Celebrating St David’s Day: The National Library of Wales Follows in the Pilgrims’ Footsteps

25.02.2026

On Wednesday 25 February the National Library of Wales will embark on a special educational journey to celebrate St David's Day. Its Education Service and the musician and poet Casi Wyn will follow a historic pilgrimage route, starting in Holywell, travelling through mid-Wales and finishing in St Davids. 

Over a period of three days the team will deliver 6 poetry workshops – two each day – in different primary schools, engaging with over 150 pupils.

Casi Wyn will lead the workshops, using Dewi Sant's message, "Do the little things" as inspiration for pupils to compose their own poems. The workshops will encourage children to connect the message with contemporary life in Wales, fostering creative expression and a sense of identity.

The pupils will also have the chance to see some of the treasures from the Library's collections ensuring that this is a memorable experience. These include the Book of Taliesin, which contains one of the earliest references to Saint David and some of the oldest Welsh poems, and John Ogilby's unique maps, which mark the pilgrimage route.

Owain Dafydd, Education and Skills Manager at the National Library of Wales said:
“This is an exciting project that combines history, culture and creativity. The aim of the trip is to create opportunities for learners to learn more about items important to Welsh heritage that are kept in the Library, as well as promoting creative and literacy skills. It is also an opportunity for the Library to engage with learners across Wales and share our collections all over Wales.”

Each pupil will receive a booklet about the Book of Taliesin in order to spark conversations in their own homes. To ensure the project has a lasting legacy, a digital resource containing a video of the trip and learning materials will be published on Hwb and the Library's website in the future. This will give schools across Wales the opportunity to experience the trip and the activities.

This project is funded by the St David’s Day Fund 2026 by Welsh Government.

** Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**
 

--ENDS--
The National Library of Wales Media Contact
Nia Wyn Dafydd, Promotion and Marketing Manager  
nia.dafydd@library.wales  / 01970 632871

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Participating schools:

• Ysgol Gymraeg Gwenffrwd, Holywell
• Ysgol Bryn Clwyd County Primary School, Llandyrnog
• Ysgol Glantwymyn, Glantwymyn
• Ysgol Gymunedol Tal-y-bont, Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion
• Ysgol Glannau Gwaun, Fishguard
• Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi Church in Wales VA School, St Davids

The National Library of Wales Education Service
The National Library of Wales Education Service was established in 2002. The main work is:

• To deliver a programme of educational activities and provisions that align with the requirements of Curriculum for Wales.
• To increase awareness among children and young people of the history, culture and heritage of Wales.
• To facilitate access to information for learners and educators and assist them in making the most of our collections by interpreting information in the national collection.
• To increase the Library's presence, and awareness of the institution and its work, in various parts of Wales.
• To assist the Library in delivering the strategic aims set out in Connecting Wales and the World, the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
• To produce high quality digital learning resources to be published on Hwb, the digital platform for learning and teaching in Wales

Since 2007 The National Library of Wales Education Service has been taking the Library’s collections to schools and communities throughout Wales as part of its outreach programme. These outreach projects are developed in partnership with local authorities, schools and other organisations and individually tailored to meet the needs of those users, as well as assisting them to deliver the required skills and experiences of Curriculum for Wales.

About the National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales is a library for Wales and the world. Located in Aberystwyth, it is the home of the story of Wales.

Opened in 1907, the Library is the centre of research into the culture and heritage of Wales and the Celtic nations.

The purpose of the Library is to make our culture and heritage accessible for everyone to learn, research and enjoy.

We are a legal deposit library, which means we are entitled to a copy of every print publication in Britain and Ireland, but our collections also include the following:

• 8,000,000 books and periodicals (with around 4000 new items arriving each week through legal deposit and acquisition)
• 7,000,000 feet of film
• 250,000 hours of video
• 150,000 hours of sound
• 40,000 manuscripts
• 1,500,000 maps
• 1,000,000 photographs
• 70,000 works of art
• 1,900 cubic meters of archives
• Over 2.5PB of born digital archival holdings
• Over 6 million digitised objects

You will find further information together with a list of resources on the Library's website.