Breton cultural exchange in Aberystwyth

Students in Aberystwyth will learn about the language and culture of Brittany when academics from the Breton city of Rennes visit the Welsh town next week.

Continuing a long-term collaboration between the two institutions, a group of academics from Université Rennes 2 (Skol-veur Roazhon 2) will be travelling to Aberystwyth University to offer a week-long educational programme.

Students from the Departments of Welsh & Celtic Studies, Modern Languages and International Politics will be offered the opportunity to learn about the Breton language and culture; along with members of Cymdeithas Cymru Llydaw (Wales Brittany Association).

Visiting academics from the Breton and Celtic Department at Université Rennes 2 will offer Breton lessons for beginners and for those who already have some familiarity with the language.  They will also deliver lessons on the culture and history of Brittany. 

Cédric Choplin will deliver a session on the history of Brittany; Dr Tristan Loarer will teach about the development of the language, from Brythonic to modern Breton; Riwanon Callac will deliver a lecture in Welsh on the history of Breton literature; and Myriam Guillevic will deliver a talk on women in popular Breton songs.

Dr Rhianedd Jewell, Head of the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University said:

“We are delighted to welcome colleagues from the Department of Breton and Celtic Studies at Université Rennes 2 to Aberystwyth. We at the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies are very proud of our connections with other Celtic nations, and this visit will certainly strengthen this further.

“Aberystwyth University is the only place in the world where you can study the Breton language through the medium of Welsh. The course offered by colleagues from Rennes 2 will enable these students to deepen their understanding of the language and culture of Brittany, as well as offering a wider opportunity for other students and those in the community of Aberystwyth who are completely new to the subject.”

Lecturer, Gwenole Cornec, teaches Breton through medium of Welsh at Aberystwyth University. He said:

“There is a long history of exchanges between Aberystwyth and Rennes 2 Universities, and their continuation despite the difficulties posed by COVID and Brexit demonstrates their strength. I can personally testify to the great richness provided by this type of collaboration, having had the chance to discover Aberystwyth and learn Welsh as a student as part of an international exchange between our two universities.  The connection between our Breton and Welsh languages is well and truly alive, and what's happening in Aberystwyth is a good example of that.”

Welsh and Breton share linguistic roots dating back to the fall of the Roman Empire, when people from Brythonic-speaking southwest Britain, settled in the northwest of modern-day France, later named Brittany.