynd yma!” Hefyd yn deitl cân gan Llwybr Llaethog, traffig, oedd â hawl cyfreithlon i’r ffordd fawr. grw^p dub/tecno dylanwadol o’r ardal. 31 SHEEP HAVE THE RIGHTS AROUND HERE 33 FLYING ALONG! 35 A line from Anweledig song ‘Dawns y Glaw’ (Raindance), Something that’s moving very fast, or a busy pub or event. Also a song by 37 influential Welsh dub/techno stalwarts Llwybr Llaethog, who hail from the contributed by Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils. A common sight in 39 area. Blaenau was sheep wandering the streets. It was said that the 41 sheep, not the traffic, had the legal right of way. 43

BREICHLED O DREF AR ASGWRN Y GRAIG 45 47 Llinell enwog o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y bardd ac academydd o GWERTHU FEL SLECS 49 Danygrisiau, yr Athro Gwyn Thomas, yn disgrifio’r dref i’r dim. 37 Dweud lleol am rywbeth yn gwerthu’n sydyn, yn cyfeirio o 51 39 bosib at y ffordd oedd slecs glo tân y noson gynt yn tanio’n 53 A TOWN LIKE A BRACELET ON THE sydyn. 55 BONE OF THE ROCK 57 Famous line from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by renowned SELLING LIKE ‘SLECS’ (i.e. selling like hotcakes) 59 poet and academic, Prof Gwyn Thomas from Local phrase. ‘Slecs’ is the word for half-burnt coal that burns 61 Tanygrisiau, perfectly describing the town. rapidly when re-lit. 63 65 03 DILYN Y CRAWIA AM ADRA Y CYMRY RHYDD CYMRAEG! 05 Gwyneb wedi ei hollti o ddarn o lechfaen heb ei lifio ydi crawan. Mae ffensys Mae pobl Blaenau yn Gymry, yn siarad Cymraeg, ac yn 07 40 crawia yn nodwedd o ardaloedd y llechi, yn arwydd fod rhywun yn nesu am adra. 43 rhydd o ran ysbryd. 09 11 FOLLOWING THE CRAWIA HOME THE FREE WELSH! 13 ‘Crawia’ refers to rough slate slabs split from the face of large lumps of waste Adapting the historical ideal of a ‘free Welsh-speaking Wales’ 15 17 rock. Fences made of crawia are a unique feature of slate quarrying areas. to describe the free, independent spirit of Blaenau people. 19

21 TRECH GWLAD NAG ARGLWYDD! 23 25 Slogan traddodiadol y werin mewn anghydfod â thirfeddianwyr. Defnyddiwyd 26 MIWSIG Y BYD YNG NGHURIAD Y STRYD 27 41 mewn anghytundeb rhwng y gweithwyr a pherchnogion cynnar chwareli’r ardal. 29 44 O fandiau pres, corau ac unawdwyr, i grwpiau canu cyfoes o ^ 31 THE PEOPLE ARE MIGHTIER THAN THE LORD! bob math (a thrwp drymwyr batala Samba Stiniog heddiw), bu 33 Blaenau’n dref gerddorol erioed. O’r traddodiad hwn datblygodd A traditional Welsh slogan in historical disputes between peasants 35 ^ ^ and landed gentry, used by quarry workers in disputes with the Gwyl Car Gwyllt a Gwyl y Glaw, a phrosiect y Gwallgofiaid – a 37 earlier quarry owners of the area. ddatblygodd yn ganolfan ddiwylliannol CellB, sy’n cynnal gigs â 39 bandiau o bob cwr o’r byd. 41 43 Y MAE GAN DDYN HAWL AR EI LAFUR MUSIC OF THE WORLD IN THE BEAT OF THE STREET 45 Llinell o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y bardd o Danygrisiau, 47 Blaenau was always a musical town, producing many brass bands, choirs, yr Athro Gwyn Thomas. 49 42 soloists and pop groups (we now have a batala drumming troupe in Samba 51 ^ MAN HAS A RIGHT OVER HIS LABOUR Stiniog!). This creative environment spawned festivals like Gwyl Car Gwyllt 53 ^ 55 Line from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by Tanygrisiau and Gwyl y Glaw, and the Gwallgofiaid project – from which developed the 57 poet, Prof Gwyn Thomas. CellB cultural centre, a venue for gigs by bands from all over the world. 59 61 63 65 03 OEL MORRIS EVANS I WELLA POB DYN BYW! Y RHEDEGYDD 05 Un o fentrwyr busnes mwyaf lliwgar yr ardal oedd Morris Evans yr Oel (1857- Y mwyaf adnabyddus a hirhoedlog o bapurau newydd 07 45 1923), a fu’n cynhyrchu olew rhinweddol i wella pob math o anhwylderau. 47 y Blaenau. Cyhoeddwyd rhwng 1878 a 1951. Argraffwyd 09 Gwerthai’r olew ar draws y byd gyda phamffledi yn ei hysbysebu mewn pedair yn y siop hon, sy’n parhau i fod yn siop bapur heddiw. 11 13 iaith. Dyma un o’r slogannau a ddefnyddiwyd! 15 MORRIS EVANS OIL WILL HEAL EVERY LIVING MAN! Y RHEDEGYDD (The Runner) 17 The best-known and longest-standing of Blaenau Ffestiniog’s 19 Morris Evans the Oil (1857-1923) was one of the most colourful entrepeneurs in newspapers ran from 1878 to 1951. It was printed on these 21 the area. He produced an oil and ointment for treating a range of ailments, which premises, which is still a newsagent today. 23 was sold across the world with promotional pamphlets printed in four languages. 25 This is one of the slogans used! 27 28 29 SMIT CHWARAL, SMIT BARA 31 ‘Smit chwaral’ oedd y term am pan fo’r chwarel, neu ran ohoni, 33 BRITHYLL BROWN GWYLLT 35 wedi cau dros dro am ryw reswm megis eira mawr (smit eira) O’r nofel ‘Brithyll’ gan yr awdur lleol Dewi Prysor, yn cyfeirio at 48 37 neu sychder (smit dw^r). Datblygodd y term i gyfeirio at brinder 46 drigolion yr ardal fel ‘brithyll brown gwyllt’ sydd yn llawn calon, yn 39 rhywbeth yn y ty^ – “mae’n smit am siwgwr yma,” neu “mae’n smit hytrach na brithyll fferm bysgod, sydd yn hawdd i’w dal. 41 bara yma.” 43 WILD BROWN TROUT 45 From the novel ‘Brithyll’ (Trout) by local author, Dewi Prysor, NO QUARRY, NO BREAD (roughly translated) 47 49 comparing the people of the area to wild brown trout, full ‘Smit chwaral’ was the term for when a quarry, or part of it, was temporarily of fight, as opposed to farmed, stock trout which are 51 closed for reasons such as heavy snow or drought. The term ‘smit’ evolved 53 easily caught. to every day household use, referring to a scarcity or absence of something, 55 such as sugar (smit siwgwr) or bread (smit bara). 57 59 61 63 65 03 GWADNAI! LEG IT! YSGWYD HEOLYDD Â’U SGIDIAU 05 Gair lleol, yn golygu ‘Gwadn’ is Welsh for the sole of a HOELION 07 49 “gwadna hi!” (rhed nerth shoe. “Gwadnai!” is colloquial for 52 Llinell o gynghanedd o’r awdl ‘Grisiau’ gan yr awdur a 09 11 dy draed!). “leg it!” or “scarper!” Phrifardd o’r Blaenau, Eigra Lewis Roberts, yn cyfeirio at 13 sw^n y chwarelwyr yn cerdded i’r gwaith. 15

