Remembering St. David

Another year has rolled by and we were again reminded that it was indeed, St. David’s Day on Thursday.

Before you ponder, let me just say that St. David is the Patron Saint of Wales. With the St. Patrick’s Day frenzy well underway, poor St. David is often overlooked. Well I’m tired of it. Besides, most people don’t even realise that St. Patrick was actually Welsh, not Irish!

I don’t know of anyone who isn’t fond of the Irish and around St. Paddy’s Day almost everyone claims to have at least a drop or two of Irish blood running through their veins. However, it makes me sad that most people don’t even know who St. David is and even fewer celebrate his day. Poor public relations I guess!

St. David’s Day comes on March 1, well before St. Paddy’s Day on the 17th. Saint David or Dewi Sant, as he is known in north Pembrokeshire, was a monk, abbot and bishop, who lived in the sixth century.

Perhaps the most well-known story regarding Dewi’s life took place at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi. They were voting on whether or not Dewi was to be elected Archbishop.

A great crowd had gathered, but when Dewi stood up to speak, one of the congregation shouted: “We won’t be able to see or hear him.”

At that moment, the ground under Dewi rose up until everyone could see and hear him clearly. Not surprisingly, he was instantly elected the next Archbishop.

It may not be quite as dramatic as driving the snakes out of Ireland, but it was quite a crowd-pleaser nonetheless.

Across Wales St. David is revered every bit as much as St. Patrick is in Ireland, but no one in Canada has ever heard of him it seems, much the same way no one knows that St. Patrick is actually Welsh.

It’s really most unfair and I felt I had to do something to rectify the situation. In his day Richard Burton probably did more for St. David than anyone else ever has by including a clause in every one of his stage and movie contracts that he would not work on March 1, St. David’s Day.

By this time, you may have guessed that my family hails from Wales, the little country west of England across from Ireland, but we’re all Celtic after all so who’s to say there wasn’t a bit of fraternisation between them? They crossed that small stretch of water often enough.

A surprising number of people don’t even know about Wales! I once had someone ask me: “Oh yes, isn’t Wales a lake in central Florida?” Of course, a few enlightened souls know our most famous duo, King Arthur and his wizard, Merlin were Welsh. And a few more even know that Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, John Rhys Davies, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Timothy Dalton, the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones, singing sensation Charlotte Church and opera star, Bryn Terfel are also Welsh, but did you know that there have been many famous Welsh north Americans? The Declaration of Independence, that most famous of documents, was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, who spoke and wrote Welsh. He, and sixteen others of Welsh descent, signed the document ushering a new era into the world. (and Thomas Cahill says the Irish saved civilisation? Bah humbug!)

As far as presidents of the United States, we’ve had our share of those, too.

They were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Q. Adams, William Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Calvin Coolidge, and Richard Nixon. Among vice-presidents, there have been John Nance Garner, Richard Nixon, and Hubert Humphrey. Secretaries of State include Daniel Webster, William H. Seward, and George Catlett Marshall (also General of the Armies in WWII). Among the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court are John Marshall, Charles Evans Hughes, and Roger Brook Taney.

Other famous Welsh-Americans were Samuel Adams, one of the founders of Harvard University, Elihu Yale, one of the founders of Yale University, Herman Humphreys, one of the founders of Amherst University, Morgan Edwards, one of the founders of Brown University, Samuel Jones, one of the founders of Brown University, Morgan Lewis, one of the founders of New York University, Rowland Ellis, one of the founders of Bryn Mawr College, William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, Robert E. Lee, General of the Confederate Armies, Goronwy Owen, poet, classical scholar and headmaster William and Mary College, , Merriwether Lewis, leader of Lewis and Clark Expedition, William Dean Howells, author, critic, and editor, Henry M. Stanley, (born John Rowlands), newspaper man who ‘found’ Dr. Livingston, Oliver Evans, one of the pioneers of Fulton’s steamboat, David Wark Griffiths, pioneer motion picture producer, Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, Luther Hammond Lewis, Founder of Big Brother Movement, John L. Lewis, pioneer Labour Movement leader, Norman Thomas, socialist leader, Lowell Thomas, radio commentator and explorer, Bob Hope, Hollywood and TV star (son of Agnes Townes, Welsh concert singer), William George Fargo, founder of Wells, Fargo Express Co., Daniel Boone, frontiersman, Harold Lloyd, actor comedian, Ray Milland, actor, Jack Daniel, of Jack Daniel’s Bourbon, Evan Williams, maker of that famous bourbon, Ellis Potter Earle, founder of Chase Manhattan Bank and financier of the Empire State Building.

Now I’m beginning to sound like the Irish with all their blarney so we may very well be related after all. But I feel a lot better having gotten this off my chest and as you can see I’m doing my best to set the record straight once and for all!

We wear green on St. David’s Day just as the Irish do on St. Paddy’s day. However, it’s customary in Wales to pin a leek or a daffodil to your lapel or hat in honour of the day. So I hope you threw away your shamrocks and donned your leeks, everyone.

Let’s keep this on an adult level, but a la JesseVentura, my Saint can beat your Saint any day even if they are both Welsh! So hoist your glass of green beer, no sense wasting it, Iechyd da - wishing good health to you all! (Contributed by a regular reader in Toronto).

Forever friends

A certain type of sportsmen and women have recently been absorbed with the Six Nations Championship so the following yarn would appear appropriate.

The story goes that a Welsh rugby fan and an English rugby fan get into a car accident on the way to Cardiff, and it’s a bad one.

Both cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them is hurt.

Both fans are wearing their respective rugby jerseys and after they crawl out of their cars, the Welsh rugby fan says, “So you’re an English rugby fan, that’s interesting. I’m a Welsh rugby fan... Wow! Just look at our cars, there’s nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace the rest of our days.”

The English rugby fan replied: “I agree with you completely; this must be a sign from God!”

The Welsh rugby fan continued: “And look at this - here’s another miracle. My car is completely demolished, but this bottle of whisky didn’t break. Surely God wants us to drink this and celebrate our good fortune.”

Then he hands the bottle to the English rugby fan. The English rugby fan nods his head in agreement, opens it and takes a few big swigs from the bottle, then handing it back to the Welsh rugby fan.

The Welsh rugby fan takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the English rugby fan. The English rugby fan asks, “Aren’t you having any?” The Welsh rugby fan replies: “No. I think I’ll just wait for the police...”

Would you believe it?

David, a handsome young man, walked into a sports bar around 9.58 pm.

He sat down next to a fair haired girl at the bar and stared up at the 10 pm television news that was coming on.

The news cameraman was covering a story of a man on a ledge of a large building preparing to jump.

The girl looked at David and said: “Do you think he’ll jump?”

David says: “You know, I bet he’ll jump.”

The girl replied: “Well, I bet he won’t.”

David placed a £20 note on the bar and said: “You’re on!”

Just as she placed her money on the bar, the guy on the ledge did a swan dive off the building, falling to his death.

The girl was very upset, but willingly handed her £20 to David, saying: “Fair’s fair. Here’s your money.”

David replied: “I can’t take your money, I saw this earlier on the 5 pm news, and I saw him jump.”

The girl replied: “I did too; but I didn’t think he’d do it again.”

David took the money…