National Eisteddfod of Wales held in Rhyl summer of 1985
The annual festival has been held across North Wales on may occasions, including Conwy County in 2019 and Denbighshire and District in 2013.
In 1985 it was the turn of Rhyl and District, and this gallery shows just a fraction of the competitors and visitors.
See more: Bird's eye view of Rhyl but do you know when?
To see more photos from the past, courtesy of the Journal archives, checkout our Local Bygones section online.
If you have any old photos you would like to share, email claire.pierce@newsquest.co.uk
• The 2025 National Eisteddfod in Wrexham takes place from August 2-9, for more details, visit: eisteddfod.wales/festival/2025
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North Wales Live
39 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
National Eisteddod 2025: The latest news on Saturday
The National Eisteddfod is underway as thousands flock to the annual festival, which this year is being held in Wrexham. In recent weeks Eisteddfod staff and contractors have transformed farmland at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham, into a small town with a 1,500 seat pavilion, a range of performance spaces and stalls as well as a temporary Gorsedd circle. Here is a round-up of the news from the National Eisteddfod today (Saturday August 2), to enjoy: Well-known Hollywood actor Rob McElhenney has welcomed people to the National Eisteddfod 2005 in Wrexham - in Welsh! Maxine Hughes, leader of Wales and the World this year, taught the American to record the welcome for a short video which has been published on social media websites. With Maxine's support, Rob, who has declared his full support for the Welsh language with his friend Ryan Reynolds, since the start of their ownership of Wrexham football club at the beginning of the decade, pronounces the welcome clearly. Maxine praised him for his efforts and especially so when he shortens the word Eisteddfod to 'Steddfod. "That's how we say Eisteddfod in North Wales where I come from," he told him. Maxine, who is from the Conwy area but now lives in Washington, the capital of the United States, will address the audience as the leader of Wales and the World during the Cymanfa Ganu (Singing Assembly) on Sunday night. She will also take part in leading other sessions on the Maes during the week. A well-known actor also paid a heartfelt tribute for the help and support he received from the residents of Rhosllannerchrugog when starting his career on stage and television. Mark Lewis Jones' face is well known even if the name is not as familiar. His credits read like a list of recent iconic TV shows - The Crown, Game of Thrones, Keeping Faith, Man Up and Baby Reindeer. His film career is equally impressive ranging from his memorable role as First Order Captain Moden Canady in Star Wars: The Last Jedi to his role in the recent film, Sweetland. This week he is President of the National Eisteddfod which is being held in Wrexham, only a few miles from his home village. He noted his sincere thanks to the grandfather for insisting that the Eisteddfod be "by everyone and for everyone". In his speech he said: "My grandfather, Jonathan Dafis, sang in the pavilion many times as a loyal member of the Rhos Male Voice Choir, as well as helping to organise the festival when he came to the area in 1945, but somehow when I was growing up I didn't feel that the Eisteddfod was relevant to me. "I was, and continue to be, a proud Welshman, brought up in a community that was Welsh even though we were so close to the border, but even so I didn't think the Eisteddfod was for a Welshman like me. And it took me a while to understand that I was wrong." He added his wife, Gwenno, runs a clothes shop in Cardiff, and would regularly hire a stall on the Maes. "One of my favorite memories of coming to the Eisteddfod (with Gwenno), was meeting and chatting with people who had travelled from afar to be part of the festival. "It became clear to me how essential the Eisteddfod is, supporting and promoting the arts in our country. I now have four sons, each one appreciating the importance of the festival, and Jacob, the youngest, is working on the Maes this week. "I have come to understand what Taid understood from the beginning - that the Eisteddfod is for everyone, for everyone. And if he was still with us I know he would be here, in the front row, with a proud smile on his face when he finally saw his grandson on stage." Mark Lewis Jones also outlined how he chose to become an actor. