Chairing of the Bard facts for kids

The Chairing of the Bard (Welsh: Cadeirio'r Bardd) is one of the most important events in the Welsh eisteddfod tradition. An eisteddfod is a big festival where people compete in music, poetry, and other arts. The most famous chairing ceremony happens at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. It always takes place on the Friday afternoon of Eisteddfod week. The winners are called Y Prifardd, which means "The Chief Bard". This custom of chairing a bard is very old. It has been happening since at least 1176!

Robin Llwyd ab Owain was chaired in 1991

What is the Bardic Chair?

A brand new bardic chair is specially designed and made for each eisteddfod. This special chair is given to the winner of a poetry competition. The poets write an "awdl", which is a type of poem. These poems follow a strict Welsh poetry style called cynghanedd.

Sometimes, the chair might not be given to anyone. This happens if the judges think that the poems entered are not good enough. For example, in 1889, a chair made for a smaller eisteddfod in Bagillt, Flintshire, was not awarded. This particular chair made news in 2006 when it was returned to Wales from Canada. The chair was most recently withheld in 2013 at the Eisteddfod in Denbighshire, Gwynedd.

The chairing ceremony of the 1958 National Eisteddfod; the winning poet was T. Llew Jones

How the Ceremony Works

The National Eisteddfod ceremony is led by the Archdruid. This is a very important person in the Eisteddfod. First, a judge talks about the poems that were entered. Then, the Archdruid announces the winner's name. But they only use the pen name that the poet used to submit their work. No one knows who the real winner is until this moment!

The winning bard is asked to stand up. Then, they are escorted to the stage. Local children perform a special dance to celebrate the new bard.

The chair given to Taliesin o Eifion after his death at the Wrexham Eisteddfod in 1876

The Story of the Black Chair

One of the most famous and sad stories of the Chairing of the Bard happened in 1917. A poet named Hedd Wyn (whose real name was Ellis Humphrey Evans) won the Chair for his poem "Yr Arwr" ("The Hero").

On September 6, 1917, the chairing ceremony took place at the National Eisteddfod. This Eisteddfod was held in Birkenhead Park, England. The judges announced that the winning poem was submitted under the pen name Fleur de Lys. The trumpets sounded three times, calling for the winner to come forward from the audience. But no one appeared.

Then, Archdruid Dyfed announced the sad news. Hedd Wyn had been killed in action in World War I six weeks earlier. The winner's chair was then covered with a black sheet. It was delivered to Hedd Wyn's parents. Because of this sad event, that year's eisteddfod is now known in Welsh as "Eisteddfod y Gadair Ddu" ("The Eisteddfod of the Black Chair").

The chair from that ceremony was made by a Belgian carpenter named Eugeen Vanfleteren. He had come to Britain after Belgium was invaded during the war. This historic chair is now on display at Yr Ysgwrn, which was the poet's home.

Winning the "Double"

Winning both the bardic chair and the crown at the same eisteddfod is a very rare achievement. It has only happened a few times in the history of the eisteddfod. Two poets, Alan Llwyd and Donald Evans, have each managed to win both the chair and the crown twice!

The first woman to win the Chair at the National Eisteddfod was Mererid Hopwood. She won in 2001. She later went on to win the crown at a different eisteddfod.

Poets with Multiple Wins

Some poets have won the Chair more than once. Here are some of the poets who have achieved multiple wins: