Welsh Incident in Criccieth

Jon Gower is in Criccieth, Gwynedd, to explore the area’s connection to Robert Graves’ poem, from 1929, Welsh Incident.

Robert Graves wrote the poem after inspiration struck on his train travels in the area with his father, and a Welsh policeman aboard told them a story of having recently seeing a mermaid from the sea caves of Criccieth.

Jon Gower, a writer and poet himself, heads to the source to learn more, hearing about how it resonates with current local residents like the clerk of Criccieth Town Council, Catrin Jones, who then commissioned Howard Bowcott, a local artist, to make a playful sculptural interpretation of the poem for the town green.

Producer: Eliza Lomas