SHAKING THE STREETS WITH THEIR 17 TRWY’R CRACIAU DAW GLEINIAU GLAW 19 HOBNAIL BOOTS Llinell o gynghanedd o farddoniaeth y bardd ac awdur lleol, Sian Northey. 21 Line of cynghanedd from ‘Grisiau’ by Blaenau Ffestiniog author 23 50 THROUGH THE CRACKS COME BEADS OF RAIN and Chief Bard Eigra Lewis Roberts, describing the sound of the 25 Line of cynghanedd from local poet and author, Sian Northey. Cynghanedd quarrymen walking to and from work. 27 29 is the ancient art of Welsh strict metre poetry. 30 31 33 A DAIL Y CRAWIAU YN DAL Y CREAD 35 CWPAN Y BYD YNG NGHAE CLYD Llinell arall o’r awdl ‘Grisiau’ gan yr awdur a Phrifardd, Eigra Lewis Roberts. 37 I nodi cartref y tîm pêl-droed. Bu nifer o dimau yn y Blaenau cyn i 39 SLATE SLABS LIKE LEAVES SUPPORTING CREATION 51 dim y dref (CPD Blaenau Ffestiniog) gael ei ffurfio. Cartref tîm y 41 Another line of cynghanedd by local author and Chief Bard, Eigra Lewis 43 dref (CPD Amaturiaid y Blaenau heddiw) ydi Cae Clyd, Manod. Roberts. 45 Cafwyd y llinell hon gan blant Ysgol y Manod. 47 49 THE WORLD CUP IN CAE CLYD MAE FY NGWREIDDIAU YN Y GARREG YN 51 Blaenau had many football teams before a town’s 53 WYTHIENNAU 55 team (Blaenau Ffestiniog FC) was formed. The Llinell o waith yr awdur a bardd o’r Blaenau, y Prifardd Eigra Lewis Roberts. 57 home of the present town’s team (Blaenau 59 Amateurs FC) is Cae Clyd, in Manod. This line MY ROOTS ARE VEINS IN THE ROCK 61 came from Ysgol y Manod children. A line from Blaenau Ffestiniog author and Chief Bard, Eigra Lewis Roberts. 63 65 ^ 03 MAE BRO WEDI DOD ADRA! SWN TRICHAN CAEL RHYWUN 05 Sefydlwyd Clwb Rygbi Bro Ffestiniog yn 1973, ond PÂR O SGIDIAU I’W GYMRYD 07 52+ oherwydd prinder caeau gwastad roedd rhaid i’r tîm chwarae 53 HOELION YN FEL RHYBELWR 09 eu gemau cartref ar gae 8 milltir i ffwrdd ym Mhont y Pant. Yn LÓRD STRYD BACH 11 13 1976, wedi i gynllun adennill tir glirio tomen lechi fawr Glan- Dyfyniad o ‘Teulu Lòrd Bach’ – Dyfyniad o’r nofel ‘Teulu 15 y-don a’i gwasgaru i lawr y cwm, cafwyd cae chwarae ar Y Ddôl, nofel epig am Flaenau Ffestiniog Lòrd Bach’ gan Geraint 17 Tanygrisiau. Mewn gweithred symbolaidd, cariodd y tîm rygbi un gan yr awdur lleol Geraint V Jones. V Jones. Gwaith rybelwr 19 o’r pyst ar eu hysgwyddau yr holl ffordd o Bont y Pant, dros Fwlch oedd luro drwy’r rwbel 21 Gorddinan, i Danygrisiau. Un o’r penawdau yn y wasg ar y pryd oedd ‘Bro THE SOUND OF 300 PAIRS am ddarnau defnyddiol o 23 yn dod adref.’ Dyma linell i goffau ymdrech arwrol yr hogia, sydd bellach OF HOBNAIL BOOTS ON lechfaen. ‘Rybelwr bach’ 25 27 yn chwarae ar Gaeau Dolawel. LORD STREET ydi bachgen ifanc yn 29 Quote from ‘Teulu Lòrd Bach’ – an epic dechrau ei ‘brentisiaeth’ 31 novel about the town by eminent local author 32 BRO CAME HOME! yn y swydd. 33 Flat fields are at a premium in Blaenau. After founding the Bro Geraint V Jones. HOPING TO BE 35 Ffestiniog Rugby Club in 1973, the team had to play their 37 TAKEN ON AS A home games 8 miles away at Pont y Pant. Later, during a land HIR OES I ANTUR STINIOG! 39 LITTLE RUBBLER 41 reclamation scheme in Blaenau, the huge Glan-y-don slate Mae hanes Blaenau wedi bod yn un antur mawr Another quote from 43 tip was removed and spread over land further down erioed. Dyma berl gan blant Ysgol Tanygrisiau, 45 the valley, and the club finally got a field on Y Ddôl, ‘Teulu Lòrd Bach’ yn cyfuno hynny â’u gobaith am y dyfodol gyda 47 by Geraint V Jones. Tanygrisiau. In 1976, the team carried one of the datblygiad llwybrau beicio mynydd Antur Stiniog. 49 A rubbler gleaned rugby posts on their shoulders all the way from Pont 51 workeable slate from the y Pant, over the Crimea Pass to Tanygrisiau. One LONG LIVE FFESTINIOG’S 53 newspaper headline stated that ‘Bro are coming ADVENTURE! rubble in the quarries. 55 home.’ This line commemorates the efforts of Blaenau’s story has been one big adventure from the A ‘little rubbler’ is an 57 the club, who today play on Dolawel fields. very start. This gem from Ysgol Tanygrisiau children ‘apprentice rubbler’ – the 59 also conveys their excitement at the creation of local commonest opening for a 61 63 mountain bike trails by local initiative Antur Stiniog. young lad in the quarry. 65 03 OESOCRO I AENAUFLA GWEDDÏO O’R FREST 05 Yn ôl y son mi ddatblygodd rhai chwarelwyr ffordd o siarad mewn dull na Dywediad lleol am rywun yn gweddïo o’r galon, heb ddarllen o lyfr 07 54 fyddai’r goruwchwylwyr yn ei ddeall. Gweithiwch allan sut mae hwn yn dweud 57 09 ‘Croeso i Flaenau’! PRAYING FROM THE BREAST 11 Local saying for one who prays from the heart, without the use of a book 13 ELCOMEWE OTO AENAUBLA 15 17 It is said that backslang was sometimes used in the quarries when things needed 19 to be said discreetly. Try working out how this says ‘Welcome to Blaenau’! LLEUFER BRWD LLAFAR BRO 21 O arwyddair ein papur bro lleol, Llafar Bro, a sefydlwyd yn 1975. 23 “Ieuanc a hen ddarlleno, O leufer brwd ‘Lafar Bro.’” 58 25 PYSGOD I BAWB O BOBOL Y STRYD 27 O’r gweithdy yn Ysgol Manod. Pan fo criw yn dod adref o bysgota efo haldiad THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF LLAFAR BRO 29 55 da o bysgod, mae hi’n arferiad cyffredin i’w rhannu efo’r cymdogion. 31 From the couplet of cynghanedd that is the motto of local community paper 33 34 FISH FOR EVERYBODY IN THE STREET Llafar Bro (est. 1975). 35 From the Ysgol Manod workshop. When anglers return with a bag full 37 of fish it’s common practice to share them with the neighbours. RHOI CELC YN Y BOCED FACH 39 41 Mae ‘celcio’ a ‘hel celc’ yn dermau lleol i Blaenau sy’n golygu cynilo arian 43 yn dawel bach. Rhoddai gweithwyr y chwareli fymryn o’u cyflog yn eu YSGOL SUL A BANDOHÔP 45 59 poced ar gyfer prynu chydig o gwrw – gan amlaf heb ddweud wrth y wraig! 47 Sefydliadau a chwaraeodd ran gymdeithasol ym mywyd y fro. 49 56 SUNDAY SCHOOL AND THE PUT SOME ‘CELC’ IN THE LITTLE POCKET 51 53 ‘Celcio’ and ‘hel celc’ are unique Blaenau terms for putting money aside quietly. May BAND OF HOPE 55 Once central institutions in the town, when there have originated in the quarries, as workers would keep a little bit of beer money in their 57 were dozens of chapels and churches serving the small pocket on payday – usually without the wife’s knowledge! 