Chris, that was interesting, about Arthur Jones. Another connection to hymns apart from Blodwen - and I think it might be Chicago as well - was Y Milwr Bychain, the children's hymn. By Daniel Protheroe maybe? His daughter, or possibly niece, was a member of Dewi Sant Welsh United Church in Toronto in my days there.

Yes, a proper Welsh folk programme on Radio Cymru would be good. Write and tell them. Apparently the first ever Welsh folk programme was broadcast from Ireland in the 1940s because British Radio wasn't interested.

And, not being all that technical, could you expand on why a blog would be the way to get info on-line? We're currently looking at setting up a searchable data base approach.

Gervase, we have real problems doing work in schools because, for the better part of the school year, all music/dance effort is directed at winning eisteddfodau. A real pain in the butt. (And I'd guess your neighbour won a medal or ribbon for singing? The Chair in the National is for poetry, as is the Crown. Carry on with the subversion. Well done, that man.)

Snuffy, that was an interesting archive at Wisconsin. There were a lot of Welsh in the State, of course. Hence the town, "Wales". The recordings were largely of hymns, plus a few popular 'parlour songs' and moral ballads of the mid to late 19th C. I've bookmarked the site for future reference.

Punkfolkrocker, I had meant to ask my Spanish teacher if there was any research done into the Patagonian Welsh repertoire (it's a Spanish-through - the- medium- of- Welsh class and Teacher is Patagonian Welsh) but I arrived late! I'll try to catch him again. There's an essay in Carlton University, Ottawa, about the Welsh in Canada, and there are a few poems from the Welsh settlements on the Canadian Prairies. Perhaps the Alberta and Saskatchewan Provincial Archives would have old programmes from Eisteddfodau and Cymanfaoedd Canu. Still, most of this would reflect what was current in Wales, again given the periods of immigration. The Saskatchewan communities would also reflect Patagonia as close to 300 of the original settlers had come from there to Saskatchewan.

siân