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Cardiff Arms Park - The rich story of Wales' most renowned real estate

It's hallowed turf. It's held warm memories for thousands and thousands of rugby fans for well over a century. The Arms Park. Now the full, colourful story of how this world famous sporting address came into being and developed over the years is told in this fascinating book, The Arms Park:Heart of a Rugby Nation. Rich rugby memories of Welsh triumphs, moments of individual genius – remember 'that try' against the All Blacks? - triumphs in other sports and more recently, large scale music events, come together in this well illustrated, well told narrative.

It is published at a time when the virtues of the ground currently bearing that illustrious name are being hotly debated, with many calling for Cardiff Blues to go back there. If your involved in that or not, there's plenty here for every rugby fan of any colour and for anyone interested in the history of Cardiff generally. Countless big names have made The Arms Park a stop on their journey to fame, from Billy Meredith to Ian Rush, from Monkey Gould to George North, Tommy Farr to Lennox Lewis, David Bowie to Bryn Terfel and a myriad of other stars that make up the Arms Park galaxy. We know many by their first names only, Barry, Gareth, Gerald, Ieuan, Shane and on and on and on.

Since the century before last, the Arms Park has seen major events that take their place in the history of world sport. Some changed the game of rugby forever, such as picking Frank Hancock to play for Cardiff as a fourth three quarter because he was too talented to be left out. Until then, the game had 9 forwards, two half backs, a full back and three three quarter players. In order to include Frank Hancock, from the famous brewing family, the rules were changed and one forward was left out so that he could be an extra back. That's how Cardiff took to the Arms Park turf against Gloucester in 1884 and that's been the shape of every rugby team ever since. Also, to counter the intimidating Haka before the Welsh victory against the All Blacks in 1905, the Welsh fans started to sing Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, thus starting the world-wide tradition of singing anthems before matches.

The ground has seen three Golden Era's of Welsh rugby and who knows, might be on the verge of seeing a fourth. Touring teams have come here and epic battles have taken place not seen in the area since the days of the Romans who first settled in what is now Cardiff. The tensions of Cup rugby thrilled us from the 70's onwards. European rugby and a World Cup tournament have more recently been held on 'Wales' most renowned piece of real estate', where the first stand cost £50 to build!

But for all the world landmarks and sporting headlines, as respected Welsh journalist Carolyn Hitt says in her foreword, we've all got our own 'mental scrapbook' full of a variety of experiences from visits to the Arms Park or the National Stadium or the Millennium Stadium as it has become. But the address remains the same, The Arms Park. We've all got our own stories to tell of memorable trips to the capital. That's why this book will resonate differently with every fan who picks it up.

Built on land given by the Marquess of Bute for the exclusive development of recreation for the people of Cardiff, it's the cricketers who first used it. Then the rugby, then the football, with some other sports making occasional appearances and of course, the famous greyhounds! But it's the rugby that has made the place it's own. The Arms Park: Heart of a Rugby Nation is a good story that reads easily. A wealth of archive photographs give us a real feel of the spirit of bygone eras.

But this book is not just sporting history and nostalgia. It closes with a heart-felt call for more to be done to honour this legacy by creating a permanent home to showcase Welsh rugby memorabilia. If this book is anything to go by, that permanent home is long over due.

Notes on the Authors

Emyr Young is a professional photographer with a passion for rugby football. Before turning professional in 2002 he worked as an actor, presenter and voice artist. Between 2000 and 2010 he helped establish tours and work as a part time guide at the Millennium Stadium. You can view his work on www.emyryoung.co.uk

Bill O'Keefe is one of Wales ' most experienced tourist guides. After graduating in history from Cardiff University he gained a Masters in Tourism and qualified as an Official Wales Blue Badge Guide. Having worked in a wide variety of guiding roles, including nine years at the Millennium Stadium where he helped establish the tours, Bill now runs Planet Wales (www.planetwales.co.uk) providing highly acclaimed tours on the history and wildlife of Wales ,  including the Official Guides Cardiff Walking Tour, the city's popular history walk.

