The Dafydd ap Gwilym Society is the Welsh society at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. It is a Welsh language society, as opposed to a society of Welsh people like its sister-society in

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, the .

History

The society was established in 1886, making it the oldest society in Oxford after the Union. It is known by its members as "Y Dafydd". In the 1990s, several of the society's magazine editions (''Yr Aradr''), feature articles on the creative work of its members, as well as some of its guest speakers. Among its founding members were O. M. Edwards and John Morris-Jones. The society began accepting female members in the academic year 1966–1967.

Traditions

The society is named after the poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, and it was the tradition for every meeting to begin with a reading of his work by the Chaplain, followed by discussion. The Society had some formal rituals and prestigious-sounding positions, though they were intended to be ironic. Today the chairman keeps the title of Chaplain, and the prestigious job of Headquarters remains. It is traditional for members and alumni of the society to meet annually at the

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

Caplaniaid of Y Dafydd

Presidents

Some former-Fellows of the university who have served, or now serve as honorary presidents of the society: * Sir John Rhys (1886–1919) * Goronwy Edwards, (1919–1948) * Sir Idris Foster, (1948–1978) * Sir Rees Davies * Robert Evans * Rosalind Temple * David Willis

Alumni of the Society

* O. M. Edwards – educationalist and writer * Ifan ab Owen Edwards – founder of the Urdd * Elin Roberts - founder o
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* Gwynfor Evans – politician * - lexicographer * W. J. Gruffydd – scholar and politician * Guto Harri – newsreader * R. Tudur Jones – scholar * – theologian *

Rhodri Morgan Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a Welsh Labour politician who was the First Minister of Wales and the Leader of Welsh Labour from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Senedd, Assembly Member for Cardiff West (Senedd constitu ...

– politician * John Morris-Jones – writer * Huw Thomas (Welsh politician) – Leader of Cardiff Council * D. J. Williams – writer and nationalist * Gwilym Owen Williams – archbishop * J. E. Meredith – writer and minister * Ben Lake –

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...

MP for

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

* Delyth Jewell –

Member of the Senedd A member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; ; , plural: ) is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd constituency, Senedd constituencies, a ...

for South Wales East region, 2019- * Rhys ab Owen -

for South Wales Central, 2021-

References

{{reflist

External links

* https://www.oxfordsu.org/societies/cymdeithasydafydd/
Merched Dafydd
Clubs and societies of the University of Oxford Culture of Wales Society of Wales