Saturday 23 November 2013

Anglesey / Ynys Môn

So let me tell you about my new home. The Isle of Anglesey sits in the Irish Sea, off the North-West coast of Wales. It's a beautiful island of approximately 276 sq miles (714 km²), home to just under 69,000 people.

Ynys Môn is its Welsh name. I read on numerous websites that the name was apparently coined by an Irish princess called Monna who married a Welsh prince. I know no more. But I will look into that sometime...

Otherwise the island is also known as Môn Mam Cymru - Môn, mother of Wales. Due to its productivity. But possibly also due to its uncanny resemblance to a woman's head with a hat on. A Welsh hat, of course. Look at a map and you'll see what I mean. 

A huge percentage of the island residents speak Welsh. 60% according to the Key Statistics for Isle of Anglesey of April 2008. Compared with 21% of the whole of the country. Impressive, eh? Life expectancy is also higher here. For women mainly. Good move for me, then, huh?

Much of the island's beauty comes from the rolling hills and fields of farmland. With lots of cattle and sheep. Of course. It's Wales. So many  sheep indeed that our local newspaper used to run a competition based on sheep and sheep dogs. Or the lack of them. Spot the Dog. Instead of Spot the Ball ,you understand.

The Britannia and Menai bridges link Ynys Môn to the mainland across the Menai Straits. Menai Suspension Bridge is the more attractive of the two. Built by Thomas Telford in 1826. By the by, it was apparently the first modern suspension bridge in the world. In 1855, the Britannia Bridge was designed and built by Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge to carry rail traffic. A fire in 1970 called for the bridge to be rebuilt and it emerged from the flames transformed to carry both road and rail traffic as (I am assured) a two-tier steel truss arch bridge. It really isn't the most attractive of bridges, but it's truly functional and helps us all to get on and off the island efficiently. Except when the winds are high. Then it's just plain scary!

And finally, there are some well-known islanders to take note of. Such as Sir Kyffin Williams, author of some the most stunning landscape paintings ever produced in Wales. Now no longer with us. But his legacy remains for all to see. Then, Dawn French was born here. As was Aled Jones. Tony Adams (of acting not footballing fame). Hugh Emrys Griffith. Hywel Gwynfryn. Who came to my primary school. And was a very nice man.

You may know also that Prince William and Kate have been living here for the past three years. Little Prince George came too. And then they all left just as I arrived. Although we're trying not to read anything into that...

And finally George North (go George!) went to school here. And I met his mum in Tesco last week. A defining moment for me. If only for realising that I can still be star struck at my age. Even when the star is not present. Hmmm. Something else to work on, methinks...

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