Both authors will be at WH Smiths, Cardiff 11-1 on the 10th of March and Waterstones, Cardiff on 17 March from 11-1 to sign copies of their book.

'Few sporting names are as closely linked to a nation’s identity as that of the ‘Arms Park’ toWales, and its position right at the centre of the capital reflects this relationship.' Bill O'Keefe

'...to the generations of men and women who have brought our citadel of sport to life since 1876 – as the Romans would say – we salute you.' Carolyn Hitt

The Arms Park - Heart of a Rugby Nation - Bill O'Keefe and Emyr Young - £9.95 – Y Lolfa

An Interview With Paul Child - Official Singer of The Welsh Rugby Union

Paul Child is Wales' biggest independent selling artist. Paul has sang the Welsh National Anthem at many of the Wales international rugby matches at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. ( When Paul sings, Wales wins!). We are extremely proud to welcome Paul to this year's West Coast eisteddfod in L.A. where he will be headlining and leading the singing of the Welsh anthem at the opening concert on Friday Tickets for the performance can be purchased at the bottom of this page.

AmeriCymru: Hi Paul...many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. We last interviewed you two years ago. Care to fill us in on developments over the last few years?

Paul: The last couple of years have been really exciting, with the release of the 'After All These Years' CD in 2009, followed by the 'Best Of...' double CD "My Wales' last Summer. Both CDs have done really well, with the 'My Wales' CD outselling both Cerys Matthews' and Charlotte Church's latest releases. I also performed the Welsh National Anthem for the Welsh football team for the first time last October which was a great honour.

AmeriCymru: You recently performed at Disneyland Paris as part of their annual Festival of Wales, how was that experience and how did it come about?

Paul: Disney in Paris have been holding their Festival of Wales in March for the last couple of years, it's a great 3 day event which sees Minnie Mouse dressed in full Welsh costume for the weekend and lots of Choirs and performers around the park. This year they asked me go go over with my full ten piece band to headline the event. It was a great show with lots of Welsh people who had travelled over for the Welsh weekend as well as a great number of ex-pats living in the area.

AmeriCymru: At Disneyland, you performed "There's a Place," from your "My Wales" album - how was that song chosen and what can you tell us about it's creation?

Paul: Although the 'My Wales' double album is mainly a compilation of the most popular songs from my previous eight albums, we wanted to include a couple brand new songs, just to keep things fresh - Along with "Coming Home To Wales, "There's A Place" is one of my favourites. It was originally written in the Welsh language but we wanted to make it more accessible so it was re-written it in English, it's lovely song. The youtube link below shows a live performance of the track at Cardiff International Arena.

AmeriCymru: You're a father, do your children get to watch you perform? Are they ever able to travel with you? How do they like their dad's performances?

Paul: I'm a very proud father to Michael who is 12 and Kate who is 10. They have been to a few local shows and they like to get involved with the soundcheck and set-up. They are both members of the local youth theatre and Michael particularly loves acting and performing. We have just signed him up to a kids talent agency so we'll see what comes of that!

AmeriCymru: You will be appearing at he West Coast Eisteddfod in September. Is this your first performance in the States? First time in L.A.?

Paul: I am very excited about performing in LA, it will be my first time to do so but I'm lucky enough to have been there a few times in my life - I absolutely love the place! I remember my parents taking me the Disneyland when I was eleven and I made the trip again on my own when I was about 25. In Summer 2009 my wife and I took the kids over, we did Disney, Universal Studios, Seaworld plus of course Hollywood and the beaches. The Strand on Hermosa Beach has to be one of my favourite places in the world - I'd love to retire there one day!

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?

Paul: Thanks you so much for inviting me to perform at the West Coast Eisteddfod, I am so looking forward to it. I'm sure that it is going to be a fantastic few days that we will all remember for a very long time - see you in September!

