The History and the Politics of the Welsh Not

It's one of - if not the - most widely recognised histories of Wales. Irrespective of language, religion, or region, almost every child in Wales will have learnt about the infamous Welsh Not. How could a simple board on string, of which few actual examples persist, continue to be a touchstone subject for so many in modern Wales? Friend of the pod, and Professor at Swansea University, Martin Johnes has just published the definitive analysis of this disputed object. More than just cultural or educational history, the story is one dipped in politics and wrapped in religion and challenges common ideas of who the protagonists and the antagonists were in the ongoing story of keeping yr hen iaith alive. We're delighted to be joined by Martin to discuss the Welsh Not, and you can find out more from him here: https://x.com/martinjohnes The book is available to buy here: https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/welsh-not/ Or read for free in PDF form here: https://www.uwp.co.uk/app/uploads/9781837721818_WEB.pdf As always, you can find the latest from us on the socials @hiraethpod, including BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/hiraethpod.bsky.social We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod