THE popular Gŵyl Daniel Owen Festival in Mold has been hailed as a success by the organising team and their partners.

The week-long event went digital for the first time, as well as having a number of socially distanced outdoor guided walks.

Daniel Owen is regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century, with his stories set in Mold and the surrounding area, which contrast the lives of the ‘common man’ with those who held power and influence.

Nia Wyn Jones, secretary of the festival said: “This year we’ve had to find new ways of communicating with each other online, just as Daniel Owen found new ways to communicate with his readers over 140 years ago.

"All week we’ve enjoyed online events in both Welsh and English from lectures and illustrated talks, to creative workshops, quizzes and in-conversation events for Welsh learners with local winners of national competitions for Welsh Learners.

“People from as far away as America and from across the UK have been able to join our loyal local audiences from the comfort of their own arm chairs.

"Over 80 people listened to the fascinating annual Daniel Owen lecture on Monday evening from Aled Lewis Evans. It was a ‘full house’ as well for a most entertaining illustrated talk by David Rowe and Jo Lane on Friday evening about Bailey Hill – Then and Now.

“On Thursday evening Dr Robert Lomas impressed his audience with his breadth of knowledge about Daniel Owen’s early writing career.

"This had been triggered by Daniel’s old friend the publisher, Nathaniel Jones, who asked Daniel to translate a melodramatic American story called Ten Nights in a Bar into Welsh. He moved the story to Mold and retold it as Ten Nights in the Black Lion.

“Theatr Clwyd is one of many valued partners in the Daniel Owen Festival.

"Keen to foster and encourage the next generation of writers, on Tuesday evening, they held the first of a series of writers’ workshops with prestigious writer Mari Izzard.

"Previous winners and short-listed entrants of the Daniel Owen writing competition were invited to take part. The 2020 Theatr Clwyd Young Writers Competition will be to write a concept for a script or a short script to be developed into a play.

"There will be a second round of online workshops before Christmas and shortlisting for the winning concept will take place towards the end of January 2021. The winning author will then be commissioned and supported to prepare the play to be performed at Theatr Clwyd."

Kevin Matthias, chairman of the festival said: “We managed to hold four interesting outdoor guided walks before the ‘fire-break’ started on Friday evening.

"Unlike in previous years, we could only have a small number of people taking part observing the social distancing guidelines.

"Even so we enjoyed exploring some of the places associated with Daniel Owen, from lead mining in the beautiful limestone countryside around Rhydymwyn, the theme of Enoc Huws; to another area steeped in local history around Sychdyn and Gwysaney Hall. A walk around the poignant sites in Leeswood, linked us to coal mining and the events and social unrest which culminated in the Mold Riots during summer 1869.

“During the local walk around Mold, looking at the town’s industrial past, we were joined by a film crew from S4C’s magazine programme Heno.

"People at that event found themselves becoming ‘extras’ for the filming - the programme was broadcast on Thursday evening. Many thanks to our partners at Walkabout Flintshire and Clwydian Ramblers for leading the walks.

“I’d like to thank all our sponsors, partners, audiences and especially the small group of people who organise the annual Daniel Owen Festival. This has been an unusual year but we’ve still been able to engage with each other and explore content reflecting our rich culture and unique heritage here in North East Wales.

“Daniel Owen Festival has had something for everyone to enjoy.”