Although the songs in the choir repertoire are not normally chosen for any sort of connection to Pembrokeshire, to Tenby or to our headquarters at the Tenby and County Club, it is surprising that there are some quite close connections even though these songs are internationally known.

Take the song 'Y Tangnefeddwyr (The Peacemakers)' for instance. That song was written in 1943 by the Pembrokeshire poet and peace activist Waldo Williams. There is a phrase 'lle mae Abertawe'n flam' meaning 'Swansea is in flames'. Waldo Williams may well have seen those flames from Pembrokeshire. They were of course caused by enemy bombing. It is almost certain that people could have seen them from our headquarters overlooking the lovely North Beach. It is there where we rehearse our repertoire and sing that very song so what more fitting a place to do so could there be?

But there is an even closer connection to Tenby and even to our headquarters in another song in our repertoire. That song is the famous 'Fields of Athenry'. It refers to the great famine in Ireland and is about an Irishman being sent to Botany Bay because he stole corn for his family. The words 'for you stole Trevelyan's corn, so the young could see the morn' refer to this.

This song was written in the 1970s and not much earlier than that in 1962 one of the most authoritative works on the Irish famine 'The Great Hunger: Ireland: 1845-1849' had been written and in that book the author singles out for particular criticism that very person mentioned in the song Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan. It is possible, even likely therefore that Pete St. John who wrote 'The fields of Athenry' would have based his song on that book. The connection to Tenby and the club is that the book was written by a Tenby-born author Cecil Elizabeth Blanche Fitzgerald under her married name of Woodham-Smith. Not only was she born in Tenby, but her father in 1889 became one of the very early members of the Tenby and County Club.

Another popular song in our repertoire is 'The Rhythm of Life' from the musical Sweet Charity and although there is absolutely no connection in the original words to Pembrokeshire, our industrious musical director Ian is replacing the various American-based places mentioned in the song with local Pembrokeshire places instead so there will then be a strong connection in our version. This is certainly a song to look forward to during the concert season.

On a lighter note I have mentioned in earlier reports some of the 'sayings' of our sometimes unpredictable musical director Ian 'Wilbur' Williams and these have now become known within the choir as 'Wilburisms' or 'the sayings of Director Wilbur'. The choir enjoys seeing these posted as cartoons on the notice board. It's just a little part of the 'hwyl' that the choir enjoys after rehearsals and concerts.

A.K.