Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

Uncommon card · No. 174079

"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (Welsh pronunciation: [heːn wlaːd və n̥adai̯]) is the de facto national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "The Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents of Pontypridd, Glamorgan, in January 1856. The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of the National Library of Wales. It was first used as Wales' national anthem in 1905 by fans at a rugby game, and it then became the sole anthem used for Wales in sports from 1975. It has been used at government ceremonies, and for receptions of the British monarchy since the 1970s. The anthem, like the other ones in the UK, lack official status in law, with petitions submitted proposing it is made official by law. It is however widely recognised as Wales' national anthem, despite having no official status.

Read on Wikipedia · Image James James, Public domain