2011 West Coast Eisteddfod: Welsh Festival of Arts - Fri 23rd Sept



Opening Ceremonies on Friday, 23rd, 2011 from 6pm to 10pm

in the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre

Admission to Opening Ceremonies/Concert $10

Featuring Performances by:

Paul Child

"Official voice of the WRU"

Michael Aston of Gene Loves Jezebel

Music • Acoustic

Monica Richards/Infrawarrior

Music • Video • Performance Art Installation

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

Millennium Stadium Boost For Welsh Cancer Charity

Tens of thousands of rugby fans are being asked to help a Welsh charity set up by the singer and broadcaster Shan Cothi to raise money for the battle against pancreatic cancer. A bucket collection will be held around the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, 20th of March when Wales take on Italy in their final game of the RBS 6 Nations tournament. Sixty volunteers will be stationed on walkways around the stadium asking for contributions to the charity called Amser Justin Time. The collection has been arranged with the support of the Welsh Rugby Union to achieve the dual aims of raising the charity’s profile and cash for the cause. Shan Cothi launched the Amser Justin Time charity in honour of her husband Justin Smith whose life was cut short by pancreatic cancer at the age of 42. He was well known in Wales as a successful TV director, editor and musician with the Tigertailz glam rock band (aka Pepsi Tate). The charity in his name raises money for pancreatic cancer care in Wales and helps fund a specialist nurse who supports patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. Shan recently attended a Wales squad training session along with the actor Steffan Rhodri who is an active supporter of the charity. Steffan has appeared in an impressive list of films and television roles and most recently is perhaps best known for playing Dave Coaches in hit TV series Gavin and Stacey. At the Millennium Stadium training session they joined squad members and Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland who pulled on Amser Justin Time T shirts to be pictured supporting the charity’s work. Shan Cothi said: ”I am very grateful to the WRU and to Warren and his players for the support they have given us. It was great to meet up with them at the training session and they were all so determined to show their support for Amser Justin Time. The bucket collection is a great opportunity for us both to raise money and the profile of the work we do here in Wales to fight pancreatic cancer. We work hard to make Amser Justin Time a success and this support from the national sport of Wales will certainly help us a great deal.” WRU Chairman, David Pickering, said: ”Amser Justin Time is an extremely worthwhile cause and we are delighted to be able to help. I know how hard Shan works for the charity and I am sure the Welsh and Italian fans who attend the game will give generously. The WRU knows the devastating impact pancreatic cancer can have because our Head of Legal Affairs, Mike Jefferies, suffered from the disease and died last year." Amser Justin Time holds regular events throughout Wales to collect funds for the charity and details of its events and work are featured on its dedicated website. The WRU delivers its core support to the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust which raises money to help seriously injured former players in Wales. For more information on the charity, please visit www.amserjustintime.org For donations, please visit www.justgiving.com/amser