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox "I have been fortunate to be able to stand on several famous stages over the years - the Globe and the National in London, the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford - but I have never been on the stage of the National Eisteddfod before," he said. He went to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd in Wrexham and he had no idea what to do with his life. "But at school there was a teacher called Gwawr Mason. And one day, for some reason, she asked me to be in the next school show? And for some reason I said - yes, ok," he said. He came from a home without any connection with the arts, and a home where English was the main language. "After taking part in that school show, my life changed completely. I wanted to act. My parents were unsure of course, but supportive nonetheless. After all, I had nothing to lose - I have two brothers who are carpenters, but I think my mother and father realised after seeing me handle a saw that there was no future for me in that field. "So I went on to work with Clwyd Youth Theatre. I went to the College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, then to Theatr Clwyd and London. "But I can definitely tell you that that would never have happened if Gwawr Mason had not offered a helping hand to a young, lost boy. Very sadly we lost Gwawr during lockdown and although I have thanked her many times for her support I don't feel I will ever, ever, ever be able to thank her enough," he said. And the sound of brass bands also filled the air as competition got underway. A steady stream of musicians carrying their tubas, cornets and trombones from the car parks towards the main pavilion were seen before 9am to register with officials. Five bands from Buckley, Menai Bridge, Deiniolen near Caernarfon and Markham near Caerphilly as well as Wrexham entered the Section 2 and 3 competition. Open to bands with up to 25 members they were set the task of presenting a varied programme that took no longer than 15 minutes to perform. After a spirited competition the adjudicator, Alan Bourne, awarded the first prize of £600 and the Ivor Jarvis Cup to the Royal Buckley Town Band. The Deiniolen Silver Band were second and Markham third. Veteran bandsman Meirion Jones from the Deiniolen band said Buckley deserved their win. "They have come so close on other occasions, sometimes there was just a point in it," he said. Later four more bands competed in the Section 4 competition. They too were set the task of performing at least three items within their alloted 15 minutes. The adjudicator placed the Llanrug Silver Band in first place and they took home the Ivor Jarvis Challenge Cup and the £600 cash prize. The Oakeley Silver Band from Blaenau Ffestiniog were second and Band Porthaethwy, Menai Bridge third. On Sunday three brass bands from Wrexham, Beaumaris and Merthyr Tydfil will battle it out for the Section 1 crown and the Flintshire Cup.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Friends outraged after Airbnb host cancels booking because of where they're from
Airbnb said they suspended the host and are now investigating the matter after pals Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, were denied a stay in Manchester Two pals who booked a trip to Manchester for a concert were left "gobsmacked" after being denied an Airbnb stay simply because they were "from Wales". Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, had been planning to travel from Cwmbran, South Wales, to see Australian music DJ Sonny Fodera perform at Co-op Live in November. But when they tried to book the one-night stay at a private property in the city, their reservation was abruptly declined. The pair, who wrote on the listing that they were coming 'from Wales to see the gig', were left baffled and politely messaged the host to ask why. The response came back bluntly: "Because you're from WALES." Jemma, a school support officer and mum-of-two, said the message left her stunned. "My mouth hit the floor – nothing else other than 'because you're from Wales'. It was nothing about us going to the concert or whatever, it was just discrimination of the country. We're amazing people, the Welsh are lush. I don't know what me and my friend - or the whole of Wales - did that's so horrible. It's absolutely horrendous." It comes after another Brit abroad slammed an all-inclusive hotel food, asking 'what on earth is this?' Jamie asked the host for further explanation as to why they'd had their booking rejected, saying it was 'discrimination under the Equality Act 2010'. She said her message was read, but received no response. Registered nurse Jamie, who attempted to make the booking through her account, said: "I just thought, 'oh my gosh, how can you say no just because I'm from Wales?'. Se added: "It was really blunt, just one line: because you are from, in capitals, Wales. What difference does that make? I was just a bit shocked really that people still say things like that. If [they] had said 'I don't want people going to concerts and coming back if they'd had a drink or something, I'd be like yeah, okay, that's fine. That's an explanation." An Airbnb spokesperson said: "Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter."
Channel 4
3 hours ago
- Channel 4
Artist Anya Paintsil explores race and identity through textiles
Anya Paintsil is an award-winning textile artist of Welsh and Ghanaian heritage, with a new show in North Wales, close to where she grew up. Her art explores themes of race and identity and what she has described as 'points of convergence' between the two cultures. Combining West African art techniques, as well as those learnt from her Welsh grandma, Anya has created an exhibition called Allanol Always, which celebrates African art and explores her own sometimes painful experiences growing up in North Wales.