59 growing population. 61 63 65 ^ BU’R WYL HEB UMBARELO 03 IECHYD DA! GOOD HEALTH! 05 Yn 1898, wedi ymweliad yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol â’r dref, Y llwncdestun traddodiadol The Welsh drinking toast. 07 canodd Bardd Dyfed y llinell hon o gynghanedd i lawenhau na 59+ Cymreig. As in “cheers!” 09 62 ^ chafwyd glaw yn ystod yr wyl! 11 13 THE FESTIVAL PASSED WITHOUT THE 15 NEED FOR AN UMBRELLA 17 BEIC I BAWB O BOBL Y BYD! After the National Eisteddfod – held in the town in 1898 – passed 19 Neges barhaol y beiciwr a rasiwr William Jones Penny (1873-1955), un o off without a deluge, a poet remarked (in cynghanedd) that the 21 60 lu o gymeriadau lliwgar yr ardal. Yn ddyn o flaen ei amser, pregethai yn 23 festival had passed without having to resort to ‘umbrelling’! ddiflino ar i bobl fwyta bwyd iach ac i gadw’n heini. 25 27 A BIKE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! 29 The perennial message of racing cyclist William Jones Penny (1873- EIRA MAWR DDAW Â’R LANDARS I LAWR 31 1955), one of a host of colourful Blaenau characters. A man ahead of his Yn ystod yr eira mawr dros y Nadolig 2010, disgynnodd landeri 33 35 time, he tirelessly urged people to eat healthy foods and keep fit. 63 tua hanner tai a busnesau’r dref, gan atgoffa pawb fod ochr 36 37 dywyll i harddwch y flanced wen. Dyma ddihareb newydd, felly, 39 wedi ei chreu gan ddisgyblion Ysgol y Moelwyn! 41 NI DDYCHWEL DDOE 43 Arwyddair yr hen Ysgol Ganol, sefydliad pwysig yn hanes yr BIG SNOW WILL BRING THE GUTTERING 45 47 61 ymdrech i ddarparu addysg i blant gweithwyr y dref. DOWN 49 During the big snow around Christmas 2010 nearly half the YESTERDAY WILL NOT RETURN 51 town’s guttering came down under the weight of the snow – a 53 Motto of the old Middle School in the town, an reminder of the dark side of the pretty white stuff. Following 55 important milestone in the long struggle to provide in the tradition of Welsh diarhebion – neatly worded, catchy 57 universal education in a rapidly growing industrial rhymes with profound lessons – this is a new wisdom created by 59 town. the pupils of Ysgol y Moelwyn! 61 63 65 Y DDINAS GADARN ENWOG ATHEN Y GWEITHWYR 03 05 Enw cân am y Blaenau gan Gwyn Thomas a Gai Toms, a gomisiynwyd Llinell o englyn y bardd a radicalydd lleol, Cyffdy (William Jones), yn 07 64 ar gyfer y teledu. 66 Eisteddfod Chwarel Llechwedd 1876, yn son am ddiwylliant y Caban. 09 11 THE STRONG / RESILIENT / SOLID CITY FAMOUS ATHENS OF THE WORKERS 13 The title of a specially commisioned song about Blaenau by A line of cynghanedd from an englyn by local poet and radical, Cyffdy 15 Gwyn Thomas and Gai Toms, both of Tanygrisiau. (William Jones) at the Llechwedd Quarry Eisteddfod 1876, describing the 17 culture of the Caban. ‘Athens’ was commonly used in classical Welsh poetry as 19 a metaphor for learning and civilisation. 21 TI’N PASA AROS? 23 Gair lleol i Blaenau ydi ‘pasa’ – sy’n golygu ‘bwriadu.’ Cynigiwyd ef gan 25 blant Ysgol Bro Cynfal. Y gobaith ydi cael ymwelwyr i aros a siopa yn y AL FRESCO, HEN FOI IAWN! 27 dref. Mae hiwmor a ffraethineb yn rhan bwysig o hunaniaeth y dref. Dyma 29 67 engraifft gan blant Ysgol y Moelwyn, yn addas i’w osod tu allan i gaffi. 31 DO YOU INTEND STAYING? 33 Contributed by Ysgol Bro Cynfal children, ‘pasa’ is the Blaenau AL FRESCO’S AN ALRIGHT BLOKE 35 word for ‘intending’ or ‘to intend.’ It is hoped that more visitors Humour is an integral part of Blaenau’s identity. This example by Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils is 37 38 will stay and shop in the town. perfect for placing amidst the tables outside a cafe. 39 41 43 SI LASI BA, SI LASI BA, 45 TORTH GOCH A SIWGWR COCH SI LASI BASA SI LASI BASA 47 49 Enwau pobl yr ardal am dorth frown a siwgwr brown. 68 Cân draddodiadol plant Traditional Tanygrisiau children’s 51 65 Tanygrisiau dros y song/chant, the meaning of which RED LOAF AND RED SUGAR 53 cenedlaethau. is a mystery. 55 Local terms for a brown loaf and brown sugar 57 YN EIN BLAENAU! ONWARDS WE GO! 59 61 Ymlaen â ni! And never stop! 63 65 03 A’R LLWCH YN DRWCH AR DRAWS BYWYDAU BRAU YN Y BORA MAE’I DAL HI 05 Dyfyniad o waith y bardd o Danygrisiau, Cynan Jones, yn cyfeirio at Dywediad lleol sy’n golygu be mae o’n ddweud ar y tun. 07 69 afiechyd ‘y Llwch’ (silicosis) a fu’n gymaint o felltith ar iechyd chwarelwyr y fro. 70 09 THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM 11 AND HEAVY THE DUST UPON FRAGILE LIVES (Roughly) The local way of saying that the early bird catches the 13 Quote from a poem by Tanygrisiau poet Cynan Jones referring to ‘The Dust’ (the worm. 15 lung disease, silicosis) that was the price many quarry workers paid for a living wage. 17 ^ 19 BLAENAU MEGA CWL 21 CHWARELWYR A CHANTORION Cynnig gan blant Ysgol Maenofferen a ategwyd gan blant 23 O weithdai Ysgol Maenofferen, Ysgol Bro Cynfal ac Ysgol y Moelwyn. Mae’n cyfeirio at ysgolion eraill, sydd yn engraifft o ieuenctid yn mabwysiadu 25 draddodiad cerddorol y dref a’i chorau fel Côr y Moelwyn a’r Brythoniaid. termau ffasiynnol yr oes. Fel gyda’r arferiad o dderbyn a 27 Chymreigio termau technegol a diwydiannol Saesneg a’u hawlio 29 31 i’r iaith frodorol, mae’n arwydd fod y Gymraeg yn iaith sydd yn QUARRYMEN AND SINGERS 33 fyw ac iach. From the workshops in Ysgol Maenofferen, Ysgol Bro Cynfal and Ysgol y Moelwyn. 35 Refers to the rich singing tradition of the town and its choirs, such as Côr y MEGA COOL BLAENAU 37 Moelwyn and Côr y Brythoniaid. 39 Offered by Ysgol Maenofferen children, and echoed in other 40 41 schools, this is an example of how children adopt the latest fad 43 CADERNID SY’N EU GWAED, CADERNID IAITH. words. As with the Cymrifying of English technical and industrial 45 Dyfyniad o waith y bardd o Danygrisiau, Cynan Jones, yn disgrifio terms over the years, claiming them for the native tongue, it 47 cadernid cymeriad a diwylliant y chwarelwr. demonstrates that Welsh is a living, spoken language. 