RBS Six Nations News: Gareth Thomas Launches New Online Welsh Rugby TV Channel

As we line up for the start of the RBS Six Nations, a new online Welsh rugby TV channel launches with its selection of the high profile international and Cardiff Blues star Gareth Thomas as its main presenter. The South Wales based online subscription tv venture welshrugby.tv has been created to deliver insight on the real stories in Welsh rugby for Welsh rugby supporters worldwide – with independent comment from Gareth "Alfie" Thomas - one of Welsh rugby’s biggest characters, as the main host for the channel during the RBS 6 Nations Championship. Click here to view Alfie telling us why he’s involved and what he thinks welshrugby.tv should be. The versatile player now moves into a presenter’s role, hosting the regular The Welsh Rugby Show on welshrugby.tv, which kicks off this week. Thomas won his 100th cap for Wales against Fiji during the Rugby World Cup in 2007, was Captain of Wales’s Grand Slam winning team in 2005 and captained the British and Irish Lions on their tour of New Zealand in the same year. Thomas is keen to give fans the inside track on issues and stories about the game in Wales, and the welshrugby.tv site will provide the Welsh rugby supporter with a unique combination of the latest rugby news, professional and creative video content, analysis and opinion. welshrugby.tv will produce a ‘behind the scenes’ look at all aspects of Welsh rugby, including: the 6 Nations campaign, the summer tour and the Autumn internationals, the regions, club and community rugby and player profiles. Thomas will be joined by a range of top flight and local club players, giving their views and insight into the raw truth of how things really are for those involved in the game. Thomas said: “Without doubt, Welsh rugby supporters are the most knowledgeable, passionate and committed fans worldwide. As I know from my own experience, rugby in Wales is far more than a game, it’s a part of who we are and I’m really pleased to be part of a team that’s giving real information and comment from behind the scenes, and I hope, will inspire the true Welsh rugby supporter.” Market research by the team behind the venture has shown that rugby supporters want to have different types of programming and video clips from what is already available either online, in print or on screen. Carwyn Jones from Llantrisant commented “At last, someone’s listening to what we want – we want to be able to hear the voice and views of the real Welsh rugby supporter alongside that of the usual rugby pundits – and for them to take notice of what we’re saying.” With that in mind, as well as the The Welsh Rugby Show and the latest news at international and regional level, welshrugby.tv will host blogs, supporters’ forums and through the Clubzone section of the site will offer rugby clubs across Wales, the opportunity to post information on their club and upload their own videos.” Tom Stroud, CEO of Webcast Global explained “Welsh rugby supporters have been saying that they want to get the bare truth and be involved with rugby in Wales at all levels pro levels. We’re really looking forward to delivering a full schedule of both live and on-demand (pre-recorded) programmes, looking at elite rugby, community and grass roots level as well as being a part of the development of the game in Wales through our skills and coaching programming schedule.” Richard Owen, Director of Red Shoes added: “We’re passionate about producing great content that will deliver Welsh rugby in the raw – at its best and without being shy of asking the crunch questions.” www.welshrugby.tv

The Six Nations Rugby Songbook

Essential Companion for all the Six Nations Sing-Songs If the Six Nations tournament would be about singing the Welsh would probably win it every year. A new handy companion will be published this week with the words to all the songs that will be sung in buses, pubs and stadiums during the coming weeks. The Six Nations Rugby Songbook, published by Y Lolfa, includes all the Welsh favourites such as Hymns and Arias, Bread of Heaven and Delilah as well as songs from the other five nations such as The Fields of Athenry and Flower of Scotland. Translations are included for the Welsh language songs such as Sosban Fach, Calon Lân, Myfanwy and I Bob Un Sy’n Ffyddlon. The bus trips, the dressing up, the socialising, the friendly banter between fans and rousing sing songs are now as much a part of the Six Nations championship as the rugby. This pocket sized book will be a godsend to any one who isn’t sure of the words and wants to join in the impromptu singing sessions and to tour organiser who wants to ensure that everyone knows the words to all the songs making sure that even if Wales don’t win the rugby as far as the singing is concerned the “land of song” will always be leading the way. The Six Nations Rugby Song Book is available at www.ylolfa.com and bookshops around Wales for £2.95. A list of Songs included in the book Wales Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, Sosban Fach, Calon Lân, Myfanwy, Cwm Rhondda, Bread of Heaven, When the Coal Comes from the Rhondda, I Bob Un Sy’n Ffyddlon, Hymns and Arias, Delilah, We’ll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside England God Save the Queen, Jerusalem, Swing Low, Abide With Me, Amazing Grace Ireland A Soldier’s Song, Ireland’s Call, Molly Malone, Fields of Athenry, The Wild Rover, Danny Boy Scotland The Flower of Scotland, Loch Lomond , Scotland the Brave France La Marseillaise, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Italy Inno di Mameli Other Nations God Defend New Zealand, The Haka, Advance Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda, God Bless Africa

Nigel Owens Tells All in Autobiography

The 26th of October sees the launch of Nigel Owens’ autobiography Half Time. Nigel Owens is one of world rugby’s leading referees and personalities and is the only openly high profile gay personality in British professional sport. Before reaching the highest echelons of the rugby world, Nigel Owens had to come to terms with the despair that drove him to attempt suicide as he struggled with his sexuality, bulimia and an addiction to steroids. An inspirational story, his autobiography is a brave and honest account of his personal struggle to overcome fear and prejudice to become one of the most respected and well known personalities in international rugby. Nigel Owens’s warmth and humour shine through his story, which is brimming with anecdotes about matches he has refereed and players he has met along the way: from Gavin Henson’s first match, to on-pitch altercations with Austin Healey, Lawrence, Dallaglio’s intimidation tactics, coping with live televised matches, and needing a police escort from the ground in Auch, France. He was in charge of the recent “bloodgate” incident and adds his thoughts to the debate. Half Time by Nigel Owens is published by Y Lolfa and is available from www.ylolfa.com and bookshops for £14.95. Nigel Owens will be signing copies of his book in Cardiff on the 7th of November before Wales play the All Blacks. He will be in WH Smith’s from 11 – 12:30 and in Waterstone’s from 1:30 – 2:30.

