Welsh writing in E nglish

1. Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Choose a task Choose a task based on the poem. Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F Activity G Activity H Glossary

2. Activity A Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu Who do you think is ‘speaking’ in this poem? What is their relationship with Maggie? How can you tell? Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. How close and affectionate does the speaker seem to be to Maggie? What words most clearly suggest the state of their relationship?

3. Activity B Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu Look at the picture of the Figure Eight at Barry Island below and go on-line to view various pictures of Barry Island and places like it (such as Porthcawl) around the time of the poem. How does the speaker try to persuade ‘Maggie fach’ of the attractions of Barry Island in the first eight lines of the poem? Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Count how many times the word ‘and’ occurs in these lines. Why do you think the poet has repeated this word so often? Do you think each attraction you identify is more for the benefit of the children or more for the benefit of the adults? Creative Archive License Owner: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru

4. Activity C Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu Apart from the ‘pull’ attractions, the speaker identifies ‘push’ factors – things to get away from. What are the most significant ‘push’ factors the speaker identifies in the next ten lines? Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Which words convey what is to be avoided most forcefully, in your opinion? Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Justify your selection by discussing the impact of the word choice.

5. Activity D Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu What home and work conditions in the Welsh valleys are referred to in this section of the poem (lines 12–18)? Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. What were conditions like for working people in the Welsh valleys at the time the poem is set? How does this knowledge influence your response to the poem?

6. Activity E Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English There is a very significant contrast between the implied conditions in the valleys and the entertainment of a day trip to Barry Island. Is the mood of the poem escapist or angry or something else? Menu Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. This self-contained extract is taken from a sequence written in 1943 called: ‘The Angry Summer’, one long poem documenting the impact of the General Strike of 1926. After an accident in which Idris Davies lost a finger at the coalface, and active participation in the General Strike of 1926, he became unemployed. Consider the words shaded in yellow and red.

7. Activity F Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu Why do you think Idris Davies refers to the singing of Welsh hymns and songs? Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Possible areas to discuss: traditions, solidarity, Welsh culture, enjoyment, keeping up spirits… T. S. Eliot believed Idris Davies’s poetry to be “the best poetic document I know about a particular epoch in a particular place.”

8. Activity G Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Suggest reasons for two lines being very short, and comment on the rhythm of other lines you think are noteworthy with regards to rhythm. Menu Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. Say the poem aloud, or hear it read, and decide what effect the line length has on your response to the poem at that point. How does the shortness of a line affect your response to the line?

9. Activity H Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Menu Find all the verbs in the poem which are linked to the modal auxiliary ‘will’, expressing future time. Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’llhavetea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. Consider the words shaded in blue. Click to show shading. Possible areas to discuss: traditions, solidarity, Welsh culture, enjoyment, keeping up spirits… T. S. Eliot believed Idris Davies’s poetry to be “the best poetic document I know about a particular epoch in a particular place.”

10. Glossary Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach – by Idris Davies – Welsh writing in English Click on the highlighted words to show their meaning Menu Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach a term of endearment; (literally ‘bach’ = ‘small’) powder with a fizzy taste, eaten as a sweet Let’s go to Barry Island, Maggie fach, And give all the kids one day by the sea, And sherbert and buns and paper hats, And a rattling ride on the Figure Eight; We’ll have tea on the sands, and rides on the donkeys, And sit in the evening with the folk of Cwm Rhondda, Singing the sweet old hymns of Pantycelyn When the sun goes down beyond the rocky islands. Come on, Maggie fach, or the train will be gone Then the kids will be howling at home all day, Sticky with dirt and gooseberry jam. Leave the washing alone for today, Maggie fach, And put on your best and come out to the sun And down to the holiday sea. We’ll carry the sandwiches in a big brown bag And leave our troubles behind for a day With the chickens and the big black tips And the rival soup-kitchens, quarrelling like hell. Come, Maggie fach, with a rose on your breast And an old Welsh tune on your little red lips, And we’ll all sing together in the Cardiff train Down to the holiday sea. an old fairground ride the Rhondda Valley places that fed the poor