Скачать или смотреть ⚒️ SILENT MINES OF CYMRU | Wales’ Colliery Echoes | From Bronze-Age Depths to Valley Farewell ⚒️

Mining in Wales stretches back to the Bronze Age when small‐scale copper and lead workings tapped the rich geology of the land. Archaeological evidence shows that by Roman times, from the late 1st century AD onwards, the region yielded gold, copper, and lead ore.

Over the 19th and early 20th centuries, coal mining exploded — especially in the South Wales Coalfield where by 1913 the port of Barry had become the largest coal-exporting port in the world and Cardiff second.

However the industry also bore its tragedies: on 21 October 1966 the Aberfan disaster saw a spoil-tip collapse wipe out a village school, killing 144 people, mostly children, and became a watershed moment in mining safety.

In the late 20th century the combination of depleted seams, changing energy policy, and the defeat of the miners in the 1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strike enabled a wave of pit closures that dramatically reduced coal-mining employment.
Finally the last deep coal mine, the Tower Colliery in Hirwaun, closed in January 2008, marking the end of large-scale deep coal mining in Wales.

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"I AM A LITTLE COLIER"
This traditional folk song emerged from the coal-mining communities of Wales, its author unknown but its voice anchored in the deep rhythm of the colliers’ daily lives. The version preserved here was submitted by Idwal Jones (1900-1982) of Wrexham, a Welsh Labour politician:

I am a little collier and gweithio underground
The rhaff will never torri when I go up and down
It’s bara when I’m hungry
And cwrw when I’m dry
It’s gwely when I’m tired
And nefoedd when I die

Translation:
gweithio – work
rhaff – rope
tori – break
bara – bread
cwrw – beer
gwely – bed
nefoedd – heaven

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LYRICS:

[Verse 1]
From the Brithonic tribes to the Roman rule,
Men dug the earth, shaping trade and art.
Centuries passed, the pick and hammer echoed through the land,
Their sweat carved Wales, providing families and fueling progress.
By the 20th century, the mines thrived, deep and vast.

[Chorus]
In the underground, our history was born,
By hands that carved mountain and stone.
Through struggle and pain, through hard work and fight,
They carried their pride where no stars give light.
Unknown men who built the world’s wealth, yet none recall their name,
Now the mines lie silent — but Cymru still carries their flame.

[Verse 2]
Coal black as night, slate strong as the hills,
Gold, copper, silver, iron, and lead ore shining in veins.
Every hand left its mark, building Wales with steady work,
Fuel for the world, stones for houses, and wealth for dreams.
They risked their lives every day, yet the world did not care about their name.

[Chorus]
In the underground, our history was born,
By hands that carved mountain and stone.
Through struggle and pain, through hard work and fight,
They carried their pride where no stars give light.
Unknown men who built the world’s wealth, yet none recall their name,
Now the mines lie silent — but Cymru still carries their flame.

[Verse 3]
Modernisation, the state’s retreat, and tunnels running dry,
Cast shadows over once-booming pits and quarries.
Tragedies like Aberfan haunt the conscience, shaping sorrow and care,
Now quarries lie silent, tunnels hidden, their echoes buried in time,
And hiraeth fills the valleys, a longing that never rests.

[Chorus]
In the underground, our history was born,
By hands that carved mountain and stone.
Through struggle and pain, through hard work and fight,
They carried their pride where no stars give light.
Unknown men who built the world’s wealth, yet none recall their name,
Now the mines lie silent — but Cymru still carries their flame.

[Bridge]
Listen to the echoes in abandoned halls,
Hear the stories left in dust on walls.
Though the mines no longer feed the wealth,
And the tunnels lie in quiet dark,
Wales remembers, holding every story in its heart.

[Final Chorus]
In the underground, our history was born,
By hands that carved mountain and stone.
Through struggle and pain, through hard work and fight,
They carried their pride where no stars give light.
Unknown men who built the world’s wealth, yet none recall their name,
Now the mines lie silent — but Cymru still carries their flame.

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#WalesMining #WalesColiery #Aberfan #WelshHeritage #MinerLives #IndustrialWales #CymruAmByth #Cymru #WelshLanguage #MadeForWales #Cymraeg

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🎵 Credits: This production was crafted with the support of professional digital tools, including OpenArt and SUNO AI.