Poet and playwright new archdruid

The next Archdruid of Wales is to be the poet and playwright T James Jones, it has been revealed.

Mr Jones, whose bardic name is Jim Parc Nest, won the National Eisteddfod crown twice, and was the chaired bard at the Flintshire Eisteddfod in Mold in 2007.

His nomination follows the death of the previous Archdruid Dic Jones.

Mererid Hopwood, the first woman to win the eisteddfod's three major prizes, was also nominated for the post but later decided to withdraw.

Mr Jones's name will go before a full meeting of the Gorsedd of the bards in January.

That meeting is expected to endorse him as the next archdruid and he will be installed at the proclamation ceremony next June for the Wrexham Eisteddfod.

Former minister

Mr Jones, who is from Cardiff, is an accomplished poet. He has won the National Eisteddfod crown twice and was the chaired bard at the Flintshire eisteddfod in Mold in 2007.

He is also a playwright, and his eight plays, including a Welsh translation of Dylan Thomas's masterpiece Under Milk Wood.

He is a former minister, and a former lecturer at Coleg y Drindod, Carmarthen.

He was also script editor at the BBC, responsible for the Welsh-language soap Pobol y Cwm.

The previous archdruid, Dic Jones, died in August at the age of 75.

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