Norah Isaac (1914 – 3 August 2003) was a Welsh author, drama producer and campaigner for Welsh-language education. She became head of the country's first Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd, in 1939.

Background

Norah Isaac was born in 1914 in the village of Caerau near Maesteg in the old county of

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

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 ...

. She was educated at Glamorgan Training College in Barry.

Welsh-language advocate

Isaac was an advocate of the Welsh language. In 1935 she became head of the Glamorgan division of

Urdd Gobaith Cymru Urdd Gobaith Cymru (; simply known as the Urdd) is Wales' largest youth organisation. It provides sports, arts, volunteering, apprenticeship, outdoor pursuits, humanitarian, international and residential opportunities for children and young peo ...

, a Welsh-medium youth movement, remaining there until her appointment as founding head of Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd in 1939, the country's first school to teach in Welsh. When Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd opened as a private school, Isaac was the sole teacher and there were only seven pupils. The success Isaac brought to it caused annual growth, until by 1945 there were four teachers and 71 pupils in an original building was too small for its purpose. The school moved to a country house near Llanbadarn and changed its name to Ysgol Lluest. Isaac remained as head teacher until 1949. During her time there she and

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, who established the school, campaigned for the introduction of Welsh-medium schools throughout Wales. Between 1950 and 1958 she lectured at her old college in Barry, before becoming the principal lecturer in Welsh and Drama at Trinity College Carmarthen, establishing the first Welsh Drama Department in Wales.

Publications and plays

Isaac published several books, including two collections of short stories, ''Storiau Awr Hamdden i Blant'' (1979 and 1982), and a monograph on Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards. She also wrote travel books, after visits to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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and

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. She produced several plays based on major Welsh cultural figures, notably

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

(1974), Griffith Jones (1984) and William Williams (1991).

Honours

Along with her drama and literary work, Isaac was an important figure in 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 ...

and awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the National Eisteddfod for her lifelong commitment, the first woman to be given this honour. After her death in August 2003, Iolo Wyn Williams declared in his book ''Our Children's Language: The Welsh-Medium Schools of Wales, 1939–2000'' that Isaac was "the most influential individual in the history of Welsh-medium education".Williams (2003), p. 50.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, Norah 1914 births 2003 deaths 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century Welsh educators 20th-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers People from Bridgend County Borough Welsh-language writers Welsh language activists Welsh women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Welsh women educators People associated with Trinity University College Welsh short story writers Welsh women short story writers Welsh travel writers British women travel writers