Entertainment

Wales features prominently among the Last Voices of the Irish Revolution

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

THE IRISH CIVIL WAR ended in 1923. The yearlong conflict had been fought between those who opposed and supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 – a key component of which was the continued partition of Ireland and the fact that dominion status rather than an Irish republic had been achieved in the south (it would become known as the Irish Free State). Between 1919 and 1921, the Irish War for Independence had taken place followed by a twelve month truce period.

Eighty years after the end of the civil war, author and documentary-maker Tom Hurley wondered if there were many civilians and combatants left from across Ireland who had experienced the years 1919 to 1923, their prelude and their aftermath. What memories had they, what were their stories and how did they reflect on those turbulent times?

In early 2003, he recorded the experiences of 18 people in Ireland, conducting two further interviews in the United States in 2004. Tom spoke to a cross-section (Catholic, Protestant, Unionist and Nationalist) who were in their teens or early twenties during the civil war.

The chronological approach he has taken to his book spans fifty years, beginning with the oldest interviewee’s birth in 1899 and ending when the Irish Free State became the Republic of Ireland in 1949.

Among those interviewed for the book was Mai McMahon, born in 1902, in County Clare. She was a neighbour of a man named Art O’Donnell who was arrested after the 1916 Rising which was an attempt to overthrow British rule in Ireland and establish a republic.

The rising failed and O’Donnell who worked as a teacher and was sent to Frongoch Internment Camp in Gwynedd along with hundreds of other Irish rebels. He was released some months later.

Another interviewee is George Cooper, born in Dublin, in 1910. His uncle had also participated in the 1916 rebellion and interestingly in 1922 his older sister Harriet Maud Victoria, married Corporal Baden Percy Lawrence of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, in a Dublin registry office.

The author also spoke to William Geary from County Limerick who was aged 105 at the time. He recalled his friend Patrick O’Sullivan who was killed in 1917 during the First World War.

He had enlisted in the British army in Cardiff in 1915. The name of David Lloyd George from Llanystumdwy is salient throughout the book which isn’t surprising as he served as British Prime Minister from 1916 until his resignation in 1922.

He had therefore played an important part in the negotiation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. There are numerous other references to locations, landmarks and personalities connected to Wales contained in the book also.

100 years after the Irish Civil War ended, these 20 interviews recorded by Tom Hurley come together to create a unique oral account of the revolutionary period and the tensions that were brewing in the run-up and aftermath.

Together, theirs are the Last Voices of the Irish Revolution.

Last Voices of the Irish Revolution by Tom Hurley is available in bookshops throughout Ireland and the UK and can also be ordered online. It is published by Gill Books.

Entertainment

Summer Feastival to bring food, music and family fun to Pembrey

Published

1 day ago

June 11, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A WEEKEND of street food, live music, circus entertainment and family activities is heading to Pembrey Country Park this month.

Summer Feastival, organised by Street Food Circus, will take place from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21, bringing what organisers describe as the “ultimate coastal foodie weekend” to Carmarthenshire.

The event will be held over the summer solstice weekend, with visitors able to enjoy food, entertainment and activities against the backdrop of Pembrey Country Park and the nearby eight-mile beach.

This year’s event includes a new BBC Horizons live music stage, created through a partnership with BBC Wales, showcasing emerging bands and artists from across Wales.

Families will also be able to enjoy the World’s Biggest Bouncy Castle, Attack! Mexican Wrestling, Chris Bullzini’s high wire show, the Incredibly Clever Canine Circus, a free circus school, craft activities with Let’s Make Art, crazy golf from Kiss My Putt, and Bull Axe Throwing.

There will also be an Indie Collectives market featuring Welsh independent makers and crafts, along with a Big Top Picnic celebrating local food producers.

As evening falls, the event will move into a more relaxed festival atmosphere, with live music, slower beats and a fire finale from the Pembrokeshire Fire Spinners.

Food will be at the heart of the weekend, with traders including The Dough Thrower, serving 72-hour fermented wood-fired pizzas, Pasta a Mano with handmade pasta from West Wales, Mar y Fuego with seafood cooked over fire, and Mabiko with Zimbabwean and South African dishes.

