Gorsedd Honours for two LSW Fellows
Two Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales will be admitted as Honorary Druids of the Gorsedd at this year’s Eisteddfod.
LSW President Professor Hywel Thomas and Dr Aled Eirug will receive blue robes from the Gorsedd, or Council of Bards. This association of poets, writers and others who have made a contribution to Wales, the Welsh language, and its culture plays a central role in the annual Eisteddfod and awards blue robes to recognise achievements in the fields of law, science, sports, journalism, media, and local and national activities.
Professor Thomas is an engineer with industry experience, whose research has earned plaudits around the world. He has been President of the LSW since 2020, steering it through the uncharted waters of Covid and driving progress on researcher development, equity, diversity and inclusion, and relationships with key partners such as Medr and the Celtic Academies.
Dr Eirug is one of Wales’ foremost journalists, who was formerly Head of News at BBC Wales and continues to have a significant role in policy and advocacy, especially for the Welsh Language.
The Gorsedd’s tributes read as follows:
Hywel Thomas, of Penarth, is an academic who has served Wales extensively through his research, leadership, and public service. After a period working in industry, he was appointed to the staff of Cardiff University, where he spent his academic career, also serving as Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for international matters and research. At Cardiff he is Director of a Research Centre that studies the global environment and is a UNESCO Professor in sustainable development. He has also been a Bevan Commissioner and President of the Learned Society of Wales, influencing public policy and education in Wales.
Aled Eirug, from Cardiff, has given decades of service to Wales and the Welsh language across the fields of journalism, broadcasting, academia and public life. As former Head of News at BBC Wales, he has led election broadcasts, developed minority language policy, and advised the National Assembly. He has chaired a number of public and voluntary bodies, led research into pacifism, published influential work, and is a consistent advocate for peace, bilingualism and the cultural life of Wales.
The honours will be awarded at the National Eisteddfod which this year takes place 1-8 August in Llantwd (Llandudoch), Pembrokeshire.
We will be playing our part at the event, with Professor Siwan Davies FLSW, who sits on our Council and chairs our researcher development advisory group, delivering the annual LSW lecture at 11.30am, Thursday 6th August in the Science Village, ‘Edrych yn ôl ac ymlaen ar yr argyfwng hinsawdd’ (‘Looking back and forward on the climate crisis’). We are also once again co-organising our popular ‘three-minute thesis’ competition with Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, which takes place on Thursday 6 August, at 3.30pm in the Societies tent.