Next month marks the sixtieth anniversary of the bombing of the construction site at Tryweryn Dam in Wales on 10th February 1963.
The action was carried out by Owain Williams a founder member of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC) probably the most effective of the militant Welsh action groups of the last century. The action did not unfortunately halt the construction of the dam or the drowning of the village of Capel Celyn from which a Welsh speaking community was expelled,
MAC was eventually broken up after action by the British Intelligence Services and Police. Williams went on the run for a time and hid in Ireland at a house provided for him by republican sympathisers.
He eventually returned to Cymru and was jailed with fellow activist Emyr Llywelyn Jones over the bombing he, said:
“I knew it would take a drastic step to stir the required reaction.
“An explosion was needed that would halt the building of the dam and possibly save the doomed valley.
“I hoped it would rock the nation and disturb its status quo of respectability.”
Owain Williams went on to continue the struggle to defend Wales politically and became the leader of regionalist political party Llais Gwynedd in Gwynedd and councillor representing the Clynnog Fawr ward for Gwynedd Council.
Last year a BAFTA award winning drama documentary about his action was made and a book about his life has been produced by Y Lolfa.
(Amazon video) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Welshman-Owain…/dp/B0B7F9CX7R
Y Lolfa – ‘Tryweryn: A Nation Awakes’
https://www.ylolfa.com/…/tryweryn-a-nation-awakes-the…
Related links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudiad_Amddiffyn_Cymru
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Williams_(politician)
Link (Owain on the death of MAC leader John Barnard Jenkins):
https://www.facebook.com/…/a.80637947…/3506802459368490/
Bernard Moffatt
AGS Celtic League (19 January 2023)
