A translation of the four Gospels into the Welsh dialect spoken in north Pembrokeshire has been launched at one of Wales’ largest cultural events. This is the story …
Pembrokeshire Welsh
While south Pembrokeshire is largely English-speaking, the north of the county has developed its own distinctive dialect of Welsh.
Rev Lyn Lewis Dafis, a local vicar with a deep interest in languages, translated the four Gospels into this dialect in the hope of making them more accessible and relevant to local people.
Lyn Lewis Dafis
Born in 1960, Lyn Lewis Dafis came from Llain, Mynachlog-Ddu, in south-west Wales. He went on to study Welsh Language and Literature at Aberystwyth University before spending 25 years working as a librarian at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth from 1989.
A gifted theologian, he had an ability to communicate the word of God to people of all ages in a way that was both meaningful and accessible. He contributed to Radio Cymru and wrote for a number of Welsh-language journals, often using his bardic name, Dogfael. He was invested with white robes at the National Eisteddfod when it was held at St David’s in Pembrokeshire in 2002. From 2005, he blogged under the name Dogfael.
For many years, Rev Dafis was actively involved in the life of Eglwys y Santes Fair in Aberystwyth. After serving as a lay reader in the Anglican Church in Wales, he was ordained as a deacon in 2015 and as a priest the following year.
He served first as curate and later as vicar of St John’s Church, Penrhyncoch, within the Bro Padarn Local Ministry Area in Aberystwyth. In 2021, he was appointed Welsh Language Officer for the Diocese of St David’s and became a member of the Church in Wales’ Welsh Language Committee.
He died in 2022 at the age of 61.
The four Gospels in Pembrokeshire Welsh
Using the Beibl Cymraeg Newydd (New Welsh Bible) as his starting point, Rev Dafis rendered the four Gospels into the Welsh spoken in his native north Pembrokeshire. The project was driven by his love for Pembrokeshire, his commitment to the Gospel, and his keen interest in minority or overlooked languages. His translation was finished around the year 2000 but remained unpublished at the time of his death.
Audio edition
With the permission of his family, the translation was later made available online under the title Y Beder Ifengyl yn iaith Sir Benfro (The Four Gospels in Pembrokeshire Welsh), and in 2026, the Bible Society commissioned an audio recording. The project was undertaken by Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg (Union of Welsh Independents) in partnership with Llyfrau Llafar Cymru (Talking Books Wales) and featured volunteers from across Pembrokeshire. The project appeared on the BBC Cymru Welsh-language television programme Dechrau canu dechrau canmol on 31 May 2026 and was also featured on the BBC Cymru website.
Launch
The four Gospels in audio were launched as part of the ap Beibl Welsh Bible app, along with a tribute to Lyn Lewis Dafis, by Sian Rees from the Bible Society at the Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire on 6 August 2026. The Eisteddfod is a large national Welsh cultural event and one of the largest cultural events in Europe. It celebrates Welsh culture through music, choirs, poetry, literature, drama and the arts, primarily conducted through the Welsh language. It alternates each year between north and south Wales and is attended by about 150,000 people over a week of events.
Listen
The four Gospels can be heard by downloading the free ap Beibl app from a mobile app store and selecting Y Beder Ifengyl. They are also available through YouVersion.
