about the 2004 Eisteddfod
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/eisteddfod/

The National Eisteddfod of Wales is one of Europe's largest competitive cultural festivals - annually attracting around 160,000 visitors. The first Eisteddfod is believed to have been held in Cardigan in 1176, and in its present form in Aberdare in 1860.

What happens?

The 3,500 seat pavilion is the focal point of the festival where competitions in music, dance and the spoken word take place.

There's also a theatre, and arts and crafts exhibition, a literature pavilion, a Welsh learners centre, a science and technology exhibition and a pulsating youth pavilion, as well as over 300 trade stands and exhibitors.

Evening entertainment, both in the pavilion and in other local venues, includes concerts, plays, revues, performances and socialising on a scale which has to be seen to be believed!

Where and when is it held?

The Eisteddfod is a travelling festival which alternates between North and South Wales. In 2004, it will be held between July 31 and 7 August, and will be staged on a 30 acre campus in the grounds of Tredegar House. An additional 110 acres or so will be provided nearby for caravan and camping sites and car parking facilities.
    ~ ylais Silures

eisteddfod here?
    That would be good to have some activities on here to do, but myself I am rather to busy to get that involved.
But perhaps we could do something for the next few days or so, where people write poems, stories, and post them on here. Then they'll be here for posterity.
And we can do that at what time we can be on here.
Maybe people who can be on more could arrange among themselves, even if it's two or three people to be on at the same time, to do something, maybe write an ongoing story?

Culculun, and also on behalf of Ylais
xxxx
    ~ culculun Silures

a little story of eisteddfod
    The first Eisteddfod was held at Ceredigion Castle.
That Castle is now in disrepair, at is the center of the town.
On top of it was built a mansion in Georgian times, in typical Georgian style. This house is also now very run down. The owner having left 20 years ago, when she was elderly and no longer able to deal with the upkeep the house at all. She and her cat had been living in only one part of the house, the kitchen area, because she said it was the warmest part of the house as the walls were 10 foot thick. It turns out that this is the old mediaeval tower of the castle. The back of the house turned out to be made of what had been left standing of Ceredigion Castle which is all the back of the mansion.
The belongings of the last owner, and the furnishings of the Georgian house are still in the house, though that's a condemned house, and the inner Georgian structures are crumbling.
The local council bought the property for I think it was £1.5 million, and they are in need of £3.5 million to restore it.
There's a show on here, featuring several ancient, or newer historical properties, all in need of repair, and about the same amount, and we are supposed to vote for the building we think should get the money.

    ~ ylais Silures

interior of ceredigion castle
    i found a website, which although a little out of date~the photos are from 1991, it has very good photos of the interior of the castle at cardigan.
having just watched a show on the television that's recent, i'm amazed, that the place looks the same as it did back in 1991.
The only difference being in 1991 the owner was still living in the tower that was incorporated into the Georgian house, and that Georgian part must be more run down now.
There's a bit of the history of the castle on the webpage as well, including about it being the first place the Eisteddfod was held.
http://www.castlewales.com/cardigan.html


    ~ ylais Silures

Fantastic website!
    The pictures were wonderful!! I was only inside one castle, Warwick, and its great to see the inside of another, even if it is, sadly, in decline.
I try to imagine what it looked like in its heyday, it gets the imagination working! lol
Thank you!!
    ~ Aveleen Ordovices