COMMEMORATIONS at the National Library of Wales have marked the centenary of the death of the Celtic scholar, Sir John Rhys.

Born at Ponterwyd in 1840, Rhys became the first Professor of Celtic in the British Isles when he was appointed to the new chair at Oxford University in 1877.

A man of great energy, talent and influence, his publications were numerous, and included Letters on Welsh Philology (1877), based on lectures given at Aberystwyth University in 1874, and the two-volume Celtic Folklore Welsh and Manx (1901), which included numerous Ceredigion folk-tales recounted by his aunt at Ponterwyd.

Rhys began his career as a pupil-teacher at Penllwyn, and a remarkable educational journey took him from elementary schools in Wales to the Principalship of Jesus College, Oxford.

Ysgol Syr John Rhys at Ponterwyd bears his name, and his voluminous papers are held at the National Library of Wales.

Recent commemorative events, held at the library, included the unveiling by interim chief executive/librarian, Linda Tomos and curator of art, Lona Mason of a new portrait bust (below) of John Rhys by former head of the Aberystwyth School of Art, R L Gapper. A public lecture on Rhys’ daughters by professor Angela John of Swansea, and numerous papers at an academic conference at the Library drew on extensive research resources held at Aberystwyth.

A short-term exhibition, held in conjunction with the conference, showcased treasures from the Rhys Archive. These included letters from prominent figures such as Oscar Wilde, T E Lawrence and Theodore Roosevelt as President of the United States.

Linda Tomos expressed her delight at the success of both centenary lecture and conference, and the way in which scholars were “finding new materials for their research amidst one of the most important collections at the Library”.