The Ogham Stone of Cilymaenllwyd - Part 2
ENGLISH
CYMRAEG
Hello & welcome to a very exciting blog post today, where I'll be talking to you about an Ogham stone, a Celtic stone, 2000 years old, that's right here, in Llanelli. 
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My name is Cheryl Beer. I'm an Environmental Sound Artist working in the 4 pockets of rainforest across Wales, on a Main Commission with Unlimited, funded by the Arts Council of Wales & I want to do some research into the Celtic history of those rainforests, so that it informs my Sound Sculpture that will launch at the National Botanic Garden of Wales late Spring next year. 

So, I started looking into the Celtic History & I found that the Celts actually had a language of the trees; an actual alphabet where each letter represented the qualities & spiritual significance of each tree, which I just find absolutely mind blowing - that people spoke to each other through a language of the trees, named themselves through this language, named their clan through this language & their kings. & we know this because round about the time of the Roman invasions, this language starts to be engraved into stones. It comes originally from the Irish Gaelic language, but it can still be found in ancient Welsh, in the old Welsh language, some of the letters have remained. 

There are 45 of these ancient Celtic stones in Wales, many of them reused trough Christianity, in churchyards, throughout the whole of Wales. 45 listed, and miraculously, one of them is right on my doorstep, in Llanelli, in Cilymaenllwyd Care Home, which is where we are today.

Now, I already know Cilymaenllwyd Care Home, because last year, during the pandemic, I worked with the older people here, and Diane, the Activities Coordinator, collecting nature narratives of older people's favourite walks & recorded those for them, bringing the outdoors, inside. So, I contacted Diane and asked her. 'Do you have an Ogham stone there, on your grounds?' and she said, 'Yes, we do.' & she's going to tell us all about it. 
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Now, because I recorded this, just on my phone, stood by the stone, you can hear the wind noise in the background & I apologise if this causes any kind of distortion for you, if you wear hearing aids, like me, you might need to listen to it quietly, but I feel it is important to include Diane's voice, as she tells us about the history of Cilymaenllwyd Mansion ... 

CHERYL - 'I'm very lucky to be stood with Diane, the Activities Coordinator & we are actually standing at, what they believe is a medieval stone, from the cross on the front, but quite possibly an Ogham stone from the markings on the top here & I can see that there is an Ogham inscription on the top, very, very typical & it's got beautiful moss on it, I'll show you a film, but Diane is just going to tell us, because ... this stone wasn't here originally, you don't think?
DIANE - 'No, from what I have read, when the Stepneys bought Cilymaenllwyd, they done a small extension on the side, & it was there that the stone was & when they were building the extension, they moved the stone to the front. There's a picture I have from years ago & there was a tree here & children playing on the swings, so that wasn't here then, so I think that it came from the side. After they done the building work, then, they put it in the front.'
CHERYL - 'Because this was a mansion wasn't it, before?'
DIANE - 'Yes, The Stepneys bought it, they had it and then after a year, they moved to Parc Howard. They also had a pet cemetery here, I've read, in the back & when they sold this, they moved the pet cemetery up to - they had a place up in Scotland, and they moved the pet cemetery up to there.
CHERYL - 'That's great, thanks ever so much Diane. Now, people might, because of me writing about this, might want to contact you about it, but you are very, very busy here, at the Care Home, aren't you?'
DIANE - ' Yes. They can send me a message on messenger, @cilymaenclwddiane ...
CHERYL - 'Through Facebook?
DIANE - Yes, & if I can help I will, you know.’
CHERYL - 'Bless you, thanks Diane, you're a diamond.’

So, if you'd like to watch my video short in the style of poetic documentary, giving you a sense of what it felt like to be in the presence of the stone, please have a look at the film accompanying this podtape, where you'll get up close & personal, not just to the stone, but to the Ogham itself. I'll see you next time, here at
​CÂN Y COED -Song of the Trees, Diolch yn fawr.

Many thanks to Diane & Cilymaenllwyd Care Home.
Helo a chroeso i bostiad blog cyffrous heddiw, pan fyddaf yn siarad â chi am garreg Ogam, sef carreg Geltaidd 2000 o flynddoedd oed, sydd yma, yn Llanelli. 
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F'enw i yw Cheryl Beer. Rydw i'n Artist Sain Amgylcheddol a dw i’n gweithio mewn 4 llain o goedwig law yng Nghymru, ar Brif Gomisiwn gydag Unlimited, a ariennir gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. Rydw i eisiau gwneud ymchwil i hanes Celtaidd y coedwigoedd glaw hyn, fel y bydd yn llywio fy Ngherflun Sain a fydd yn cael ei lansio yng Ngardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru tua diwedd y Gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf.

Felly, es ati i astudio Hanes Celtaidd a dysgais fod gan y Celtiaid iaith y coed: gwyddor go iawn lle roedd pob llythyren yn cynrychioli rhinweddau ac arwyddocâd ysbrydol pob coeden. Dw i’n meddwl bod hyn yn gwbl syfrdanol ‒ y ffaith fod pobl yn siarad â'i gilydd trwy iaith y coed, yn eu henwi eu hunain drwy'r iaith hon, yn enwi eu llwyth drwy'r iaith hon, a'u brenhinoedd hefyd. Ac rydyn ni’n gwybod hyn oherwydd, yn y cyfnod pan oedd y Rhufeiniaid yn goresgyn ar y wlad, dechreuodd y Celtiaid ysgythru'r iaith hon ar gerrig. Mae'n dod yn wreiddiol o’r iaith Wyddeleg, ond gellir ei gweld o hyd yn iaith hynafol y Cymry, yr hen Gymraeg ‒ mae rhai o'r llythrennau wedi goresgyn.

