The St. David's Society of Minnesota was formed to celebrate the heritage and culture of the Welsh immigrants to Minnesota. To these ends, St. David's Society members celebrate and cultivate all things Welsh - in literature, history, music, dance, art or ideas, traditional and contemporary.
Hosted by the Celtic Junction Arts Center, this three-part introductory lecture series offers a concise journey through the history of Cymru (Wales), tracing how a small country developed a strong and lasting national identity. Designed for those new to Welsh history, the series moves briskly across the timeline, highlighting key moments, people, and ideas rather than exploring events in deep detail. Lecturer: Dan Rowbotham. Click here for more information.
Well-Read Dragon's Book Group
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm on Zoom
How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill. Doubleday,1995
For this year's "one book from another UK country that's not England," the recommender notes that the prose of this historiography is a little thick because it predates the stylistic - more readable and concise -- change of contemporary historiography, but that the fascinating history from the 5th century fall of Rome to the early 8th century Middle Ages, makes for a reading that is worth pushing through. A must-read for anyone interested in the histories of Ireland, Great Britain, or Western Europe.
The other books for 2025-26, also chosen by members:
June 6: The Ladies, by Doris Grumbach. Harper Collins,1984
Aug. 1: Welsh [Plural]: Essays on the Future of Wales, edited by Darren Chetty, Grug Muse, Hanan Issa, and Iestyn Tyne. Repeater Press, 2022
Sgwrs Cymraeg, Welsh Conversation
Any learners or would-be learners welcome to any or all of these classes. ALL held via Zoom, on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 10:30am - 12:30pm. Contact conversation facilitator: Laurel Bradshaw, llawryf@yahoo.com for Zoom link and more information.
Interviews of Society Members
Our First Member Interview: Ellis Jones! On November 1, 2021, one of our board members, Hywel Roberts, interviewed our long-time member and past president, Ellis Jones. Click hereto read the transcript of the interview. We will eventually create a video of excerpts from this and future interviews.
Laurel Bradshaw: in March of 2025, Mary Morris Mergenthal interviewed Laurel about how she learned Welsh and became a Welsh dance instructor. Read her responses here.
Links to Enjoy (Click on the green text)
Find the program from our recent Holiday Tea, including all the readings, here.
Did you know the on-line game Wordle was invented by a Welshman? Read about his story here.
Today's Harlech: Our member Ryan Evans has produced a recording of Welsh-Minnesotans singing the folk song Tros Y Garreg (Over the Stone) set to his original electronic music accompaniment. He has also created a website with this music and stories and poems written by and read by our members about their Welsh heritage. (Click on the title above to get to the website.)
History of Wales links: Scott Lloyd, one of our Welsh speakers over Zoom,has generously shared many links to learn abour Welsh history and ancient sites.
Contact us at mailto:stdavidsofmn@gmail.com or visit and "like" our Facebook page to learn more about the Welsh and Wales at local, national, and international levels: Go to facebook
