Celtic connections with USA explored by university

A group of American students has spent six days in Wrexham as part of a study trip designed to help them explore the area’s Celtic connections with Appalachia in eastern USA.

The 17 students from Maryville College, Tennessee, were based at Glyndŵr University on a visit designed by the university’s history specialists to examine the culture, language and heritage of the region.

Students visited key historical sites, including Dolwyddelan Castle and Edward I’s castle at Caernarfon, and also explored Oswestry Old Fort, Llangollen and Chester.

They were entertained by Wrexham based Welsh choir, Lleisiau Clywedog, conducted by Sheila Birkhead, and took part in a Welsh drama workshop at Glyndŵr University based on the tales of the Mabinogion.

The students, aged between 20 and 22 years old, were led by Professor Lori Schmied and also accompanied by Professor Paul Threadgill of  Maryville College.

Both had visited Wrexham before, as part of exchange links between Glyndŵr University and Maryville College in the 1990s, and said they were impressed by developments in the town.
Professor Schmied said that the students had spent some free time in Wrexham when they arrived on Wednesday 7 January and had been delighted at the warm welcome they had received.

She said at the start of the visit that the programme aimed to draw on the connections between Appalachia and the Celtic regions of Britain.

“Wales has a very strong connection with our region. So many of the immigrants who came to Appalachia from Wales worked in the mines, because that was what they had done before they left the country.

“The students have a fairly limited knowledge of what it means to be Celtic. They usually associate Celtic culture with Ireland so it is going to be quite an experience for them to see the great diversity of Celtic tradition in Wales,” said Professor Schmied.

She added that the students were particularly looking forward to the tour of castles and journey through Snowdonia.

“The students have a romantic image of the Welsh landscape with castles and mountains. I am sure they won’t be disappointed,” she said.

Professor Threadgill added that they were also interested in comparing the challenges of managing a national park such as Snowdonia with those of managing the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in southern Appalachia, which is just 20 minutes drive from Maryville College.

Dr Kathryn Ellis, senior lecturer in history at Glyndŵr University, said that the history department had been delighted to welcome the students to Wrexham and particularly to have renewed the contacts with colleagues at Maryville College.

“Wrexham and north Wales have a huge amount to offer for anyone interested in studying Celtic heritage and culture, and we are delighted to be sharing that with colleagues and students from Maryville College,” she said.

The group left Wrexham on Tuesday 13 January to continue the study trip in Northern Ireland.