Other traders include The Queen Pepiada, TNT Tacos, Two Lads Kitchen, Burger Bros, Paletas, Poutine Punks, Churros Hermanos, Drizzle and The Coffee Shop.

Drinks will be provided by Tiny Rebel, SFC’s Bobo bar, Lola’s Cocktails and The Lemonade Stand.

Street Food Circus founder Matt ‘the Hat’ said: “Pembrey Country Park is our biggest event of the season, and it’s a truly spectacular location.

“We’re bringing the best of Welsh street food and a circus-full of entertainment and activities for kids and big kids alike.

“With an on-site campsite, people don’t have to rush home. You can have a beach stroll in the morning, explore the Feastival and park adventures like the toboggan, miniature railway or dry ski slope by day, and let the music drift you into a warm summer evening. It’s the ultimate summer escape.

“This year we are going all out with more food, more music, and a brand-new live stage.”

He said the event will also include the new Little Kooks Clwb, aimed at children who enjoy food-based activities.

Kids’ tickets are free, while an optional Little Kooks Clwb package includes an activity backpack with challenges, ideas and foodie inspiration to take home.

Summer Feastival runs at Pembrey Country Park from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21.

Opening hours are Friday 4:00pm to 10:00pm, Saturday 10:00am to 10:00pm, and Sunday 10:00am to 7:00pm.

Tickets start at £9.50, with children admitted free. More information is available at streetfoodcircus.co.uk.

Entertainment

BBC Cymru Wales launches new fund for YouTube-first content

Published

2 days ago

June 10, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BBC Cymru Wales has launched a new development fund aimed at creating bold, original factual entertainment content for younger digital audiences.

The Format Fund will support five independent production companies, with each receiving £7,000 to develop an original pilot designed specifically for YouTube-first viewers aged 16 to 24.

The initiative is intended to encourage creative risk-taking and explore what the next generation of factual entertainment could look like in a digital-first media landscape.

BBC Cymru Wales says it is looking for ideas that move away from traditional television production models and instead embrace YouTube-native storytelling, with clear concepts, strong pacing, repeatable formats and striking visuals that quickly capture attention.

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales said: “As part of a busy summer of piloting and commissioning YouTube content of all shapes and sizes across scripted and unscripted we’re delighted to be heading into this super fun genre.

“We’d love to be in a world where we can scale up these fact-ent pilots into something for the whole of the BBC to enjoy – wishing everyone all the best as they get stuck into it.”

Successful ideas could be developed further with BBC Cymru Wales, with the potential to become returning digital series.

The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday, July 3.

Entertainment

Duffy set for secret comeback gig after 15 years away from UK stage

Published

3 days ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WELSH singer Duffy is set to make her live UK comeback with a secret London show, more than 15 years after her last concert appearance in Britain.

The Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy, revealed the news to fans in an Instagram story, confirming that the intimate performance will take place on July 5.

Duffy wrote: “I’m doing a secret intimate gig in London on the 5th July, next month, and I would love nothing more than for some of you to attend.

“It’s only small capacity so we can only select a few, but really looking forward to it, I will sing some new songs.

“All my love, Duffy x.”

The performance will include new material and marks her first UK live show since December 2010, when she appeared at Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena in London.

Duffy became one of Wales’ biggest music stars following the release of her debut album Rockferry, which was powered by the hit single Mercy. The song topped the UK charts for five weeks and helped establish her internationally.

Her second album, Endlessly, followed in 2010, but she later withdrew from public life.

Years later, Duffy revealed that she had been drugged, raped and held captive, explaining her long absence from the music industry.

Her return to the stage comes shortly after confirmation that she will feature in a new Disney+ documentary, which will explore her rise to fame, her life in Wales, her career, and the traumatic events that led to her stepping away from the spotlight.

Duffy also has strong links to Pembrokeshire. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother and two sisters to Letterston, near Fishguard.

She later attended Sir Thomas Picton School in Haverfordwest, where she completed her GCSEs before returning to North Wales to live with her father.