EXIT THE DRAGON

CONCERN AT LACK OF WELSH FLAGS AT EISTEDDFODAU

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

A VETERAN eisteddfodau supporter has been left mystified by the apparent dearth of Welsh flags at recent National and Urdd festivals.

Thomas Victor Jones claimed to have first noticed their absence when he served as a steward at the 2023 Llyn and Eifionydd national festival in Boduan, near Pwllheli.

After searching the Maes and failing to find any Wales flags, he said questions to senior Eisteddfod officials hit a brick wall. "One told me that putting up flags was a health and safety risk - I wasn't sure if she was joking," he said.

The National Eisteddfod of Wales is Europe's largest music and poetry festival, with more than 6,000 participants competing in Welsh. Considered the ultimate celebration of Welsh culture, Mr Jones found it unfathomable that the Ddraig Goch flag would be excluded.

At last year's National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd, he again made a point of searching the grounds for Wales flags. He found one - at the cricket club. Some private caravans had them - but they were nowhere to be found in official and performance areas, he claimed.

He undertook similar searches at this year's Urdd Eisteddfod near Port Talbot - and again he said he couldn't find any Welsh flags. It left him wondering if there was a deliberate policy preventing their use.