As part of the Welsh History Festival for Children, Yr Ysgwrn is working with its organisers and the Welsh Books Council to provide literary experiences outside the classroom for the secondary school pupils of Gwynedd.

The Children’s Festival of Welsh History is a not for profit company, whose aim is to stage activities for children throughout September, at heritage sites all over Wales.

It aims to encourage schools and the general public to learn about important characters from our past; to discover sites and buildings of interest, and to celebrate Wales’ rich history and heritage.

Last week, pupils from Years 7 and 8 from four local secondary schools – Ysgol Botwnnog, Dyffryn Ogwen, Tryfan and Berwyn – attended workshops by poet and author, Myrddin ap Dafydd, on his novel, Mae’r Lleuad yn Goch (The Moon is Red).

The novel, which deals with the themes of the fire in Ll?n in 1936 and the burning of the village of Gernika in the Basque Country in 1937, won the Tir Na n-Og prize in the secondary school category.

During the workshops, pupils learnt about the history of Wales through the events in Ll?n and the Basque Country and the impact of the timeless themes of war, peace and friendship on the people of today.

Pupils also considered these connections to Yr Ysgwrn and the story of Hedd Wyn, before participating in a Bertsolaritza, a kind of poetry challenge that has its roots in the Basque Country.

During the Bertsolaritza, pupils created their own poems and meters on current issues.

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