A RECORDING of "the last Welshman in the Grwyne Valley" is to feature in a programme on S4C.

Poet and musician Twm Morys presents the one-off programme on S4C tonight ahead of the National Eisteddfod opening in Abergavenny on Friday.

Twm, who is the son of famed Welsh travel writer Jan Morris, lived in the Black Mountains during the 1970s and also took his A Levels, in Welsh, at Brecon High School at the time.

The programme traces the history of the Welsh language in the area around Abergavenny which is hosting the week long Eisteddfod for the first time in more than a century.

"I know the area well. When my dad was little, his family lived in Abergavenny, and during the 70s I lived in the Black Mountains near Abergavenny," said Twm.

As well as reminiscing about his teenage years, Twm traces the history of the Welsh language in the area.

When poet and academic TH Parry-Williams visited Capel-y-Ffin, near Hay-on-Wye in the 1950s, he was saddened by the lack of Welsh spoken in the area, "It’s mainly the English language and English speakers here," he said at the time.

But 60 years on, Twm believes attitudes have changed dramatically in the area. After losing ground for a while, the language is now flourishing in Monmouthshire.

"During the Seventies you’d not have heard any Welsh in Abergavenny," he said: "We’ll be looking at the history of the Welsh language over the past 100 years. We’ll also hear a recording made during the 1930s of the voice of John Williams. He lived in the Grwyne Fechan Valley near Crickhowell and was called the ‘last Welshman’ in the area at the time."

At the Welsh medium school in Abergavenny, Twm plays a recording of John’s voice, and learns more about the characteristics of the local dialect, ’y Wenhwyseg’. He also helps the pupils create some poetry, which will be performed at the Literary Pavilion at the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny at the beginning of the week.

"For anyone believing the Welsh language holds no status in the area, these children offer the perfect antidote," said Twm. "And the National Eisteddfod will provide a great boost for the area. It would be a travesty for the Eisteddfod to stop travelling to different areas around Wales."

Pethe: Twm Morys a’r Fenni is on S4C on Wednesday, July 27 at 9.30pm with English subtitles. It will also be available on demand on s4c.cymru, BBC iPlayer and other platforms.

S4C also has coverage throughout the week from the Eisteddfod at Abergavenny.