The words of the Welsh national anthem are inextricably linked with Pontypridd and date from January 1856 when they were written here, and then printed two years later, in 1858. Up to this point, Wales had no national anthem and had not been encouraged to have one either, after the Act of Union in 1536. Similarly, Wales had no capital until 1955 – which now seems strange.

Perhaps some of our most famous and most performed poetry put to music, the words are ascribed to Evan James and his son, James James, who were originally from the neighbouring county of Monmouthshire but who had come to Pontypridd to work as weavers. It has been recounted how James wrote the music after a walk beside the river Taff and then rushed to his father, Evan’s house, which was near his own, to get him to compose words to go with the tune. Evan was already a respected poet in the Welsh language and much of his work is still in existence, although very little has been translated.

The anthem was sung at the National Eisteddfod in 1874 and since then has been used as the national anthem for Wales. And partial as we are, it probably is one of the best national anthems to be sung at any international sporting event. Interestingly, both Brittany and Cornwall have also adopted the tune for their own national anthems.