HUGE crowds are expected to flock to Aberdaron this month to celebrate the life of a renowned Welsh poet.

R S Thomas (Ronald Stuart Thomas) is best known for his poetry and nomination for a Nobel prize for literature.

He was also one of the few voices in the 1950s that spoke of the concerns for the loss of the Welsh language and culture.

Mr Thomas campaigned for the use of the Welsh language in public offices, and in the curriculum of schools and also for the right to have Welsh language television and radio.

Mr Thomas died in 2000, aged 87, at his home in Pentrefelin.

Organiser of the forthcoming R S Thomas Literary Festival, Susan Fogarty, said Mr Thomas is still a very important part of the Llyn Peninsula.

She said: “Every month there are visitors to St Hywyn’s Church in Aberdaron who want to see the church where he preached and the landscape that inspired his poetry.

“We look forward to seeing more local people at this year’s festival, especially those who knew the real Thomas behind the so called ‘fleeting look of contempt’.”

The RS Thomas Literary Festival will run between 24-27 June in Aberdaron.

See the full story in this Thursday’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition of the Cambrian News