Drowned – The Flooding of a Village

February 2023 marks sixty years since activists bombed arguably the most controversial construction project in modern Welsh history – the Llyn Celyn reservoir in North Wales.Residents in the Meirionnydd village of Capel Celyn were forced to leave their homes; and in 1965, Capel Celyn disappeared beneath the new lake - built to provide drinking water for Liverpool.We will take you back to the beginning, in February 1963, when three young men travelled through blizzard conditions to plant a b...

February 2023 marks sixty years since activists bombed arguably the most controversial construction project in modern Welsh history – the Llyn Celyn reservoir in North Wales.Residents in the Meirionnydd village of Capel Celyn were forced to leave their homes; and in 1965, Capel Celyn disappeared beneath the new lake - built to provide drinking water for Liverpool.We will take you back to the beginning, in February 1963, when three young men travelled through blizzard conditions to plant a bomb at an electricity transformer on the Tryweryn construction site. One of those jailed tell us his version of what happened that night. These shocking events were one of the sparks that ignited the Welsh language campaigns of the 1960s, and the devolution campaign to follow. But it wasn’t the first time a Welsh community had been displaced to provide water for English cities.And when the homes, the school and chapel have been demolished; when the bodies in the cemetery have been exhumed; and when the gates have been opened to flood the village of Capel Celyn - what happens next?Journalist Betsan Powys has grown up with this story and thought she knew all the facts, but what she discovered in making this podcast has shocked her.And there’s one question she says that she doesn't think we’ve ever quite answered but feels we should:What happens when the story we tell ourselves about the drowning and the decades of protest it sparked start to become a myth, and uncomfortable truths are drowned out?Writer and Presenter: Betsan Powys Producers: Maria David, Huw Meredydd Sound Design: Cathy Robinson Executive Producer: Karen Voisey Production Manager: Andrea Deere Associate Producer: Dinah Jones Development: Catrin Sion and Sam Ferguson Archive Research: Dafydd O’Connor Historical Consultant: Dr Wyn Thomas Original Music: 9Bach