THE ROMANTIC story of the Welsh people who settled in Patagonia over a century ago is challenged in a new book, revealing a darker side to the establishment of Y Wladfa.

Written by Aberystwyth University academic Dr Lucy Taylor, Global Politics of Welsh Patagonia draws on archival sources in Spanish, Welsh and English to disrupt the myth that the relationship between the Welsh and the Indigenous people was built solely on friendship and harmony.

The publication brings in the voices of the Tehuelche and Mapuche people, and foregrounds unfamiliar accounts of the role the Welsh pioneer settlers played in Argentina’s nation-building project in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Dr Taylor, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Politics who specialises in Latin American studies, says the aim of the book is to present a more rounded version of the history and reveal just how complex settler colonial relationships can be.

“The establishment of a Welsh colony in Patagonia in 1865 is familiar to everyone in Wales. It was a courageous, heroic endeavour in many ways, driven by anti-colonial resistance at home, but it also saw the Welsh become agents of colonisation,” says Dr Taylor.

“In a contemporary Wales seeking to promote anti-racist policies, I believe the time has come for a candid reappraisal of what can be considered the darker side of Y Wladfa and to re-examine conventional narrative through a decolonial lens.”

The book makes it clear that the Welsh did not use physical violence during the settlement process and says their policy of peaceful engagement has often been celebrated and romanticised, especially when drawn in contrast to the use of physical force by ‘English’ and British imperial colonisers in other parts of the world.

“As a result, Y Wladfa has not only been viewed as legitimate, it has been deployed as an asset, contributing to Welsh strategies for cultural resistance and social renewal back home,” according to Dr Taylor.

“Yet Y Wladfa was undeniably fundamental to Argentina’s nation-building project and, while the Welsh pioneer settlement might have had its own agenda, it was also a key factor in the Argentinian Government’s campaign at that time to dispossess the Indigenous people of their lands, and assert their own sovereignty and capitalist modernity.

“My book invites readers to think beyond the conventional stories so familiar to us all, to listen to the voices of Indigenous people from the past and to consider Wales’s complex position as both colonised at home and coloniser in Pagatonia.”

Dr Taylor hopes her research will help inform the new history curriculum in Wales as well as contribute to wider discussions around decolonisation and anti-racism.

Global Politics of Welsh Patagonia (University of Wales Press, 2025) will be launched at the National Library of Wales at 7pm on Wednesday 2 April when Dr Taylor will be in conversation with Emeritus Professor Paul O’Leary from Aberystwyth University’s Department of History and Welsh History. Tickets are available free of charge online but booking is essential.

A 47-year-old man from Goodwick has been sentenced to jail after admitting to stealing his partner’s prescription medication.

Andrew Gibbs, of Allt Y Carne, appeared at Swansea Crown Court where he admitted taking four Pregabalin tablets from his long-term girlfriend on February 14.

Prosecuting, Alycia Carpanini told the court that Gibbs had taken the tablets while drinking in the living room earlier that day. He was arrested later that evening on unrelated matters, and officers found the medication in his possession.

During his arrest, Gibbs admitted aloud to police that he had stolen the tablets. He later confirmed the theft in a prepared statement during interview.

The court heard that Gibbs has a lengthy criminal history, with 35 previous convictions covering 68 offences. He had previously faced a series of serious allegations, including actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation against his partner, as well as two further assaults. However, those charges were dropped after the complainants chose not to support the prosecution.

In mitigation, defence barrister Dan Griffiths said his client had been cooperative with police from the outset and had already spent time in custody since his arrest.

Judge Paul Thomas KC imposed a 14-day custodial sentence for the theft, acknowledging the time Gibbs had already spent on remand. He will be released shortly under supervision.

DYFED-POWYS POLICE Community Support Officers (PCSOs) 8042 and 8020 joined staff at McDonald’s and Year 5 and 6 pupils from Cosheston VC School for a community litter pick around Pembroke Dock.

As part of the school’s ongoing environmental project, the pupils helped collect seven bags of rubbish while keeping a detailed log of the types of litter found.

PCSOs are uniformed civilian members of police staff who work to support regular police officers and engage with the community. Their involvement helped promote positive relationships between local police and young people.

The event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of looking after the local environment and encouraged children to take pride in their community.

Members of the public are reminded to dispose of their waste responsibly and use the bins provided.