Richard Lewis Jones (1934-2009) was a farmer from Ceredigion. But he was Dic Jones, the farmer and poet to everybody.
Dic lived on Fferm yr Hendre, near Aberporth. Country life was important to him as a man and a poet.
He was husband to Jean and they had six children. His daughter, Esyllt died when she was three months old.
Dic remembers his comfort toy when he was a small boy – a small rabbit that went everywhere with Dic.
When he was young he liked playing football. He played for Newcastle Emlyn. When Dic played in a game against ‘Swansea A’ team, Len Allchurch and John King were playing for the Swansea team.
The Cilie Family was important to Dic. Alun Cilie was the man who taught Dic how to compose poetry in strict verse.
Dic won the Chair of the Urdd National Eisteddfod five times when he was a young man.
In 1966 Dic won the Chair of the Aberafan Eisteddfod for his poem ‘Y Cynhaeaf’ (The Harvest). Dic’s poem, ‘Y Gwanwyn’ (Spring) was the best poem at the Cardigan National Eisteddfod in 1976, but Dic had broken the rules of the competition, so there was no chair for him.
He worked on the popular radio programme ‘Talwrn y Beirdd’ with the poet, Gerallt Lloyd Owen for years.
Dic was the first farmer to be Archdruid. The 2008 Cardiff Eisteddfod was his first eisteddfod as Archdruid. He was too ill to go to the 2009 Bala Eisteddfod; Dic died in August 2009.
Dic was a country poet – a poet of his square mile. In the programme, Dic is talking in April 2009. He talks about his life and his poetry.
