YAHOO! - The boys did it! 32 - 20 against Ireland for the Grand Slam. The first since '78. Well done the lads!

National Flag:
It remains unclear as to where and how the Welsh flag originated. It is probable that the early Britons used it as a battle standard during, or after, Roman occupation. Indeed it could even be derived from a Roman standard. In 1959, Queen Elizabeth II commanded that the Red Dragon, on a green and white field, be recognised as the official Welsh flag.

Language:
Although the country is small and has a population of only 3,500,000, Wales has retained its language and is continuously promoting and encouraging its use through its Welsh language programme of education and also via the television channel (S4C) and Radio Wales.
Welsh is a Celtic language, related to those of the Irish, Scots, Breton and Gaelic.
Welsh is used as the first language in many parts of Wales and in some places up to 7 in 10 people speak Welsh as a first language.
Although the roots of the language have become lost in time, many scholars believe that Welsh is Europe's oldest living language and is possibly the original language of the British Isles. 

National Sport:
The national sport of Wales is Rugby Union.
Rugby Union is a fifteen-a-side game where each team has to cross the goal line of its opponents and make a downward contact on the oval shaped ball with hand, or any part of upper body. (It's a bit more complicated than that).
Wales employed the most expensive coach in the history of the game. Graham Henry (of New Zealand) was rated as the best coach of the game in the world and was reputed to be on a contract of £1.25 million over the duration of his five year contract.
The Welsh Rugby Union deemed this fee appropriate in an attempt to recapture the glory days of the 70's, when Wales was recognised as a major force in the game. (How times change eh?).
Unfortunately, this relationship recently fell apart, Henry resigned his post, after Wales lost to Ireland by a record margin of defeat, then fellow Kiwi Steve Hansen took over the cursed role.
However, it now seems that the groundwork of Henry and Hansen is paying off. New Wales coach Mike Ruddock has managed to secure three good wins from the first three games of the 2005 tournament. Wales beat the mighty England side first up, followed by a win over Italy. The latest, a magnificent second half performance by Wales saw the men in red beat France by 24 points to 18 in Paris.
Ruddock obviously wasn't happy with the first half performance against France and put that right against Scotland, running in 5 tries in the first half. Some wonderful handling between backs and forwards but they stepped off the gas in the second half but still beat Scotland by a score of 46 - 22.
YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! 32-20 to Wales. We beat th Irish and won the slam at last, the first since '78. Well done bys! I'll forgive you for my stinking headache this morning.
Keep it up boys! You've played some wonderful rugby. What comes next? - a large contingent in the LIONS for New Zealand. Pob Hwyl!

Would you like to know more?
Why not visit these sites of interest?

www.tourism.wales.gov.uk

www.nationalshowcaves.co.uk

Location:

Wales is located on the western shores of the United Kingdom. It is a relatively small country of about 140 miles from north to south and only about 100 miles across its widest point from east to west.
The west coast borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Bristol channel separates the south of Wales from the south of England.
Anglessy, (at the extreme north) is the largest island and is connected to Wales by road and rail bridges.

Did you know?
Some Statistics:
The population of Wales is approximately 3.5 million, with almost
an equal split between men and women.
Marriage has declined in Wales since 1987 when there were 19,500
marriages in Wales to 14,500 ten years later.
In 1998 there were 33,400 births and 34,00 deaths. 8,500 of these deaths were due to cancer.

Did you know?
Did you know that St.David, the Patron Saint of Wales, died in 589 AD, on the 1st of March, giving rise to the day of National celebration?

Did you know?
Did you also know that St.Patrick , Patron Saint of Ireland, as a young man, was taken to Ireland as a slave. It has long been recognised that he came from the west coast of the UK. It has also long been claimed that he was actually born in Banwen, near Neath and was taken by the Romans as they built their roads through Wales and the rest of Britain. (If you've ever been to Banwen you'll understand why he stayed in Ireland).
Wouldn't it be nice to recognise this great link with a sculpture or other work of art?
Let us know what you think.

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The National Assembly of Wales:
For many years, a growing minority of the population fought to gain some control of Wales from the British government in Westminster. Plaid Cymru (the National Party of Wales) originally wished to gain full independence, but when this appeared to be a little too extreme for the majority of the population, the option of a National Assembly quickly became appealing.
Now Wales, like fellow Celts - the Scots and the Irish, have a body with some say in their own future. The Assembly does not have the power of the Scottish parliament and some critics feel that it is an expensive additional tier of bureaucracy.
However, others feel it is a necessary expense for some degree of control over the direction of the nation.