49 51 STRENGTH FROM THEIR LANGUAGE 53 BRO FACH Â CHALON FAWR IN THEIR BLOOD 55 O’r gweithdai yn Ysgol y Moelwyn. Quote from Tanygrisiau poet, Cynan Jones, referring to the 57 59 inner strength and pride in their culture that the quarrymen A SMALL PLACE WITH A BIG HEART 61 possessed. From the workshops with Ysgol y Moelwyn pupils. 63 65 LLIW, NID LLWYDNI STESION FAIN, STESION LONDON, 03 05 Dywed rhai o du allan yr ardal fod y tomenni STESION GRÊT 07 70+ llechi’n llwydaidd a hyll. Ond mae nhw’n llawn 71 Enwau trigolion y dref am y dair prif orsaf rheilffordd, 09 lliwiau i blant Ysgol y Moelwyn. ers talwm. Gorsaf LNWR oedd Stesion London, a 11 gorsaf GWR oedd Stesion Grêt. Symudwyd sied 13 gysgodi Stesion Fain i gae pel-droed Cae Clyd i 15 COLOUR, NOT GREYNESS 17 ddarparu cysgod i’r cefnogwyr. Some people from outside the area regard the 19 slate tips as grey and gloomy, but they are full of 21 colour to the children of Ysgol y Moelwyn. NARROW STATION, LONDON 23 STATION, GREAT STATION 25 27 Colloquial names for the three main rail stations of DIWYLLIANT YMYSG 29 the town in years gone by, fondly remembered by DIWYDIANT 31 Dyfyniad am dreftadaeth diwylliannol y Caban many. ‘Stesion London’ was the LNWR station, and 33 yn y chwareli, o waith yr hanesydd ac awdur ‘Stesion Grêt’ was the GWR station in the centre of 35 lleol Vivian Parry Williams. town. The shelter building of ‘Stesion Fain’ was moved 37 to the football ground at Cae Clyd to provide shelter 39 for the crowd. 41 42 CULTURE AMIDST INDUSTRY 43 Quote from the work of local history stalwart and 45 47 author, Vivian Parry Williams, referring to the SIANG-DI-FANG cultural heritage of the Caban. Each quarry level 49 Term lleol am berson neu blentyn aflonydd, fel tae 51 had an underground Caban – a canteen where wastad ar gychwyn i rywle. 53 eisteddfodau and political debate frequently 55 took place during lunch breaks. SIANG-DI-FANG 57 Pronounced “Shang-dee-vang.” An expression for a 59 person or child who can’t keep still. 61 63 65 03 05 Lleferydd y Hearing 07 09 the Mountain 11 Graig 13 Bod yn bwynt trawiadol yng nghalon y dref yw bwriad y The four pillars on the steps provide the ‘wow!’ factor in the 15 17 pileri. Wedi eu creu gan artist lleol, Howard Bowcott, heart of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Created by locally based artist 19 mae’r pileri sydd yn 7.5 medr o uchel yn cynnwys Howard Bowcott, the 7.5 metre high pillars of Ffestiniog slate 21 miloedd o lechi ‘Stiniog ac wedi ei ‘hysbrydoli gan are inspired by the shape of the slate splitter’s chisels used by 23 gynion y chwarelwyr medrus o’r chwareli. craftsmen in the quarries. 25 27 Mae’r pileri fel croestoriad o dirwedd mynyddoedd y dref, gyda miloedd The pillars are like a geological slice through the mountains behind the town. 29 o lechi bychain wedi ei gosod i adlewyrchu strata’r mynyddoedd gyda Thousands of slates have been meticulously laid like strata, with bands of 31 33 bandiau o lechi yn adlewyrchu’r gwythiennau sy’n rhedeg drwy’r chwareli. polished slate resembling veins found in the quarries. Poetry and slate mining 35 terms specific to Blaenau are engraved on the bands, celebrating the culture of Ceir barddoniaeth a thermau chwarelyddol ar y pileri yn adlewyrchu 37 traddodiadau’r gymuned chwarelyddol. the slate mining community. 39 41 Mae pob darn o lechen wedi cael ei gosod ar ongl o 30 gradd, yr ongl All the slates have been laid at 30 degrees, the typical angle of the slate beds in 43 44 gyffredin ar gyfer gwlâu llechi yn Blaenau. Mae dringo’r grisiau rhwng y the Blaenau quarries. Climbing the steps between the pillars is like clambering 45 pileri yn debyg iawn i ddringo allan o siambr yn y chwarel, rhwng y pileri out of the quarry chambers between the pillars of strata that support the roof. 47 49 a oedd yn cynnal y to. The pillars are a reminder of the rich heritage upon which the town is built. You 51 53 Bwriad y darn yw dathlu treftadaeth cyfoethog y dref, cewch ddysgu can explore some of that heritage as you read the text that wraps around the 55 columns - look out for the numbers at the start and end of each band to help you mwy am yr hanes a’r dreftadaeth yma wrth ddarllen y geiriau 57 sydd ar y pileri. Mae’r geiriau a’r dywediadau wedi ei rhifo er in your discoveries. 59 mwyn eich cynorthwyo i ddysgu mwy am hanes y dref. 61 63 65 ^ ^ CYN TEWIO, CYN CAR GWYLLT (WILD CAR) wyneb y graig o dan ymysg yr enwau mwyaf lliwgar 03 ^ ddaear, y rhybelwyr a difyr yn yr iaith Gymraeg. 05 BRASOLLT, CYN Unique to the Graig-ddu quarry, the car gwyllt P1 fyddai’n hel cerrig da o Dyma ddetholiad ohonynt. 07 MANOLLT was a contraption, made by the quarry’s 09 gerrig sal ac yn rhoi help Rhai o’r cynion a ddefnyddir gan blacksmith, Edward Ellis, that a quarry worker 11 llaw i bawb fel bo’r galw, a’r y chwarelwyr wrth droi talp o lechfaen yn would use to descend the incline at the end of a THE FIERCE VEIN – 13 fforddoliwrs oedd yn cynnal y lechi, o fras-hollti i fân-hollti a thewio. day’s work. Consisting of a piece of wood upon THE DOUBLE – THE 15 tramffyrdd. which the rider sat, with a wheel underneath, SEVEN – THE BITCH 17 19 ^ ^ and a steel rod reaching over to the other While, in Welsh, the quarrymen CYN TEWIO, CYN BRASOLLT, 21 ^ rail of the track, and a makeshift brake, it was ROCKMEN, RUBBLERS, would call the veins of slate CYN MANOLLT 23 considered a dangerous object (many horrific TRACKMEN rock in the ground ‘llygadau’ Some of the quarryman’s chisels for various 25 accidents are recorded), and though quarry Other than the quarrymen themselves (eyes), the Welsh word for stages of splitting the rock and sawn slate 27 owners allowed its use, they would not be held (those who would split and dress the finished ‘veins’ (gwythiennau) was 29 (primary splitting and final splitting). accountable for injuries. The local music slates) these were the other main trades in the reserved solely for the bands 31 ^ festival Gwyl Car Gwyllt was named after quarries. The rockmen worked underground of impure rock, or faults, 33 CAR GWYLLT the car gwyllt. on the rock face, the rubblers would glean good that traversed the ‘eyes.’ The 35 37 Yn unigryw i Chwarel y Graig-ddu yn y Blaenau, rock from bad while helping the rockmen, and the names given to these veins 39 gwnaed y ceir gwyllt gan of y chwarel, Edward trackmen (or platelayers) were responsible for the are unique, and are among the CREIGWYR, 41 Ellis, er mwyn i’r gweithwyr deithio’n sydyn i lawr maintenance of tramways. RHYBELWYR, most colourful in the Welsh 43 yr inclên ar ddiwedd diwrnod o waith. Gwnaed FFORDDOLIWRS language. Here is a small 45 y car gwyllt o ddarn o bren ag olwyn oddi tano, selection of those names. 46 Arwahan i’r chwarelwyr Y WYTHIEN FFYRNIG – 47 gyda rodan haearn yn estyn drosodd i rolio ar 49 (oedd yn hollti a naddu’r Y DDWBWL – Y SAITH – far arall y ffordd haearn, a brêc i arafu. Caniateid 51 llechi) dyma dri P2 Y BITSH Y FAINC SGLODION eu defnydd gan berchnogion y chwarel, ond nid 53 engraifft arall o Tra mai ‘llygadau’ y galwai’r chwarelwyr y Y fainc ble y gosodwyd llechi oeddynt yn gyfrifol am ddiogelwch y sawl a’u 55 swyddogaethau’r gwythiennau o lechfaen yn y graig, dim ond ar wedi eu hollti yn barod i’w defnyddiai gan eu bod yn declynau peryglus, 57 chwarel. Y gyfer y rhubannau o garreg ddiffygiol a redai ar draws naddu. Hefyd yn enw ar 59 a bu sawl damwain erchyll yn sgil eu defnydd. 61 ^ ^ creigwyr a y llygadau y defnyddiwyd y gair ‘gwythiennau.’ Mae’r Gymdeithas Lenyddol yn y Enwyd yr wyl gerddorol leol, Gwyl Car Gwyllt, weithiai ar enwau a roddwyd i’r gwythiennau hyn yn unigryw ac dref. 63 ar ôl y cerbyd hwn. 65 standard spelling) is also the title of 03 THE SHAVINGS BENCH a lecture and booklet by the Blaenau 05 The bench on which split slates were Ffestiniog born academic, Bruce P3 P4 07 stacked to await dressing. Y Fainc Griffiths. 09 Sglodion is also the name of a Literary 11 Society in the town. 13 DO, BU YNO 15 BRUSURDEB UNWAITH, WEDI GWEITHIO’R AGOR ^ A SWN O GABAN, A 17 ADRA SAIN GOBAITH; FEL 19 PENNA LLIFIA, PENNA Wedi gweithio’r garreg (llechfaen) i gyd 21 ^ DIWEDDU DYDDIAU CLYCHAU’N TINCIAN CWN o’r agor o dan y ddaear. DIDDAN - YMA WNAWN CLYWED GANWAITH 23 ‘Penna llifia’ yw enw’r talpiau o wâst ar ôl MEWN UNAWD A GLEP PEDOLAU’R 25 ^ HOGIAU FORE GWAITH llifio darnau mawr o lechfaen. Defnyddir CHYTGAN; DAW SWN 27 GWYNT, DAW SAIN Y GÂN ^ HAVING WORKED THE 29 hwy yn aml i godi waliau. ‘Penna cwn’ A THINC GOBAITH I’N Yes, there were busy working times, CHAMBER HOME 31 yw’r enw am glympiau o gerrig di-siap. CABAN and the noise from the caban and Having worked all the slate rock the sound of hope; one could hear 33 Cynhwysir nhw yma yn eu ffurf llafar. the sound of the men’s shoes in the 35 ^ from an underground chamber. ‘Pennau Llifiau, Pennau Cwn’ (yn eu morning, just like the sound of a 37 Eos Gwynant hundred bells chiming. ffurf safonnol) yw teitl darlith a llyfryn 39 ar hanes a geirfa tafodieithol y Blaenau 41 Englyn enwog Eos Gwynant ar achlysur Gwilym R Tilsley gan yr academydd Bruce Griffiths, un o 43 agor Caban Pensiynwyr y Blaenau, feibion disgleiriaf yr ardal. 45 yn 1937, ar ôl llwyddiant ymgyrch Dyfyniad o gynghaneddu’r 47 48 boblogaidd yn y dref. Prifardd ac Archdderwydd 49 SAW ENDS AND DOG Gwilym R Tilsley, yn sôn am y 51 HEADS Famous englyn by Eos Gwynant, chwareli llechi’n cau. 53 ‘Saw ends’ are the waste rock sawn off celebrating the opening of the Caban for 55 from large pieces of slate rock. They Blaenau’s pensioners in 1937, following a Cynghanedd poetry by Chief 57 59 are commonly used to build walls. ‘Dog successful campaign in the town. Bard and Archdruid, Gwilym R 61 heads’ are unshapely lumps of slate Tilsley, about the decline of the 63 rock. ‘Pennau Llifiau, Pennau Cw^ n’ (the slate mining industry. 65 03 ODDI WRTH DIN Y 05 P5 P6 07 DAETH DIWEDD Y CHWAREL FUWCH ^ 09 HEB LAWER O STWR, MAE’R Gweithiwr fferm a drodd at y chwarel 11 FELIN YN DAWEL A’R LEFEL ^ am gyflogaeth. 13 DAN DDWR Y TOLC DWBWL - Y FE WELWCH 15 FREICHLED O DREF 17 GORTYN - Y DDIFIR - Y The end of the quarry came without much fuss, AR ASGWRN FROM THE COW’S the mill is now quiet and the chamber under Y GRAIG 19 FAWR ISAF – Y TOLC MAWR water. BEHIND 21 - Y LAS ISAF - Y DATWS Gwyn Thomas A farm worker who has turned to the 23 Vivian Parry Williams quarry for employment. 25

Detholiad arall o enwau’r gwythiennau o Llinell enwog o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y 27 garreg ddiffygiol yn y llygadau o lechfaen. bardd ac academydd o Danygrisiau, Gwyn 29 Pennill o waith y bardd, hanesydd ac 31 Thomas. awdur lleol, Vivian Parry Williams, yn 33 THE DOUBLE DENT – THE sôn am y chwareli’n cau i lawr gyda Famous line from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by 35 ROPEY – THE PLEASANT dirywiad y diwydiant llechi. Tanygrisiau-born poet and academic, Gwyn 37 P7 39 – THE BOTTOM LARGE – Thomas perfectly describing the town as “a Poetry by local poet, historian 41 THE LARGE DENT – THE bracelet of a town on the bone of the rock. and author, Vivian Parry 43 BOTTOM BLUE – THE Williams, referring to 45 POTATO the shutting down of CHWAIN YN Y LLECHI Y WYTHIEN WEN A’R 47 49 quarries as the slate Yn cyfeirio at yr hyn a elwid yn ‘chwain’ – sef TEULU – Y FAWR – Y 50 51 Another selection of names for the fault industry declined. smotiau bychain tebyg i chwain yng ngraen y GAM – Y SLONT GLAI – 53 bands traversing the ‘eyes’ of slate rock. llechen. GWYTHIENNAU MÂN 55 A’R SULPHUR – Y LWYD 57 FLEAS IN THE SLATE Detholiad arall o enwau’r 59 61 Referring to what the quarrymen would call gwythiennau o garreg ddiffygiol yn y 63 ‘chwain’ – flea-like spots in the grain of the slate. llygadau o lechfaen. 65 THE WHITE BAND AND SULPHUR Y LLYGAD MARC PEN TRWYN 03 05 Arferiad creulon o ddefnyddio darn FAMILY – THE BIG – THE CALED ISAF 07 CROOKED – THE CLAY SLANT Gwythien o garreg ddiffygiol i’w chanfod yn P10 o lechen finiog i grafu marc croes 09 – THE SMALL BANDS WITH yr Hen Lygad. ar drwyn rhywun oedd yn dechrau 11 SULPHUR – THE GREY gweithio yn y chwarel. 13 SULPHUR OF THE 15 Another selection of names for the fault bands BOTTOM HARD BAND 17 traversing the ‘eyes’ of slate rock. MARK ON THE NOSE One of the fault bands traversing the Old Vein. 19 A cruel initiation custom in the quarry. 