YNYS MON

LOCATION AND COMMUNICATION LINKS

The Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) is located at the heart of the British Isles. The largest island off the coast of England and Wales, it has the added advantage of being linked to the mainland by two bridges the Britannia Bridge (road and rail) and the Menai Suspension Bridge. Ynys Mon is within easy reach of all parts of Britain and Ireland. Rail and coach connections from England are good. You can travel from Manchester to Bangor by train in two hours and from London Euston in about three and half hours. The Irish Sea route from Dun Laoghaire has now seen the introduction of catamaran services. The fastest journey time has been reduced to just 99 minutes.

GEOGRAPHY

Ynys Mon is not one island but many. The main landmass — some 50km north to south and 50km east to west covering an area of 72,000 hectares with 125 miles of coastline — is surrounded by dozens of smaller satellite islands, many of which can be reached by causeway or at low tide. The largest (12km by 5.5 km) is Holy Island dominated by Holyhead Mountain which, at only 720 feet above sea level, is the highest point on Ynys Mon.

With 21,497 hectares designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 50km of Heritage Coast, 1,574 hectares of National Natural Reserve and 7,523 hectares of Special Scientific Interest, for centuries Ynys Môn, with its mild climate and productive farms, sent grain to sustain the inhabitants of the Welsh highlands.

The rocks of Ynys Mon include ancient preCambrian strata, over 600 million years old: these form the sheer cliffs of South Stack. The limestone of Red Wharf Bay and the southeast coast is Carboniferous, about 300 million years old. Overlying these are boulder clays, sand and gravels. The island separated from the mainland after the last Ice Age, when the former Cadnant valley flooded and the Menai Strait was formed. A second strait was also formed across the corner of the island between Malltraeth and Pentraeth —this low valley remains an area of wetland where it has not been drained and reclaimed.

Looking across the Menai Straits to the mainland, the Snowdonia range of mountains forms a magnificent backdrop, being snow-capped for much of the time between November and May.

Mean temperatures vary from 4.4°C to 5.6°C in January and 14.4°C to 15.6°C in July. Average rainfall is between 890mm and 1,015mm annually. During the summer months most of the island enjoys an average of nearly seven hours of sunshine daily. Prevailing winds are south-westerly.

HISTORY

The retreat of the Ice Age from North Wales several thousand years ago exposed the spectacular Ynys Mon coastline sculptured by glaciers. The melting ice separated Ynys Mon from the mainland forming an island of mild climate and fertile soil.

Hunters, farmers, warriors and kings have all left their mark with an abundance of ancient stones, burial chambers, forts and castles providing strong evidence of the island’s importance through the ages.

Seafaring Vikings were also attracted by the agricultural benefits of the island and, indeed, their influence was so strong that the Scandinavian name for the island is retained to this day — (Ynys Môn):

‘Ongulsey’, the island of Ongull, Ongull possibly being a name of a person. Scandinavian raids on Ynys Mon occurred in the ninth and tenth centuries and three attacks in particular have been recorded on coastal settlements in the second half of the tenth century —Holyhead 961, Aberffraw 968, Penmon 971. There is recent evidence of more prolonged Viking activity on the east coast of Ynys Mon with a major Viking settlement having recently been found at Benllech. This site is currently being excavated.

POPULATION AND MAJOR CENTRES

The census in 1991 recorded a population of 69,149. The largest town is Holyhead with a population of 11,796 followed by Llangefni (4,643), Amlwch (3,175), Menai Bridge (3,175) and Beaumaris (2,050).

