John Ceiriog Hughes

Born in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Denbighshire, John Ceiriog Hughes took his bardic name from the Ceiriog Valley, a place that stayed closely tied to his identity and work. He worked for a time in Manchester and later in London as a railway clerk before returning to Wales in 1868 to become station master at Caersws.

He had been writing poetry from a young age, but his reputation grew after the publication of his first volume in 1860. He became especially well known for poems and songs that drew on folk traditions and ordinary experience, written in a clear, lyrical style that readers found both accessible and memorable.

Today he is remembered as one of the best-loved Welsh-language poets of the 19th century. His work is often associated with song as much as with poetry, and his affection for Welsh rural life and culture gave his writing a lasting place in Wales's literary history.