Welsh Journals

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directions for embarking on that task are effectively set out in these volumes for the travellers. We wish them God Speed, and particularly so in view of the chilling climate in which the teaching of, and research in, history is currently taking place. WILLIAM H. JOHN Cardiff HELYNTION IWERDDON. By Gerwyn James and Dewi Williams. University of Wales Press, 1988. Pp. 62; paperback £ 3.00. TROSEDD A CHOSB. By Keith Owen. University of Wales Press, 1988. Pp. 43; paperback £ 3.00. Published in 1988 under the aegis of the Welsh Office Resources and Materials Project, these volumes are intended to promote the teaching of history through the medium of Welsh. Helyntion Iwerddon examines the history of Ireland from earliest times to the trials and tribulations of the present century. There is a splendid little introductory piece which gently sweeps the reader along from 100 B.C. to Stuart times, indicating the salient landmarks on the journey. The book concentrates, however, on the years from 1689 to the 1960s. The first section, which considers the impact of the French Revolution, the Wolfe Tone rebellion and the eventual act of Union, does so in a stately and balanced way. Irish fortunes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are chronicled in seven of the ten chapters. The story of Irish Home Rule, British policies, and the reaction of Irish people and politicians are narrated in a concise and inspiring way. The authors are to be congratulated for embellishing their work with such jewels of photographic and documentary evidence. Never was Irish history related to Welsh schoolchildren in such a terse and graphic fashion; and those who have often regarded Gladstone's ministries and measures as a jungle of complexity will jump for joy as they discover pages 38 and 39. As the authors scan the landscape of Irish history, the reader is invited to pause periodically so as to consider the influence of predominant features on Wales and Welshmen. At the end of each chapter there are well-conceived exercises to encourage the pupils to delve deeper into Irish matters. Trosedd a Chosb explores the theme of crime and punishment through the ages, and it should be warmly welcomed by hard-pressed teachers who have prepared their pupils for this G.C.S.E. module. This publication complements other English- and Welsh-medium texts in the field. Its chronological structure is a sensible one, and the topics considered in each period are well-balanced. It opens with the questions: What is crime? And why do we need laws? The author then unfolds the scroll of crime and punishment, revealing the early Babylonian laws, the laws of Hywel Dda, and similar legal codes in England. The chronological narrative is brisk, steady and confident, and there are delightful side-walks en route: the adventures of Jonathan Wild, a