A Must Read for all Football and Rugby Fans in Wales

A new guide, The Football and Rugby Playing Fields of Wales by Richard E Huws is about to be published. A life-long passion for sport led Huws to undertake a decade of research into the history of around 600 grounds throughout Wales. The result is this informative and comprehensive volume packed with fascinating facts and stats. The entries detail the teams that have played on each pitch and some famous matches that have taken place. The author explains further: “I have endeavoured to record the playing fields used by all current senior football and rugby teams in Wales. Fields used by some defunct teams have also been included if they can be clearly identified. I have also attempted to record some special events which have been held on certain fields. These range from agricultural shows to national eisteddfodau, and to other sporting events and unique occasions such as papal visits.” The book will appeal to sports fans and those with an interest in local and family history. Huws is surprised at the lack of information about sport in general local history books. He says, “I very much hope that this work will inspire local historians to delve deeper into the history of sport in their area and to record in greater detail this somewhat neglected aspect of community activity. I feel that this is especially important as an alarming number of traditional playing fields are falling victim to commercial, housing or transport developments.” Born in Carmarthen, the author has spent most of his adult life in Ceredigion. He worked at the National Library of Wales for almost 40 years, and recently retired from the post of Head of Reader Services. He has published widely on the history of printing, local history, family history and sport. He lives in Bont-goch, near Aberystwyth, and is a keen follower of most sports, and especially of his beloved Swansea City.

Wales at the USA Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Pictures property and courtesy of Caribousteaks

Wales and Welsh culture are a featured nation at this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. - rugby, lovespoons and beer on the USA national Mall!

A pub on the National Mall!

Tag rugby lessons on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle, the original museum building, now an administrative building

Hanging with the Welsh National Rugby Team

Chicago Tafia and Americymru member Katie took these pics before and during the recent Wales v USA clash at Toyota Park Chicago.

Katie:- "I worked as the local liaison to the Welsh National Rugby Team while they were in Chicago getting ready for their match against the US team. It was a crazy, exhausting, but fabulously fun week! A great group of folks to work with and for!"

Find more photos like this on Americymru

An Interview With Paul Child - Official Singer of the Welsh Rugby Union

How does it feel to stand on the pitch of the Millenium Stadium in front of those crowds and be the guy who gets to sing the national anthem?

It is every Welsh singer's dream to perform at The Millennium Stadium, It was certainly mine and I can still remember when I got the call for the first time, it's like one of those moments when you remember where you were when you heard that Elvis had died. I usually do a soundcheck about 2 hours before kick off, before the gates open so the stadium is empty apart from the stewards - it's an amazing feeling, and then to perform and lead the Welsh National Anthem in front of 75,000 Welsh fans is absolutely incredible.

Paul Child at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

How did you start singing, what made that happen? What were your goals as a vocalist then?

I started singing at the age of 15, in a school rock band and later on I joined another band who did fairly well locally. We were mainly a covers band, playing Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake. I wanted to be Jon Bon Jovi and we were having a great time, playing bars and clubs. Rock singing is, in my opinion, the hardest style to do properly - partly because you are expected to be running around on stage like a lunatic at the same time! This is why I started taking opera and classical singing lessons, learning to breath and project properly when I was 16.

Later, you were a cabaret singer on the Spanish island of Tenerife, how did that come about? How long did you do that and what was it like?

