Click on the speaker to hear the Welsh National Anthem sung by Morriston Orpheus Choir and The Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen Band (322kb file).

"Hiraeth" doesn't translate easily into English, because it's hard for the Welsh to define the special feeling they have for their homeland.  "Hireath" is a kind of longing, or yearning, that is especially felt by Welsh people who've left their native land and their descendants.  It's similar to what some people call "pining."

Although as part of the United Kingdom it is politically linked with Great Britain, Wales is ethnically quite different from England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.  Wales is one of the five Celtic nations that help make up the United Kingdom:  the Welsh' close cousins the Cornish, and their more distant kin, the Irish, Scots, and Manx.  The Bretons, who reside in Britanny on the coast of France, are another Celtic nation that is closely related to the Welsh.

Situated to the West of England, Wales has its own capital, Cardiff.  Its language, Welsh, is of Aryan origin and is said to be the oldest spoken tongue in Europe.  Throughout America, Welsh descendants are learning to speak the language of their fathers in an effort to keep it from dying out.  Ironically, Welshmen on the English throne (the Tudor dynasty) are responsible for English replacing Welsh as the official language in Wales several hundred years ago.

The Welsh are an ancient people with a close tie to their homeland.  Actually, the word "Welsh" is foreign to them. "Welsh" derives from the name the conquering Saxons gave to the small, dark inhabitants of the land west of England.  The people of Wales refer to their land as "Cymru" (coom-ree), which means "brothers."  The Welsh language has regained official status in Wales, although the number of persons who speak Welsh as their first language is quite small.

Welsh folklore has become interwoven with Western folklore.  A witch's tall pointed hat is probably of Welsh origin (the traditional Welsh women's costume includes a tall black hat).  Welsh folktales are filled with stories of dragons, witches, and fairies.  Even today, some Welsh people go out at midnight on a full moon to sweep the crossroads and keep evil at bay.  The legendary British king, Arthur, had strong Welsh connections.  Myrddin, or Merlin, Arthur's magician, was said to have been born in South Wales.  The Welsh are a superstitious people; many Appalachian superstitions are based on those brought to the area by immigrating Welsh. One of the most intriguing is sin-eating.

The Welsh are well-known for their singing and love of the arts; the singing of four-part harmony is attributed to Welsh origin.  Several of the best-loved Christian hymns were written by Welsh men and women or are set to the music of Welsh folk tunes.  Hymn-singing festivals are held annually all over Wales and North America.  The harp is the most common musical instrument in traditional Welsh music.

Welsh craftsmen are known for their artistry -- a legacy of hundreds of years of artisans' use of Celtic design, color, and attention to fine detail in their work results in handcrafts of lasting beauty that are prized around the world.  The lovespoon, which many use to symbolize Wales, incorporates this legacy.  Lovespoons were traditionally carved by suitors and given to the women whom they wanted to "court."  The more intricate the carving, the more serious was the man's affections.  The oldest surviving love spoon, dated 1667, is displayed at the National Folk Museum.

The biggest holiday in Wales is St. David's Day, which is celebrated March 1, in remembrance of the death of the patron saint of Wales.  St. David is to the Welsh what St. Patrick is the Irish.  Of course, Welsh people will tell you that St. Patrick emigrated to Ireland from Wales!  Each year, men and women of Welsh descent around the world gather to sing and to fly their colorful flag, a red dragon on a green-and-white background.  Many will wear a daffodil, which is the flower of Wales.  Others will wear a leek, which symbolizes Wales' strong military tradition.  In America the leeks worn are often of enamel or felt, while in Wales a real leek is often worn.

Wales has long been in the news because of the focus on British royalty, especially the popularity of Diana, Princess of Wales, and quite-regular mentions of her former husband and sons.  As the press continues to focus on Charles, Prince of Wales, and his son, William, Wales will continue to receive attention.  Likewise, the current popularity of teenage soprano Charlotte Church will keep Wales in the forefront of Americans' minds.

Wales shares a common government with England, but there has always been an underlying desire for a return to Home Rule in Wales -- Wales' own parliament was seated in 1998.  Wales is also one of the centers of the United Kingdom's economic problems.

Welsh natives and Welsh-Americans are often mentioned in entertainment news:  singers Charlotte Church, Tom Jones, Harold Lloyd Jenkins (Conway Twitty), Randy Owen (of the country-music band, Alabama); comedians Robin Williams and Bob Hope; actors Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, and John Rhys-Davies; and award-winning actresses Catherine Zeta Jones (Mask of Zorro), Myrna Loy, Bette Davis, and Doris Roberts (television's Remington Steele).

Locally, a significant number of current and former Knoxville television news personalities are also of Welsh extraction, including Carl Williams, Bill Williams, Alan Williams, Edye Ellis, and John Evans.  Knoxville is also fortunate to have esteemed author, poet, and screenwriter Jon Manchip White as a resident.

Many Americans carry Welsh names.  The two most-common ones are Jones and Davis.  Most Welsh surnames actually evolved from men's given names because until the late 17th Century the Welsh still practiced "patronymics."  This is a system where the father's given name becomes his children's surname.  Patronymics is still practiced in some cultures, most notably the Soviet Union and Scandinavia.

The Welsh have shaped American history more than most people realize.  Seventeen signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh extraction, as were 10 U. S. Presidents; Thomas Jefferson actually spoke Welsh.  The Welsh have always valued education; many of our universities, including Harvard and Yale, have Welsh founders.

Some Welsh-Americans are descended from immigrants who arrived here as early as the 17th Century.  Two major migrations of Welsh to East Tennessee occurred during the 19th Century: one about 1850 sponsored by S. R. Roberts into Scott and Campbell counties; the other, about 1865, sponsored by the owners of the Knoxville Iron Works.

The majority of the thousands of Welsh-Americans in Appalachia are descended from coal miners and iron workers who settled here to earn a living in the mid- to late-19th Century.  The topography of lower Appalachia is very much like that of South Wales.  This was important to the homesick Welsh coalminers who had been recruited and brought to the U. S. to mine coal in Pennsylvania.  Living in the Southern mountains made them feel a little closer to their native land.  The mountains are largely responsible for maintaining Welsh culture in this area.

The Richards brothers, David and Joseph, are responsible for the largest influx of Welsh settlers into this area.  They began the Knoxville Iron Company after the Civil War and invited other Welsh immigrants to work for them in the coal mines and iron works here.  Visitors to the 1982 World's Fair became familiar with the Strohaus, which was known to Knoxvillian's for years as part of the House-Hasson Hardware Company.  That building was originally the site of the Knoxville Iron Works' foundry.

R. D. Thomas

One of America's best-known Welsh immigrants, Reverend R. D. Thomas, is buried in Knoxville.  Rev. Thomas wrote about the history of the Welsh in America.  Knoxville's Welsh settlement, along with the old Welsh Church there, are mentioned in his Hanes Cymru America, published in 1872.  Rev. Thomas' daughter married David Richards.  Visit The Welsh in Knoxville on this Web site to read excerpts from Rev. Thomas' book and a speech Mr. Richards' gave on the history of Welsh people in this city.

A great deal has been written about the Welsh impact on America, particularly their impact on Southern Appalachia.  During his tenure at the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Carson Brewer collected and wrote about many Welsh traditions which are a part of everyday living in East Tennessee.  Even if you had no ancestors from Wales, you probably are influenced by the Welsh who settled in this region.

Were your nhadau (ancestors) Welsh?  Check the surnames list elsewhere on this Web site.

Written by and ©2000 to Billie R. McNamara.   All rights reserved.