As a form of postscript to the Lunasa day that we spent on Anglesey we had moved further around the island from where I had met with Gywn Ap Nudd. Now we were on the eastern side of the island near to the town of Moelfre. In a way I had achieved everything that I had set out to do this day, but Anglesey is constantly surprising. One new surprise was in store, and a reminder of the power of sound was to follow.
These Island’s Traditions
We had been to the area around Lligwy before. Lligwy Chamber was our intended destination, but for some reason we had ended up coming at the site from the opposite direction than usual. Call it luck, or some other coincidence. I pulled over into the parking area designated for the Din Lligwy ancient village. I had seen the signs many times but for some reason it had never felt like somewhere I should visit. Today was totally different. The steering wheel practically pulled itself to steer me into a parking spot. OK – clearly I was intended to be here today! But why?
The information sign revealed little about the structures to come. Following the rare signposts across several fields we eventually located the settlement through a process of following grass trails and a mild amount of dowsing. Other visitors were not as fortunate and were traipsing back and forth trying to find the hidden village. Once you locate the iron gate on the corner of the wood at the edge of one field you will then be led up to the ancient village above.
So, how “ancient” is ancient? The Wikipedia entry for Din Lligwy dates the archeological finds to the 3rd or 4th Centuries, but the presumption is that it was in occupation much before that. A “small farming community” in the Iron Age is the supposition, then a smelting workshop during Roman times. I think it had a particular inhabitant who went on to have an impact in this area, and now I’ll tell you the story of why I think that.
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