I’ve just finished my 3 year degree in Cardiff and in September will be moving to Bangor for a year to do a PGCE. After that year is finished me and my girlfriend plan on looking for a place to settle, she is a fluent speaker and after two years of learning now I believe I am at a decent level of Welsh and plan to keep learning. Cymraeg is a big part of both our lives and we want to be able to be immersed in it everyday. We would like to find a place to live In Wales around the Carmarthen area. I have heard Ammanford is a very Welsh speaking area, I was just wondering if anyone knew if this is true or what it is like? Would love to hear other places about, that have a high amount of Welsh speakers just to start giving us ideas!
That gives you the percentage of Welsh speakers in different parts of Wales, though as it includes from the age of 3 upwards, in some places a percentage of those will be children in Welsh medium education.
Ammanford has a large and very much alive and kicking Welsh speaking community. Even the ‘non-Welsh’ speakers have a lot Welsh in them.
I went to college in Ammanford, my brother worked there, my sister-in-law is Ammanford born and bred (first language Welsh) and I now nurse a lot of Ammanford ‘natives,’ most of whom speak Welsh. I’m certain this has continued in earnest to the now younger generation.
It’s a beautiful area too. Backing onto The Black Mountains.
Yes , Rhydaman way used to be incredibly welsh speaking but when I lived there I would say it was ‘hanner a hanner’ 50% but I wasn’t interacting with the oldest generations.
Lots of non-Welsh speaking younger people have been moving into western valleys… llandeilo/ llanymddyfri (llandovery) etc due to cheaper house prices… so its a matter of finding out who speaks Welsh by being upfront and asking directly in my experience.
Compared to my spell living in Gwynedd I would say Welsh is a bit more private and behind closed doors compared to Caernarfon and Llanrug way!! But…but when they know you want to speak… it will flow readily!
Hope I could help give an outside perspective as an outsider doing transient work there.
