Ifor ap Glyn (born 1961) is a Welsh

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

and

Welsh-language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

.Wales Online, "Interview: Poet and presenter Ifor ap Glyn on his new TV series", 4 June 2011
Accessed 25 August 2013 From 2016 to 2022 he served as

National Poet of Wales The post of National Poet of Wales () was established in May 2005 by Academi, the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers, now known as Literature Wales. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appoi ...

Early life and education

Ifor ap Glyn was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

into a Welsh-speaking family, but graduated from

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

. He relocated as an adult to

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

and later to

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...

Career

As a poet Ifor ap Glyn primarily writes in Welsh, though he has also composed poems in English. In 2018 he published ''Cuddle Call?,'' his first collection with English translation in a parallel text. In 1999 Ifor ap Glyn won the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales 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 ...

(a feat he repeated in 2013), and in the same year performed at the celebratory concert that marked the opening of the Welsh National Assembly. In 2008, Ifor ap Glyn was appointed Bardd Plant Cymru (Children's Poet Laureate for Wales), holding the role for a year. He has twice represented Wales at the

Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held on the National Mall for two weeks around the Fo ...

in the USA. Before becoming a poet and dramatist, Ifor ap Glyn worked as a television producer and scriptwriter, and has worked extensively with the theatre company Cwmni Dda. He also served as the executive producer of the documentary film '' Cysgod Rhyfel'' ''(The Shadow of War)'', a 2014 documentary film that explored the mental effects of conflict on former soldiers and their families. On 1 March 2016, Ifor ap Glyn was appointed

, succeeding

Gillian Clarke Gillian Clarke (born 8 June 1937) is a Welsh poet and playwright, who also edits, broadcasts, lectures and translates from Welsh into English. She co-founded Tŷ Newydd, a writers' centre in North Wales. Life Gillian Clarke was born on 8 ...

. During his tenure, Ifor ap Glyn wrote in both Welsh and English, with his commissioned work including poems to mark the 20th anniversary of the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

, the centenary of the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

qualifying for the

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

football tournament, the 80th anniversary of

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is an upland region of Mid Wales, within the county of Powys. It is bounded on the south by the upper stretch of the Usk Valley, on the north by the Irfon Valley, and on the east by the Wye Valley. Its western boundary is less ...

eviction, the reopening of the home of poet Hedd Wyn to the public, and the 2017 Champions League Final being held in Cardiff. He also composed poems for patients at

Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre () is a specialist facility offering inpatient and outpatient care for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. The site is currently managed and owned by the Velindre University NHS Trust, and was previously o ...

, to support DEC Cymru's Indonesia Tsunami appeal, and to welcome Syrian refugees to Wales. His time as National Poet of Wales lasted for six years, coming to an end in 2022. He was succeeded by Hanan Issa, who Ifor ap Glyn said was a poet that he admired and would "bring a fresh voice to the national conversation”.

Books

* * * * * * * *

Plays

*''Branwen'' *''Frongoch''

Television (as presenter)

*''Ar Lafar'' (2011) *''The Toilet: An Unspoken History'' (2012) *''Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places'' (2013)''The Telegraph'': Review by Ben Lawrence, 11 April 2013
Accessed 25 August 2013

References

External links

Ifor ap Glyn's commissioned poems as National Poet of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ifor ap Glyn Crowned bards Welsh-language poets Welsh dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Welsh screenwriters 21st-century Welsh poets 21st-century British male writers 21st-century Welsh writers 21st-century British screenwriters 1961 births Living people