Pererin Wyf / Is Oilithreach Mé / I am a Pilgrim – Short Film

This short film documents Pererin Wyf / Is Oilithreach Mé / I am a pilgrim a participatory arts project that sought to connect with the Welsh and Irish diaspora with particular reference to a new cross-border pilgrimage connecting Pembrokeshire and Wexford.

The project took its title and inspiration from an 18th century hymn by the prolific Welsh writer William Williams Pantycelyn. The hymn is most often sung to the tune of Amazing Grace.

The project began in September 2022 with a series of online workshops with world class speakers including Emyr Wyn James, Gareth Bonello, Catherine Dunne and Pamela Petro focusing on key themes of the project; connecting with the Welsh and Irish diaspora, language, home, travel and song.

Activity continued in the Spring of 2023 with song and story sharing workshops and an exchange trip between the two counties. The project has resulted in this documentary soundtracked film by Rowan O’Neill, Paul Evans, Jacob Whittaker and John Ó Faoláin and a new macaronic song written by Wexford based traditional singer Rachel Uí Fhaoláin.

Pererin Wyf / Is Oilithreach Mé / I am a Pilgrim was devised, curated and produced by Rowan O’Neill in collaboration with Span Arts and co-facilitated in Wexford by Rachel Uí Fhaoláin of Ceol Mo Chroí and John Ó Faoláin of Traditional Archive Channel.

Pererin Wyf was part of the Ancient Connections project funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme.