Montgomery building historical bridges with Hungary

Montgomery was the town where János Arany set his poem ‘The Bards of Wales’ with the epic verses relating a tale of 500 rebellious bards murdered at Montgomery Castle at the order of King Edward I.

Arany could not write openly regarding the repression of his own people so chose Montgomery as the setting for ‘A walesi bárdok’.

In June, Montgomery Town Council’s Tourism Committee were inspired by a heartfelt video produced by the Magyar Cymru group to ‘Build Bridges’ between Hungary and Wales. Montgomery was determined to send its own message to the people of Hungary. Members of the community had an immensely enjoyable time providing footage for the film, which was then expertly edited into a concise 10 minute video encapsulating Montgomery life, events and heritage, with a particular emphasis on the Arany connection.

Chair of the Tourism Committee, Jill Kibble, said: “We hope this is just the beginning of our bridge building. Already there are plans afoot for joint music events, links for the school and, in particular, a special relationship with Kunagota which styles itself ‘the most Welsh village in Hungary’ because of its involvement with traditional Welsh music and culture and the annual Hungarian concert in Cardiff organised by Kunagota resident and opera singer, Elizabeth Sillo.

The video, which can be viewed on Youtube, was completed in early November and posted on Montgomery’s social media as well as winging its way to Magyar Cymru who posted it and promoted it in Hungarian publications. It has already reached nearly 50,000 views, mostly Hungarians.

The co-ordinator of Magyar Cymru, Mr Balint Brunner, said: “Thank you very very much, and my best wishes to everyone involved. I knew this was going to be great, but still, I’m lost for words. I’m absolutely touched and I’m sure many, many Hungarians will be just as amazed to see this.”