I went on holiday to Tenerife in the early nineties, it was just when karaoke was taking off in a big way and I was offered a job as a karaoke host. It was an ideal job as, early on in the evening, when there were no singers from the audience I had to sing and I used to let the audience pick songs for me to have a go at. I had developed quite a large range by then through my rock singing and classical lessons so I found I could sing just about anything. I would sing Neil Diamond, Elton John, Guns & Roses, Rod Stewart, and my 'party piece' was Meatloaf's 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' - both the male and female parts! I stayed on the island for four years and while I was there I met fellow Welshman David Alexander - he was hugely popular on Tenerife and sadly he passed away there in February 1995. I returned to Wales a year later in 1996 and when I started singing in the workmen's clubs of Wales, I sang a couple of David's songs.

Now I go back to Tenerife once a year to visit old friends and I always do a show or two while I'm there - it's great because all the Welsh holiday makers pack the venues so it's just like being back in Wales - but its sunny!

You raised the money to self-produce your album, "Wales Forever," as a tribute to Welsh vocalist David Alexander, how did that happen? What inspired you do this album, what was your process in creating it?

When I returned to Wales and started performing on the workingmen's club circuit, I started doing some of the songs that I had heard David doing on Tenerife. I was getting asked by audiences all the time if I had an album available so I decided to go about producing my own. I wanted to do an album of contempory Welsh tunes - songs that have never been huge hits but are part of our folklore in Wales. I approached Johhny Caesar, who wrote the songs 'If I Could See The Rhondda', 'Come Home Rhondda Boy' and 'The Price Of Coal' and we based the album around those three songs. I had already been performing the songs with a male voice choir for some time so we took the choir to the recording studio between Fisguard and Haverfordwest in West Wales and recorded the album in three days.

"Wales Forever" went on to become the biggest-selling independently-released album ever in Wales, selling over 100,000 copies - how did it feel when it started selling that well? Did you know it would do well or was it more of a gamble?

The first pressing of the album was 2,000 copies and it was my intention to just sell them at live shows and small independent local stores but then I started getting calls from UK retail giant WHSmith, asking for two hundred copies per store! We had to move very quickly to supply the demand and, eight years later, that album is still selling all over the world - it's an incredible feeling and with the advent of iTunes and Amazon, more and more people all over the world are downloading it!

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=278809279&s=143444

How did you come to be "the official voice of Welsh rugby"? What does that mean exactly? 2006's "Bread of Heaven" is the official album of the Welsh Rugby Union. Can you tell us some more about that?

Although I was very proud of what we achieved with the 'Wales Forever' album, it was done 'on the cheap'in that the music was produced by sythesisers rather than real instruments so when I was asked to record the Official Album for the Welsh Rugby Team a few years later it seemed a perfect opportunity to revisit some of these songs and record them with a full live orchestra as well as a male voice choir. They had never been recorded in this way before and we felt that the songs deserved the very best production available.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=251423677&s=143444

Your latest album is "Shine," Can you tell us a little about it? Where can fans see you perform and buy your music?

I have really enjoyed recording 'Shine' - It's very exiting for me because it has a couple of original songs, like the title track and also 'Where The wind Blows'. I have mixed the styles up a little on this album because, going back my early days, I do like to sing in different styles so there are showtunes like 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables and even a cover of Journey's 'Faithfully' (one of my all time favourite songs). I've also included a live version of 'One Day / The Answer To Everything'. My live show is something I'm very proud of - we have a live orchestra on stage and the sound they produce is fantastic.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=280973295&s=143444

I'm looking forward to St Davids Day next year when I will be at The Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot - it's a great theatre and we have the Ospreys Choir with us for the first time. My website www.paulchild.com has all the tour details, album details and also a selection of live videos from shows and at The Millennium Stadium.

I have recently been involved in producing singles for the four regional Welsh Rugby Teams. All four singles are being released at the same time with the proceeds going to welsh Charities. Go to http://indiestore.7digital.com/welshmusic/ for full details!

I'm also hoping to be able to perform at the Left Coast Eisteddfod next year so maybe I'll get to meet some of the Americymru members! In the meantime I'd like to take this opportunity wish all of the members a Merry Festive Season and a very Happy New Year.