Dic Jones (1934 – August 18, 2009),[1] was a Welsh language poet and the Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
He was born Richard Lewis Jones at Tre'r-ddôl in Ceredigion.[1] The son of a farmer, Jones himself farmed on 85 acres (34 ha) at Fferm yr Hendre at Blaenannerch in Aberporth. In commenting upon his life he quipped
| “ | I farm for bread and butter; I write for some jam on it. | ” |
Jones began his literary career as a competitor in the Urdd eisteddfod, where, as an exponent of cynghanedd, he won the chair five times in his twenties.[2] In 1966 he won the Chair at the National Eisteddfod with an awdl entitled "Cynhaeaf" (English: Harvest).
In 1968, cameras from HTV filmed one of the first pieces of British reality television, when they followed Jones, his wife Jean, and three of their children, Delyth, Rhian and Dafydd, on a fortnight’s holiday to San Antonio, Ibiza.[3]
Under his bardic name "Dic yr Hendre", Jones was installed as Archdruid in 2007, succeeding Selwyn Iolen. He officiated at the 2008 event in Cardiff, but missed the 2009 event in Bala due to ill health.[1]