Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau festival of 1858. Thomas Llewelyn of Aberdare won a competition for an unpublished collection of Welsh airs with a collection that included "Glan Rhondda". The adjudicator of the competition, "Owain Alaw" (John Owen, 1821–83) asked for permission to include "Glan Rhondda" in his publication, "Gems of Welsh melody" (1860–64). This volume gave "Glan Rhondda" its more famous title, "Hen wlad fy nhadau", and was sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the anthem across the whole of Wales. At the Bangor Eisteddfod of 1874 "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" gained further popularity when it was sung by Robert Rees
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ("Eos Morlais"), one of the leading Welsh soloists of his day. It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem. "Hen wlad fy nhadau" was also one of the first Welsh-language songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the Gramophone Company, as part of the first recording in the Welsh language. In 1905, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" became the first national anthem to be sung at the start of a sporting event. Although crowds singing anthems during matches was commonplace, there was no precedent for the anthem to be