The Xenophobe's Guide to the Welsh

Welsh place names are less intimidating when you know that the Welsh prefixes Tre- and Caer- are more or less the direct equivalents of the English suffixes - ton and -chester, meaning ‘town’ and ‘[Roman] camp’, respecti

Welsh is a practical, as well as a poetic, language. There are some Welsh words which neatly sum up concepts that would take a small essay to explain in English. For example, hwyl is translated as ‘religious fervour’ in some old dictionaries, but its meaning has broadened in common use. Today it conveys what might be described as ‘that particular level of passion which can only be associated with the Welsh’.

This is because rugby – with its physical aggression, tactics, disciplined use of brute force and organized violence – is the closest thing modern-day life can offer by way of Wales’ traditional national sport: war.