21 Y WYTHIEN CALED A’R RHWNG Y PILERI The newcomer would have a cross 23 CERRIG AR HYD Y scratched on his nose with a piece of 25 TEULU – Y WYTHIEN CENEDLAETHAU, LLYGAD P8 FFLAT – Y GRYCH GYDA’R WAGENNI, COCH sharp slate. 27 AR Y TOMENNYDD 29 P9 Yr ail haenen o Detholiad arall o enwau’r RWBEL, YN Y 31 gwythiennau o garreg ddiffygiol yn CABANAU DAETH lechfaen o’r uchaf. 33 y llygadau o lechfaen. DYNION I ADNABOD NOSON GWARIO’R 35 EI GILYDD RED EYE CWBWL 37 The Back Vein, the second THE HARD BAND AND Between the stone pillars over generations, with the Tra y talwyd y Tâl Mawr unwaith y mis, 39 from top layer of slate rock. FAMILY – THE FLAT BAND – wagons on the waste tips, men came to know each talwyd y tâl cynhaliaeth wythnosol yn y 41 other in the caban.” 43 THE WRINKLE chwarel bob dydd Gwener, felly nos Iau 45 Another selection of names for the fault bands oedd y noson gwario’r olaf o’r tâl bach. Gwyn Thomas 47 traversing the ‘eyes’ of slate rock. Y TEW CYRLI SPEND THE LOT NIGHT 49 Dyfyniad o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y bardd Gwely o lechfaen diffygiol yn y Llygad 51 While the Big Pay was paid monthly, 52 LLYGAD MOCHYN ac academydd o Danygrisiau, Gwyn Coch. 53 the quarries would pay the weekly Yr haenen uchaf, a salaf, o lechfaen. Thomas. 55 THE CURLY FAT substistence wage every Friday. 57 PIG EYE Quote from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by ‘Tew’ (fat) refers to a thickness, or bed of Thursday nights, therefore, would be 59 Tanygrisiau poet and academic 61 The topmost North Vein of poor slate. slate. ‘Y Tew Cyrli’ refers to a fault found in when some quarry workers would Gwyn Thomas. the Back Vein. spend the last of their weekly money. 63 65 CAEL PEN BAR CODI CERRIG 03 05 Dros gyfnod o amser Symud, stacio a chyfri’r llechi a wnaed gan YN SYCH FEL BWYTA’I P11 07 byddai ambell i far BRECHDAN y chwarelwyr cyn eu cludo o’r felin. PHEN 09 haearn rheilffyrdd y BEDWAR Wedi tyllu’r garreg 11 chwareli yn llacio, ac LIFTING STONES Brechdan a adawyd yn y tun 13 dda i gyd o’r agor mi fyddai ei ben yn Moving, stacking and counting the slates bwyd at ddiwedd shifft 4 o’r gloch. 15 – heblaw am be oedd codi rhyw fymryn yn made by the quarryman, before shipping 17 yn y pileri, sef y graig uwch na’r bar agosaf them out of the mill. DRY AS A FOUR O’ 19 a adawyd ar ôl i ddal y ato. Byddai hyn yn CLOCK SANDWICH 21 mynydd i fyny! 23 ddigon i ambell chwarelwr fachu blaen ei A sandwich left in the lunch box 25 esgid ynddo a chael codwm. ‘Cael pen bar’ at the end of the 4 o’clock shift. LLOFFA CLYTIA HAVING EATEN HER 27 oedd yr enw am hyn, a daeth yn ddywediad Arferiad ymhlith hogia ifanc y chwarel o HEAD 29 cyffredin yn y gymuned am pan fo rhywun yn fynd ar ofyn chwarelwyr profiadol am The rock in an underground chamber LLYGAD BACH 31 cael bagliad, neu yn cael tro trwstan, neu yn ddarnau o lechfaen i’w weithio er becoming unproductive, having used Yr haenen o lechfaen uwchben yr Hen 33 35 ‘cael ail’. mwyn gwneud eu cyflogau i fyny. all of the good slate rock apart from that Lygad 37 in the pillars (the rock left to hold up the SPOILING THE NARROW VEIN 39 GET THE END OF A BAR mountain!). CLUMPS OF ROCK The bed of slate rock above the Old Vein. 41 Over time, some of the fixings of the bars on 43 The young lads in the the quarry tramways would loosen, causing 45 quarries would go the end of the bar to rise a little higher than 47 begging the elders for GWNITHFAEN ISAF the adjoining bar. This would be enough CARREG YN TINCIAN 49 a lump of good slate Yr haenen o wenithfaen rhwng gwaelod yr for a quarry worker to catch the tip of his FEL CLOCH 51 rock to work with, in Hen Lygad a phen uchaf y Llygad Newydd. 53 shoe on the end of the raised bar, sending Carreg dda. Arferai’r creigwyr a 54 order to make up 55 him sprawling to the ground. The saying chwarelwyr ddweud os oedd darn o their pay. THE BOTTOM HARD 57 developed into every day community usage lechfaen yn garreg dda neu beidio trwy 59 The layer of granite between the Old Vein for when some one tripped or, indeed, had ei daro â gordd neu fwrthwl trwm. Byddai 61 and the New Vein. his plans foiled, was disappointed or got a carreg dda yn tincian fel cloch. 63 stroke of bad luck. 65 lwc. Y drafa’l oedd yr ymyl y gosodwyd y (yr ail haenen RHEDAG AR EI HÔL HI 03 THE STONE TINKLING llechen arno er mwyn i’r Injan Naddu ei o’r uchaf), Yn brysur yn gweithio’n galed, yn aml i ddal 05 LIKE A BELL naddu. Byddai eiliad o ddiffyg canolbwyntio Llygad Bach (y i fyny pan fyddid ar ei hôl hi efo’r gwaith. 07 A good piece of slate rock would yn ddigon i rywun golli ei fysedd. gwely cul uwchben 09 tinkle like a bell when struck with a yr Hen Lygad), yr RUNNING AFTER IT 11 sledge hammer. DRESSING TOO CLOSE TO Hen Lygad (yr haenen Hard at it, busily working, sometimes due to 13 15 gyntaf i gael ei gweithio), running late or running behind. THE EDGE 17 MOR BRIN a’r Llygad Newydd (y An expression originating from the quarry 19 gwely dyfnaf yn y graig). Â CHWYS mills, meaning ‘too close to the bone’ with a 21 SBWRIEL O CHWAREL P12 FFORDDOLIWR 23 joke, or ‘cocky’ or ‘pushing one’s luck.’ The WEDI’I CHAU – A Dywediad direidus o’r edge in question is what the split slates were EYES IN THE ROCK NIWL Y NOS AR Y 25 27 chwareli, yn cyfeirio at ‘ddiogi’ placed upon as the dressing machine dressed In the beds or layers of P13 CRAWIAU; A GWAITH DYN, FEL BRETHYN 29 honedig y dynion oedd yn gyfrifol am them. One slip of concentration meant slate were called ‘llygadau’ (literally BRAU YN BRAENU 31 reilffyrdd y chwarel. losing your fingers! ‘eyes’ but are translated into English as RHWNG Y BRYNIAU 33 ‘veins’). In Blaenau Ffestiniog the names 35 of these ‘eyes’ were as follows; ‘Llygad Gwilym R Tilsley 37 AS RARE AS A LLYGADAU YN Y GRAIG Mochyn’ (‘pig eye’ – the topmost North 39 TRACKMAN’S SWEAT Yn yr ardaloedd llechi, gelwid yr Englyn y Prifardd ac Archdderwydd 41 A mischievous quarry expression, haenau, neu welyau, o lechfaen Vein of poor slate), ‘Llygad Coch’ (‘red Gwilym R Tilsley, o gadwyn yn yr awdl ‘Cwm 43 referring to the alleged ‘laziness’ yn y ddaear yn ‘lygaid.’ Mae eye’ – the Back Vein, second from top), Carnedd’ a ennillodd y Gadair yn Eisteddfod 45 ‘Llygad Bach’ (‘small eye’ – the Narrow of the trackmen who built and enwau rhai llygaid yn Genedlaethol Llangefni yn 1957. 47 Vein above the Old Vein), ‘Hen Lygad’ maintained the quarry tramways. amrywio o ardal i ardal, 49 (‘old eye’ – the Old Vein), and ‘Llygad ac eraill yn gyffredin. Eu An englyn from the awdl ‘Cwm Carnedd’ by 51 Newydd’ (‘new eye’ – the New Vein, or NADDU’N RHY AGOS I’R henwau yn yr ardal Chief Bard and Archdruid Gwilym R Tilsley, 53 Deep Vein, lowest in the rock formation). lamenting the decline of the slate industry. 55 DRAFA’L hon oedd; Llygad 56 Mochyn (yr The Welsh word for a vein – gwythien – The awdl won the Chair at the Llangefni 57 Dywediad ddaeth o felinau’r chwareli, 59 haenen uchaf a was reserved specifically to describe the National Eisteddfod in 1957. yn golygu bod yn rhy agos i’r asgwrn 61 salaf), Llygad many bands and faults that run across the efo tynnu coes, neu rywun yn pwsio’i slate beds. 63 Coch, 65 GWYTHIEN Y MEINARS – OER EI HEN 03 05 Y GWYTHIENNAU DRUM, LYGAD P14 P15 P16 07 RHYWIOG – Y WYTHIEN GARW’I Yr Hen Lygad – lle 09 ISAF O’R TAIR A’R TEULU DREMYNT y gorwedd peth o’r 11 – GWYTHIEN Y CRYCH DU – Llinell amlwg o englyn enwog Hedd llechfaen gorau. Mae’r 13 Y SULPHUR – Y PUM WYTHIEN Wyn (Ellis Humphrey Evans), Bardd llechi tenau yn y pileri hyn i 15 AR ORWEDDIAD 17 Detholiad arall o enwau’r gwythiennau o garreg y Gadair Ddu, i’r Moelwyn. gyd wedi dod o’r Hen Lygad Y GRAIG Y MAE’R 19 ddiffygiol yn y llygadau o lechfaen. yn Llechwedd. Mae’r bandiau 21 llechi sydd wedi eu sgleinio yn CREIGIWR A BLEAK VIEW OF A 23 dod o Cwt y Bugail. Dyfyniad o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan 25 THE MINERS’ BAND – THE EASY COLD RIDGE y bardd o Danygrisiau, Gwyn 27 BANDS – THE LOWER BAND OF Famed line of cynghanedd from the OLD EYE Thomas. 29 famous englyn to the Moelwyn, The Old Vein – where some of the best THE THREE AND ITS FAMILY 31 – THE BAND OF THE BLACK written by Trawsfynydd poet slate is found. All the thin slates in the pillars THE ROCKMAN ON 33 WRINKLE – THE SULPHUR – Hedd Wyn (Ellis Humphrey have come from the Old Vein at Llechwedd. THE LIE OF THE ROCK 35 THE FIVE BANDS Evans), who won the The polished bands have come from Cwt y Quote from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by 37 infamous Black Chair at Bugail. Tanygrisiau poet, Gwyn Thomas. 39 Another selection of names for the fault bands the National Eisteddfod, 41 traversing the ‘eyes’ of slate rock. Birkenhead 1917, ^ 43 MAE SWN LLECHI’N 45 after being killed AR Y LLECHEN CRAFU’R NOS 47 SMOTIA LLAETH in the battle of Y TYFODD Y DREF HON Dyfyniad o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan 49 Smotiau gwyn tebyg i lefrith wedi ei golli ar wyneb Passchendaele. Dyfyniad o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ gan y y bardd o Danygrisiau, Gwyn 51 y garreg neu lechfaen o’r Hen Lygad bardd o Danygrisiau, Gwyn Thomas. Thomas. 53 55 MILK SPOTS THIS TOWN GREW THE SOUND OF SLATES 57 58 Large spots resembling milk splashes found in ON THE SLATE SCRAPING THE NIGHT 59 61 slate, often in Old Vein slates. Quote from the poem ‘Blaenau’ Quote from the poem ‘Blaenau’ by 63 by Tanygrisiau poet, Gwyn Thomas. Tanygrisiau poet, Gwyn Thomas 65 YN CLYWED CARREG TEW WYTH, TEW AR GARREG, MYND NÔL CERRIG MÂN FEL 03 PEDAIR, TEW RWBEL AMSER, YN I FLAENAU TATWS 05 07 P17 RHYGNU RHWNG Y P18 FFESTINIOG Weithiau roedd rhaid gwneud llechi DWY MYNYDDOEDD 09 Dyfyniad o gân enwog y bach oherwydd mai dim ond blociau Termau yn gysylltiedig â 11 Hearing stone on stone, the waste o lechen sâl oedd ar gael. hollti llechen wedi’i llifio – trwch wyth Tebot Piws. Cyfranwyd i’r 13 of time, grinding between the prosiect hwn gan blant Ysgol 15 llechan, trwch pedair, trwch dwy... mountains. SLATES LIKE POTATOES Maenofferen ac ysgolion eraill. 17 Having to make small slates due to FAT EIGHT, FAT FOUR, 19 GOING BACK TO there being only poor quality blocks 21 FAT TWO Gwyn Thomas BLAENAU FFESTINIOG available. 23 Terms for various stages of the final Dyfyniad o’r gerdd ‘Blaenau’ 25 splitting of slate – to the thickness of Quote from a famous song of the same gan y bardd o Danygrisiau, 27 eight slates, then four, then two... name by legendary Welsh folk-rock band Gwyn Thomas. 29 Tebot Piws. Contributed to this project by CARREG FEL HAEARN 31 Quote from the poem pupils of Ysgol Maenofferen and other local SBAEN 33 ‘Blaenau’ by Tanygrisiau schools. Llechfaen galed. CYFRI FESUL MWRW 35 poet, Gwyn Thomas. 37 Arferid cyfri llechi fesul mwrw (tair SLATE LIKE SPANISH 39 llechen). ‘Twenti won a dwy’ (dauddeg EI GALON YN CURO FEL IRON 41 un mwrw a dwy) oedd yr enw am 65 MWRTHWL MEINAR Hard slate rock. 43 llechen, a ‘thyrti thri ag un’ oedd cant. Calon rhywun yn curo’n sydyn, fel oedd 45 47 morthwylion y creigwyr wrth dyllu’r graig – yn COUNTING BY THE CERRIG YN HOLLTI FEL 49 enwedig y creigwyr cryfaf a mwyaf profiadol. MWRW GWÊR 51 53 Slates were counted by the ‘mwrw’ Cerrig da, yn hollti’n hawdd. (three slates). Sixty five slates were HIS HEART BEATING LIKE A 55 57 called ‘twenty one and two’ (twenty one MINER’S HAMMER SLATES SPLITTING 59 mwrw and two), and one hundred slates Heart beating as fast as a rockman LIKE TALLOW 60 61 chiselling the rock face. ‘thirty three and one’. Good slate, splitting easily. 63 65 03 05 BLAENAU YMLAEN WALIAU SGWÂR DIFFWYS 07 Datblygwyd gweledigaeth ar gyfer y dref gan Blanau Ymlaen yn 2007 i Ceir nifer o wahanol fathau o waliau yn yr ardal ac mae rhai 09 11 “greu lle i fyw, i weithio ac i ymweld â hi sy’n gyffrous, bywiog a deniadol, o’r rhain i’w gweld yng nghanol y dref. Gan gychwyn gyda’r wal 13 sy’n enwog am ddiwylliant a chelfyddyd, yr ymdeimlad cryf o gymuned a’r o wenithfaen lleol “Craig y Tân “ sydd agosaf at Gaffi’r Bont a’r wal 15 amgylchedd syfrdanol. Bydd y dref yn adeiladu ar y nodweddion unigryw agosaf ati o lechi wedi ei llifio o Cwt y Bugail gyda phen y wal ar steil 17 hyn mewn dull cynaliadwy er mwyn cyflawni adfywiad economaidd, “yr iâr a’r ceiliog.” Mae’r drydedd wal ymlaen, tuag at y ffynnon, yn wal 19 ^ cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol.” Ers hyn mae’r grwp gwirfoddol hwn wedi lechi ar hap o chwarel Maenofferen a’r wal olaf un yn y rhes wedi dod o 21 23 bod yn gweithio’n galed i gyrraedd y nôd yma, heb yr ymdrech hon ni chwarel Braich Ddu gyda phen y wal yn llyfn. 