Press Releases

Hot topics on the Caban agenda

There will be a few fascinating if not controversial discussions in the National Museums & Galleries of Wales’s forum on the Eisteddfod field this year. Staff from the Welsh Slate Museum in Llanberis, part of NMGW, are recreating a traditional ‘Caban’ where Eisteddfod-goers can take part in discussions on politics, trade unionism, culture, music, sport, agriculture, religion, health and the contemporary slate industry.

The ‘Caban’ was a room in which the quarrymen would gather together to eat their meals and discuss all sorts of subjects relevant to their daily lives. Now and again a hot topic would raise its head and a heated debate would ensue. No doubt human nature remains as competitive as ever, therefore it is hoped that each President for the Day, whose job it will be to referee proceedings, will have all the energy, grace and patience needed to give guidance to the contributors and keep a lid on matters should they get too hot to handle!

In the past, the President of the Caban was elected by his peers. It was a voluntary role, unpaid and a labour of love. In addition to keeping order, his job was to resolve any disputes: his was the final word. The type of person chosen for this role was accustomed to public speaking and considered wise and prudent. Many were highly regarded in the community and already played their part as local councillors and chapel deacons. Indeed, it was an honour to be elected a Caban President and this would add to a man’s status in society. Most quarrymen therefore aspired to the role.

It should come as no surprise that the post of President, as interpreted in the Eisteddfod Caban, remains unpaid! However, the people who have volunteered to take part as Presidents are well known, have a good knowledge of the quarrying areas of Wales and have achieved recognition in society (see the programme and list below). Each discussion will be relevant to contemporary and past life in the quarrying areas. One thing that will not have changed is the serving of tea to quench the thirst that naturally arises through talking a lot. Tea, as history tells us, was the liquid that oiled the quarryman’s larynx.

At the end of the day, it is the public, or at least 50 of them each time, who will have the last word. They will be encouraged to take part by The Quarryman (actor Ifan Wyn from Talwrn) with his Quarry Horn who will be performing outside the Caban doors (the sound of the horn in the past was the warning that the rock was about to be blasted). So the public will have the opportunity to ask questions and have their say, under the President's direction of course. Here is the programme for the week and the names of the Presidents:

THE QUARRYMEN’S CABAN DISCUSSION PROGRAMME

MUSIC Saturday 30 July from 11 am–12 noon and from 3 pm–4 pm with Mr Alun Llwyd

POLITICS Monday 1 August from 11 am–12 noon and from 3 pm–4 pm with Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM

CULTURE: LITERATURE AND POETRY Tuesday 2 August from 11 am–12 noon and from 3 pm–4 pm with Y Prifardd Ieuan Wyn

RELIGION Wednesday 3 August from 11 am–12 noon and from 3 pm–4 pm with the Reverend John Roberts (BBC)

SPORT AND LEISURE Thursday 4 August from 11 am–12 noon with Mr Arwel Jones (Hogia’r Wyddfa)

AGRICULTURE Thursday 4 August from 3 pm–4 pm with Mr Dei Tomos

TRADE UNIONISM Friday 5 August from 11 am–12 noon and from 3 pm–4 pm with Mr Tom Jones MBE

HEALTH AND WELFARE Saturday 6 August from 11 am–12 noon with Dr Eddie Davies

THE SLATE INDUSTRY TODAY Saturday 6 August from 3 pm – 4 pm with Dr Dafydd Roberts

The Welsh Slate Museum in Llanberis remains open to the public as usual between 10 am and 5 pm during Eisteddfod week. The site — the former maintenance workshops of the now defunct Dinorwig Quarry Company — holds the key to a significant period of Wales’ engineering past along with wealth of social and industrial history. Once inside the striking walls of the Museum’s buildings, visitors can step back in time to discover the history of the quarrymen’s community and their families, their industry and their world. The site has a special, even magical, quality to its atmosphere. You can almost imagine that the quarrymen and the engineers had left their equipment and gone home just a few hours earlier.

Other NMGW sites are the National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff; Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans; Big Pit: National Mining Museum, Blaenafon — winner of this year's prestigious Gulbenkian Prize; Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, and National Woollen Museum, Dre-fach Felindre. Opening later this year is the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, telling the innovative story of the peoples and industry of Wales. Entry to all NMGW sites is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

For further information, contact John Kendall, Marketing Officer, Welsh Slate Museum on (01286) 873707 or 07817 373941 or Gwenllian Carr, Head of Press and Public Relations, NMGW, on 07974 205849.