Village re-enacts the kidnapping of St Patrick to celebrate its claim to be the home of the patron saint of Ireland.
Pirates, Roman soldiers, cavalry and village children filled the streets of the small Welsh mining village of Banwen in a fullscale re-staging the kidnapping of St Patrick to celebrate Banwen's claim to be the home of the patron saint of Ireland.
The small village of Banwen in South Wales staged a kidnapping of St Patrick on Sunday 13th June with a troop of Roman soldiers and cavalry from the York based Roman construction group Comitatus, local children and voulnteers from Banwen Rugby Club.
The village, which sits on the side of the great Roman road Sarn Helen that runs through Wales, claims to be the place where Patrick was brought up in a Roman family and is home to the Welsh St Patrick's memorial.
At 2pm in the baking hot sun Roman soldiers march through the village, with Roman cavalry, along the great Roman road Sarn Helen. Shortly afterwards a band of Irish pirates, made up of volunteers from Banwen Rugby Club, emerged from the fields and re-enacted the abduction of the young Patrick and his sister Darerca, at the site of the Welsh St Patrick memorial in the village.
There followed a half hour chase around the village of Banwen with Irish pirate band pursued by the Roman army through the village playing fields, gardens and through the local pub The Dyffryn Arms, ending at the Banwen Rugby Club.
After the re-enactment there was a short service of thanks for the life of St Patrick and his sister Darerca, and prayers given for all people through the ages and today who have been victims of slavery and human trafficking at St David's Church, Main Road, Banwen.
The Romans have been in Banwen for a whole week, giving education days at local schools, working with the community and on Friday they set up a Roman marching camp on a field at Banwen Rugby Club where they held demonstrations for the village over weekend of Roman culture and the life of a Roman soldier.
The village hosted the Roman re-enactors with food and refreshment and the Romans played pool and darts in Banwen Rugby Club.
After the village chase on Sunday afternoon in which the Irish raiders made it to the Rugby club first, John Conyard, who runs the Roman group Comitatus said, "We'll be back!"
Dean Cawsey, a local Councillor and part of the village team who arranged the event said, "We'd love to do this again, after Covid, and share the wonders of Banwen and this lovely village spirit with the public"
In his autobiography the saint, who lived 1500 years ago, tells how he was plucked from the bog by pirates in a place called Taburnae Bannavem, a place which today's village knows as Tafarn y Banwen or the Tavern at Banwen.
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford attended this year's online St Patrick Day Celebration in Banwen on March 17th and said "What better place could there be to celebrate St Patrick’s Day than in Banwen." (Welsh Govt approved quote). https://www.landscapesoffaith.org/first-minister-drops-in-on-zoom-to-celebrate-welsh-st-patricks-day/
To create the event the village teamed up with the Landscapes of Faith festival which celebrates stories of all the faith traditions in the landscapes of South Wales. The event this year was Covid-19 safe, but not open to the public.
