[Myrddin]

My cousins in Pontrhydygroes speak English, but you can discern a little pause as they formulate it. Welsh is their native language. I was practicing Welsh and singing in the language with such regularity that I started picking up a Welsh accent. It doesn't persist unless I'm using it daily.

The leader singer from Plethyn, Linda Healy, just released a new CD in March 2003. I just spotted the announcement on the Sain site. Linda sings and speaks in the mid-valleys dialect that was spoken by my family before them emigrated to the U.S.

[Ciexyz]

Thanks to everyone for posting all those interesting links. As for learning Welsh, all I know is one word: Cymru. At least that's a start!

Another Welsh video that's available in the states: Ioan Gruffudd's "Solomon and Gaenor", which was nominated for best foreign film at the Oscars several years ago. It was also shown at a number of Jewish film festivals across the US. (I followed all this on some of the Ioan sites on the Net.)

Also, I'm looking forward to seeing the two new Horatio Hornblower films (four hours total) on A&E sometime this year.