Dewi Emrys facts for kids

Dewi Emrys was the pen-name of a famous Welsh poet named David Emrys James (born May 28, 1881 – died September 20, 1952). He wrote all his poems in the Welsh language.

He was born in a place called Majorca House in New Quay, Cardiganshire, Wales. His father, Thomas Emrys James, was a minister in the Congregational Church. His mother, Mary Ellen, was the daughter of a sea captain. His family later moved to Fishguard, where his father became a minister at another church. Dewi Emrys went to the local school there.

Early Life and Education

Dewi Emrys started working at a local newspaper called County Echo. When his family moved to Carmarthen in 1896, he continued his training at The Carmarthen Journal. He soon became the editor for the newspaper's Welsh-language parts. In 1903, he went to study at the Presbyterian College in Carmarthen. After his studies, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a minister.

A Minister and a Family Man

For a while, Dewi Emrys was a minister at the Welsh Free Church in Liverpool. He then moved to lead churches in other Welsh towns like Dowlais, Buckley, and Pontypridd. In July 1908, he married Cissie Jenkins. They had two sons together. In 1915, he became the minister of a church in Finsbury Park, London. During the First World War, in 1917, he joined the armed forces.

A Champion Poet

Dewi Emrys was very talented at poetry. He won the crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1926. The National Eisteddfod is a big festival in Wales that celebrates Welsh culture, especially poetry and music. In 1929, he won the chair at the National Eisteddfod. This was the first of four times he would win the chair, which is a record! He also won many chairs at smaller, local eisteddfodau.

After a while, he decided to stop being a minister. He focused more on his writing. In 1936, he went back to journalism, writing for a Welsh newspaper called Y Cymro.

Later Years and Legacy

In his later life, Dewi Emrys was connected with other Welsh-language poets, including Dilys Cadwaladr and Eluned Phillips. Eluned Phillips even wrote a book about Dewi Emrys's life. Dewi Emrys had a daughter named Dwynwen, who was born in 1930. In the early 1940s, he went to live with his daughter in Talgarreg, Cardiganshire. He joined the local Congregational church there and started preaching again, though he did not officially return to being a minister.

A TV show about Dewi Emrys's life, called Dewi Emrys: Cythraul yr Awen, was shown on S4C in 2014. You can find a special memorial to him near Pwllderi in Pencaer, Pembrokeshire. This place was the inspiration for one of his most famous poems.