Aberystwyth Professor presides over first official ceremony as Archdruid

Professor Mererid Hopwood (right) succeeds Myrddin ap Dafydd (left) as Archdruid of Gorsedd Cymru. Myrddin ap Dafydd is an alumnus of the Welsh department at Aberystwyth University, and was made an Honorary Fellow of the University in 2022.

Award-winning poet and Professor of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University, Mererid Hopwood, has presided over her first official ceremony as Archdruid, the head of the Gorsedd of the Bards.

Mererid, who has been awarded the Chair, Crown and Literary Medal at the Eisteddfod over the years, will lead the Gorsedd until 2027, including at this year’s National Eisteddfod in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

On Saturday 27 April, she presided over her first official ceremony – the Wrexham National Eisteddfod Proclamation – which took place to celebrate the visit of the National Eisteddfod in August 2025.

More than 500 local residents and members of Gorsedd Cymru formed a procession through the streets of Wrexham, followed by a colourful ceremony held in the Gorsedd Circle on Llwyn Isaf in the city centre. 

The new Archdruid had a strong message in her first address, calling for peace, as she explained the purpose of the Gorsedd sword, saying:

“Ours is a sword that will never be unsheathed.  A Sword of Peace. A sign of our desire to see an end to war and violence.

"And that aspiration is so important today.  Iolo Morganwg said ‘may the wise lead the world’. And from our Gorsedd of peace here in Wrexham today, we, the ordinary people of Wales, call on the ordinary people of the world to reject the ideas of the leaders who ask for more swords and bombs and missiles, and say 'enough is enough'.”

Mererid will be incumbent in the role of Archdruid until 2027.  She succeeds Myrddin ap Dafydd, an alumnus and Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University, who was Archdruid from 2019-24.  

This year's Eisteddfod will be held at Parc Ynysangharad, Pontypridd from 3-10 August.  For more information visit www.eisteddfod.cymru.

Professor Mererid Hopwood

Professor Hopwood is well-known for her exceptional contribution to language and Welsh culture. Her collection of poetry, Nes Draw, won the poetry prize at the 2016 Book of the Year awards, and her first novel for children won the Tir na n-Og award in 2018. She works tirelessly to widen the appeal of the Welsh language verse cynghanedd, and is a former Children’s Poet of Wales and Hay Festival International Fellow. Her literary translations to Welsh include Tŷ Bernarda Alba by Lorca and the Cylch Sialc by Brecht for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

Professor Hopwood has published research in the fields of Education and Literature including work on language pedagogy and on the work of poet Waldo Williams. In 2023, she was awarded the Hay Festival Medal for Poetry. She is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.  

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