25 fyddai dim o hyn yn bodoli heddiw. Mae’r cynllun yn dangos cymaint y gall 27 cymunedau gyflawni gan weithio gyda’i gilydd. THE WALLS ON DIFFWYS SQUARE 29 31 A variety of walling techniques can be seen across the Vale of Ffestiniog and 33 a small selection of these can be seen in Diffwys Square. Working away from Blaenau Ymlaen (Blaenau Forward) 35 the “Bridge Cafe” you’ll see a granite wall sourced from nearby Craig y Tân 37 In 2007 Blaenau Ymlaen developed a vision for the town, “to create an Quarry, whilst the next wall on is made from sawn slate from Cwt Y Bugail with 39 exciting, vibrant and attractive place to live, work and to visit, renowned cock and hen coping. The third wall along, towards the fountain, is a random 41 for culture and the arts, our strong sense of community and the stunning 43 slate wall from the Maenofferen Quarry, with the last in the row sourced from environment. The town will build on these unique characteristics 45 Braich Ddu Quarry, with longer stones and flat copings. 47 in a sustainable manner in order to achieve economic, social and 49 environmental regeneration.” The group have been working ever since 51 towards achieving this goal - without their voluntary action and hours 53 of dedication none of this would exist today. This ambitious scheme 55 shows what communities can achieve by working together. 57 59 61 62 63 65 Chwareli Llechi Cymru Arosfa Bws a’r Canopi 03 Mae Blaenau yn enwog ar draws y byd am y diwydiant llechi ac yn wir caiff ei adnabod gan lawer Os yn dal y bws o’r orsaf, neu yn edrych draw 05 07 fel “prif ddinas llechi’r byd”, bwriad y darn hwn yw dathlu pwysigrwydd y diwydiant i Gymru. Caiff am y Moelwynion o’r canopi, edrychwch i lawr o 09 dros 360 o chwareli llechi Cymru eu rhestru gydag enw pob chwarel wedi ei naddu ar lechan fyddai’n dan eich traed ac fel welwch waith diddorol iawn! 11 adlewyrchu lliw’r chwarel honno. Gan edrych ar enwau’r chwareli mae’n anodd dychmygu maint y Yn yr orsaf bws mae enwau difyr wedi ei naddu, 13 diwydiant a’r hyn a olygai i Gymru ac i’r miloedd o bobl a fyddai wedi bod yn gweithio ynddynt ac a rhain oedd yr enwau am lechi toi o wahanol feintiau a 15 gollodd ei bywydau ynddynt. Yn ogystal â bod yn gofeb bwriad y darn yw dathlu cyfoeth yr hanes, ddefnyddir yn y chwareli. Yn y canopi, fe welwch driongl 17 19 diwylliant a’r dreftadaeth a gafwyd yn sgìl y diwydiant. Mae’r afon sy’n rhedeg drwy ganol y darn yn mawr a “dim” yn ei ganol, dyma sut y byddai milltiroedd yn 21 cyfeirio at y broses ddaearegol o greu’r llechi yn y lle cyntaf a hefyd at yr Afon Dwyryd a gludai lechi cael eu cofnodi ar hyd Reilffordd Ffestiniog ac mae’r “dim” yn 23 allan i’r môr cyn i’r rheilffordd gael ei adeiladu. Wedi ei naddu drwy ganol y darn mae geiriau gan y nodi’r pwynt ble cychwynnai daith y llechi, o ganol y dref allan ar y 25 bardd lleol o Danygrisiau Gwyn Thomas, “Llifa amser yn ei flaen, A llifa dw^ r: Ni lifa bywyd creigiwr. “ môr i bellafoedd byd. 27 29 31 THE SLATE QUARRIES OF WALES Bus Shelters and 33 Blaenau Ffestiniog is synonymous with the slate industry of Wales, so where better to celebrate the Viewing Canopy 35 industry than the town centre. The piece lists over 360 quarries from across Wales, with each If you’re catching the bus from the Station, or looking over the 37 quarry name engraved on the appropriate colour of stone for that quarry. Looking at the sea Moelwynion from the viewing canopy, look down under your feet! In 39 41 of names one can begin to imagine the magnitude of this industry and the men who worked the bus stops you’ll find paving inscribed with the names of different 43 and indeed lost their lives as a result of the slate industry. Importantly though, the piece is sizes of roofing slates, from Narrow Ladies to Wide Viscountesses, the 45 a celebration of an industry that gave the area history, culture and heritage like no other. names were usually based upon female aristocracy. In 47 The river motif running down the centre of the paving is a reminder of the geological the viewing canopy you’ll find a “zero” in the middle 49 51 forces that created the slate and is also a reference to the that connects of a triangle, this was the format for mile markers on 53 Blaenau to the sea along which the slates used to be exported in small boats the , with “zero 55 before the Ffestiniog Railway was built. Inscribed along the river is a line by point” being the town centre 57 Gwyn Thomas, a famous Welsh poet from nearby Tanygrisiau, “Men die; the where the slates started their 59 rocks in the empty darkness of these mountains endure. “ journey across the world. 61 63 64 65 N

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30 31 A470 S 27 29 28 25 32 33 26 Heol Foty - Lord Street 21 A470 34 McColls 23 22

35 24 S T RY Dolgarregddu D Y R E G LW Y S / C H U R C H S T R E E Commercial T Cellb

T 9 37 Square E 12 8 E 14 13 7 Isallt 36 R T Guest 41 43 S House H 10 5 45 51 53 C 38 39

Heol Leeds Street Leeds Heol R 6 49 U Slate 48 H 40 42 44 C 16 4 World / Pileri Pillars 1-18 47 Y S 11 52 W G L 50 S T R Y R E Street Bowydd Heol 2 1 Y D 3 46

Heol Cromwell Street Cromwell Heol 15 S T RY D FAW R / Gwesty H I Blaenau Ty Gorsaf G H Newmarket S Ffestiniog T R Square 70 E E St David’s T 19 Sgwar y Parc A470 Church 67 Park Square 69 Ffordd Cwmbowydd Road A496 68 20 18 17 57 54 71 66 64 55 58 56 65 62 61 60 Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways Rheilffyrdd Ffestiniog ac Eryri 59 63 Plas

Maenofferen Heol Glynllifon Street Glynllifon Heol

HeolNewborough Street

Blaenau Ffestiniog www.blaenauffestiniog.org/poetry www.blaenauffestiniog.org/barddoniaeth

Images/Lluniau P10 & 5+: Rory Trappe; www.caeclyd.com Design/Dylunio: MwnciBach.com