GOVERNMENT

Ynys Mon is a county within Wales which is governed by the United Kingdom Parliament through the Welsh Office. Local Government reorganisation took place in April 1996 when Ynys Mon became a Unitary Authority within the U.K. system. The County Council has 40 Councillors and a main committee structure covering Administration, Education, Environmental Health, Finance, Housing, Leisure, Planning and Technical Services.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

"Croeso I Mon Mam Cymru" — "Welcome to

Ynys Mon the Mother of Wales"

The Welsh Language ‘yr iaith Gymraeg’, is a tongue with an ancient history. It is a member of the IndoEuropean family, just like English, French and German. It belongs to the Celtic group of languages and is closely related to Breton and Cornish. It is rather more distantly related to Manxjrish and Scottish Gaelic. To outsiders, the Welsh language seems difficult to pronounce. This is because it.. makes use of an orthography or spelling system which is different from that of English. The alphabet lacks certain letters common in English (j, k, q, x, z,); on the other hand it has several double letters unknown in English (ch, ff, ng, 11, ph, rh, th). Once the basic sound has been mastered, Welsh is, phonetically, remarkably consistent.

Amongst modern European languages it has one of the earliest surviving literatures. However, it is not some vanished language known only to a few academics it is the daily working language of Ynys Mon and is full of vigour, being widely used in business, administration and education. It is the medium of a television station, a radio station, of numerous films, magazines, newspapers, books and pop songs. Nationally, the language is spoken by some half a million people.

Throughout its history, Ynys Mon has inspired great poets. In Welsh society the poet has always been publicly respected and, over the centuries Ynys Mon’s country houses offered vital patronage to harpists and bards. This tradition is alive and well on the island today with local Eisteddfodau still encouraging competition in music and literature.

Ynys Mon’s musical traditions are thriving, with choirs such as much-acclaimed Côr Meibion y Traeth, folksingers such as Moniars, and folk dance groups, Dawnswyr Mon. Ynys Mon is the home of the award-winning 10-year-old Beaumaris Festival which is one of the cultural highlights in the North Wales calendar.

ECONOMY

Traditionally, the men and women of Ynys Mon made their living from the land and the sea. The land provided farming, copper and coal mining, quarrying and marram grass for weaving mats. The sea provided fishing, shipbuilding, ferrying and seafaring.

To-day there is less work to be had from the land and the sea, although farming and port services are still major employers. The majority of the workforce is engaged in administration and tourism-based occupations, with approximately 20% of the workforce working in aluminium and engineering businesses.

The completion of the North Wales Coast Expressway leading from Ynys Mon to UK motorway network is opening the way for inward investment. The island is now the only designated Development Area in North Wales and benefits from the maximum available government grant assistance.

The island’s economy is coming out of recession with heavy demand for industrial units. Land is now being developed at key locations to accommodate new and expanding industrial activity. The port of Holyhead is being completely redeveloped at a cost of £42 million, with two ferry operators investing some £100 million in new high speed luxury ships to cross the Irish Sea.

The North Wale Expressway is now to be continued across Ynys Môn, thereby linking Holyhead with the motorway network and providing the final piece to the jigsaw which will see the island as part of the main Euroroute linking the Republic of Ireland with the rest of Europe.

TOURISM

Tourism is an important employer but, with the unpredictable Welsh climate, is predominantly seasonal and poorly paid.

Fortunately, Ynys Mon has managed to resist modern day temptations for major developments. Hence the island has retained its quiet and peaceful charm and remains an attraction for the quiet family holiday ‘away from it all’.

SPORT AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES

It was following local government reorganisation in 1973 that Ynys Mon was given it’s first major public Leisure facilities. The incoming Borough Council committed itself to the provision of a Leisure Service and a multi functional Leisure Department.

The island’s Local Authority now manage three Wet/Dry Centres, One Dry Centre, a nine-hole Public Golf Course, a Heritage Centre and several other visitor attractions. In recent years the Sports Development Section of the Leisure Department has introduced a new dimension, taking sportspersons from grass roots participation through to excellence.

Participation in the Island Games is a very important goal within the island’s development schemes, providing the opportunity to compete on foreign soil in International competition.

The Local Authority operates a grant aid scheme for talented sportspersons providing much needed finance to attend National Championships and National Squads.

Apart from Local Authority Managed facilities, Ynys MOn can boast a wide variety of leisure activities ranging through the traditional Eisteddfodau, drama groups, music and arts festivals, country sports of riding, shooting and walking and of course sailing and golf.

Norman Morgan