Wales national anthem: Land of My Fathers lyrics in full and explained

The late Gary Speed provided the foundation for the great modern iteration of the Wales men's national football team.

While fostering a newfound sense of professionalism and nurturing the talents of a young Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, Speed was also the first to recognise the importance of mastering the anthem, 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' (Land of My Fathers).

In 2011, Speed demanded his players learn the words off by heart, printing out phonetic copies of the Welsh lyrics - it is always sung in Welsh - and soliciting the expertise of Courtenay Hamilton, Miss Wales 2010, who sang the anthem before an international against England.

By the time Wales qualified for Euro 2016, the players were belting out the anthem at full tilt but had no chance of being heard above the deafening support which loyally followed the most successful generation in the country's history.

Here's everything you need to know about a hymn which has been around since 1856.

Land of My Fathers full lyrics (Welsh)

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,
Tros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad,
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r heniaith barhau.

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd;
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd,
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si,
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.

Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad dan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.

Land of My Fathers full lyrics (English)

The land of my fathers is dear unto me
Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free
Its warring defenders so gallant and brave
For freedom their life's blood they gave.

Home, home, true am I to home
While seas secure the land so pure
O may the old language endure.

Old land of the mountains, the Eden of bards
Each gorge and each valley a loveliness guards
Through love of my country, charmed voices will be
Its streams, and its rivers, to me.

Though foemen have trampled my land 'neath their feet
The language of Cambria still knows no retreat
The muse is not vanquished by traitor's fell hand
Nor silenced the harp of my land.

Land of My Fathers lyrics explained

Evan James wrote the lyrics in the mid-19th century but didn't give as much thought when naming his son, James James, who composed the music. The song was originally called 'Glan Rhondda' ('Banks of the Rhondda') as James Jr conjured the tune - based on an old harp melody - while walking by the River Rhondda before tasking his father with conjuring up some lyrics. There has been a statue of the double act in Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd for almost 100 years.

The song begins by describing Wales, the 'Land of My Fathers', as an "old land where the minstrels are honoured and free". James James played his harp in the inns of Pontypridd, so this line serves as a wink to his son from Evan James early in the song.

Overall, 'Land of My Fathers' is an unapologetically patriot hymn, lauding the "gallant and brave" defenders who sacrificed themselves in the ultimately unsuccessful plight to remain independent from England.

The song continues to be exclusively belted out in its original Welsh as a key theme of the tune is the sense of identity intrinsically linked to the language. James preaches: "O may the old language endure", and "the language of Cambria still knows no retreat", Cambria being another name for Wales.

This sentiment gained so much traction and the song was propelled into the public consciousness because it coincided perfectly with the modern movement for Welsh independence which launched in the mid-19th century. As much as the babbling Rhondda brook may have been an inspiration, the groundswell of opposition to English rule would surely have influenced this James' joint.

'Land of Fathers' shot to prominence when it was sung by Robert Rees in the Bangor Eisteddfod in 1874 and will forever have a place in history as the first known recording made in the Welsh language when Madge Breese put it on a single-sided seven-inch disc in March 1899.

More than a century later, it is still on the lips of the Welsh public.