Gransnet forums

Chat

Wales

(523 Posts)
Anniebach Wed 15-Mar-17 10:24:43

Just a little reminder such a country exists in the UK smile

gettingonabit Wed 19-Apr-17 18:47:57

Terribull you're right. Welsh was spoken in the north of Britain (along with other languages, probably) and the earliest Welsh poetry that's written down talks about drunken goings on at Catterickgrin.

In Cumbria sheepdogs are still trained using Welsh-like numbers.

Breton and Welsh (along with Cornish) are very similar. A Welsh-speaking person could probably understand Breton, up to a point.

Gaelic, Manx and Irish Gaelic form the other branch of Celtic languages.

How on earth Welsh has managed to keep going I don't know-but it has, thankfully. smile.

TerriBull Wed 19-Apr-17 16:38:40

Here's another one Annie, Betws y Coed, now I know the "y" is and, what do the other two words mean.

My impressions of Wales has always been one of a land of mysticism and an ancient people (not literally) with a fascinating language.

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 16:21:37

I like that Terri, so romantic , always knew we were true natives

TerriBull Wed 19-Apr-17 16:17:14

Jalima - when we were in Brittany many years ago we got talking to a Breton couple and they said that the Welsh and Bretons were practically the same in many ways language etc., they are Celts like the Welsh. My romantic notion of the Welsh, the language and the people, is that they were the ancient Britons who got pushed west by the Romans into Wales and Cornwall. I like think the language has traces of the orginal Celtic, just vestiges of an ancient language that was spoken in our isles a couple of thousand years ago, before any Latin, Anglo Saxon or French infiltrated and changed it, please don't disillusion me anybody.

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 15:58:05

I loved cockle picking , wouldn't now though

Greyduster Wed 19-Apr-17 15:38:37

My best friend - a Swansea girl - makes wonderful Bara Brith. I only tried lava bread once and once was enough! I enjoyed the cockles though!

Jalima1108 Wed 19-Apr-17 15:35:01

A bit like boiled Australian fruit cake perhaps?

Except that boiled fruit cake has butter in it as well.

rosesarered Wed 19-Apr-17 15:31:50

Thank you Sparkly that's it! Barm brack ( not bara brith) I got mixed up there.
I remember it had dried fruit and cold tea in it.

Jalima1108 Wed 19-Apr-17 15:31:19

tempting but I ate too much over Easter hmm

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 15:28:49

I have a good recipe for Bara Brith

Jalima1108 Wed 19-Apr-17 15:22:17

Fried laverbread could be OK, it was just slimy!

Bellanonna Wed 19-Apr-17 15:20:26

I've always loved Barm Brack. I bought one last week.

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 15:17:03

Fried lava bread, scrummy

Jalima1108 Wed 19-Apr-17 15:09:33

I like Welsh cakes, bara brith and cawl but I don't like laverbread!

Jalima1108 Wed 19-Apr-17 15:07:29

'eglwys'
I never connected that before, is the French word eglise derived from Breton?

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 14:35:07

That's interesting sparkly,

TerriBull Wed 19-Apr-17 14:34:01

Thank you Annie now I know a bit of Welsh, I was almost right smile I also remember the Welsh word for church is very similar to the French eglise. Interesting!

SparklyGrandma Wed 19-Apr-17 14:29:52

The Irish version of Bara Brith is called Barm Brack, I shall go and look up the translation flowers

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 14:25:23

Certaintly Terri

Tros - over

Y. - the

Afon - river

Over the river

TerriBull Wed 19-Apr-17 14:02:23

Anniebach - can you translate this please Trose y afon (I think). or something like that. We stayed here when my children were young and they like to chant the name and I wanted to know what it meant, I wondered if it meant bridge across a river, but not sure, however it stayed in my mind. Thanks.

Anniebach Wed 19-Apr-17 12:30:53

Rosesarered. Bara means bread and brith is speckled, so it is Welsh smile

Pembrokeshire is beautiful, my girls and I once had a picnic on the beach in freshwater, in January ! Well it seemed a good idea at the time and we were the only ones on the beach, no we didn't paddle

gettingonabit Wed 19-Apr-17 12:28:42

Yes, Bara Brith is Welsh. There's probably an Irish version, though! So simple even I can do it, and that's saying something.

It translates as "speckled" or "spotty" bread. Which is exactly what is is.

whitewave Wed 19-Apr-17 12:24:31

Blimey dd 1901. You are really ancient!!

rosesarered Wed 19-Apr-17 12:17:31

Is bara brith Welsh? My Grandma used to make it so I assumed it was Irish?

rosesarered Wed 19-Apr-17 12:16:09

Stayed in Pembrokeshire about three years ago, what a lovely place! Long deserted beaches ( pale and sandy) friendly people, we were able to take our DGS for many country walks as well as the beach, and as he hates crowded places it was perfect for him( and us) would definitely go back again.House prices are very reasonable there, so it would be a good place to retire to for anyone considering a move to the country.