Mae 45 o'r hen gerrig Celtaidd hyn yng Nghymru, a llawer ohonynt wedi cael eu hailddefnyddio drwy Gristnogaeth, mewn mynwentydd ledled Cymru. 45 o gerrig rhestredig, ac mae un ohonynt ar garreg fy nrws, yma yn Llanelli, yng Nghartref Gofal Cilymaenllwyd ‒ a dyma ble rydyn ni heddiw.

Rwy'n gyfarwydd â Chartref Gofal Cilymaenllwyd yn barod oherwydd, y llynedd, yn ystod y pandemig, bûm yn gweithio gyda'r bobl hŷn yma. Gyda Diane, y Cydlynydd Gweithgareddau, buom yn casglu naratifau natur o hoff lwybrau cerdded pobl hŷn a'u recordio iddynt, gan ddod â'r tu allan i'r tu mewn. Felly cysylltais â Diane a gofyn iddi: 'Oes gennych chi garreg Ogam yno, ar eich tiroedd?' a’i hateb oedd, 'Oes, mae un yma.' Ac mae hi'n mynd i ddweud y stori i gyd wrthym. 

Gan fy mod wedi recordio hwn ar fy ffôn, yn sefyll wrth ochr y garreg, gallwch glywed sŵn y gwynt yn y cefndir, ac ymddiheuraf os ydy hyn yn effeithio ar y sain i chi. Os ydych yn gwisgo teclynnau clyw, fel fi, efallai bydd angen i chi wrando arno'n dawel, ond teimlaf ei bod yn bwysig cynnwys llais Diane, wrth iddi ddweud hanes Plasty Cilymaenllwyd ... 

CHERYL - 'Dwi'n lwcus iawn i fod yma gyda Diane, y Cydlynydd Gweithgareddau, a dyma ni’n sefyll ger yr hyn a ystyrir yn garreg ganoloesol oherwydd y groes ar ei blaen. Ond gallai fod yn garreg Ogam oherwydd y marciau ar y top yma. Dwi'n gallu gweld arysgrif Ogam ar y top, sy'n nodweddiadol iawn, iawn. Mae mwsogl hardd arni hefyd ‒ wna i ddangos ffilm i chi, ond mae Diane yn mynd i esbonio i ni, oherwydd ... dach chi’n meddwl nad dyma lle’r oedd y garreg yn wreiddiol? '
DIANE - 'Na, yn ôl yr hyn dw i wedi darllen, pan brynwyd Cilymaenllwyd gan y teulu Stepney, codon nhw estyniad bach ar yr ochr, a dyna ble roedd y garreg yn sefyll. Pan oeddent yn adeiladu’r estyniad, symudon nhw'r garreg i flaen y tŷ. Mae gen i hen lun o flynyddoedd yn ôl gyda choeden yma a phlant yn chwarae ar siglenni. Felly doedd hi ddim yno adeg hynny, a dwi'n meddwl y daeth o'r ochr. Ar ôl gwneud y gwaith adeiladu, gosodon nhw hi o flaen y tŷ.'
CHERYL - 'Oherwydd plasty oedd hwn o'r blaen, o’nd ife?'
DIANE – 'Ie. Cafodd ei brynu gan y teulu Stepney, ond wedyn, ar ôl blwyddyn, symudon nhw i Barc Howard. Dw i wedi darllen bod ganddyn nhw fynwent anifeiliaid anwes yma hefyd, y tu cefn i'r tŷ, a phan werthon nhw'r lle hwn, symudon nhw'r fynwent. Roedd ganddyn nhw eiddo i fyny yn Yr Alban, a symudon nhw'r fynwent anifeiliaid anwes yno. '
CHERYL - 'Gwych. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Diane. Gan fy mod yn ysgrifennu am hyn, efallai bydd pobl eisiau cysylltu â chi amdano, ond rydych chi’n brysur dros ben yn y Cartref Gofal ar hyn o bryd, ond ydych?'
DIANE - 'Ydyn. Ond gallant anfon neges ataf ar messenger, @cilymaenclwddiane 
CHERYL - 'Trwy Facebook?
DIANE - 'Ie, ac os gallaf helpu, mi wnaf wrth gwrs.’
CHERYL - 'Diolch o galon, Diane, rydych chi'n drysor.’

Felly, os hoffech wylio fy fideo byr, sydd yn arddull rhaglen ddogfen farddonol ac sy'n rhoi ymdeimlad i chi o sut oedd yn teimlo i fod ym mhresenoldeb y garreg, bwriwch olwg ar y ffilm sy'n gysylltiedig â'r pod-dâp hwn. Bydd cyfle i chi ddod yn agos iawn, nid yn unig at y garreg, ond at yr Ogam ei hun. Tan y tro nesaf, yma yn CÂN Y COED - Song of the Trees. Diolch yn fawr.

​Diolch o galon i Diane a Chartref Gofal Cilymaenllwyd