Evan James (poet) were taken many years apart. Evan James (poet) Evan James (also known by the bardic name "Ieuan ap Iago") (1809 – 30 September 1878), a weaver and poet from Pontypridd, originally from Caerphilly, Wales, wrote the lyrics of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" ("Land of my Fathers"), the national anthem of Wales. James, a weaver by trade, employed several people at his mill on the bank of the River Rhondda. According to family legend, his son James James, was walking one day in January 1856 on the banks of the river when the melody for "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" came to
Côr Meibion Pontypridd a semi-national eisteddfod held at Llanharan on 23 June 1951. They were awarded first prize and there was a report about them in the Pontypridd Observer. By the time of the choir's second annual concert in November 1951, they were known as the Pontypridd and District YMCA Male Voice Choir. They made their first BBC recording in June 1956. It featured in a programme about the centenary of the composition of the music for "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" and the bicentenary of the building of the Old Bridge. A major concert was also held as part of the celebrations in