It’s not easy to find Welsh speakers in Ohio, but Dafydd Jones was determined to learn the language of his parents and connect with his homeland 3,800 miles away
Dafydd Emrys Jones describes himself as a “passionate Welshman”, although he hasn’t lived in the country since childhood. For the past 32 years he has made his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, but the 74-year-old has had “a long journey” to get there. He was born in Wrexham, north Wales, “a city put on the map by the generosity of Ryan Reynolds,” he notes (Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney bought the local football club in 2021). He moved south to Cardiff, then passed through England, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands during his career as an IT troubleshooter, but his Welsh identity has always remained precious. When people ask if he’s English, he tells them firmly that he’s Welsh: “They say ‘oh, it’s the same thing’; I say no!”
He did not, however, speak Welsh – a source of embarrassment. But when the Covid pandemic hit, Jones realised he had an opportunity to rectify that. As everything closed down, his usual hobbies – tango and ballroom dancing, or playing music with his Celtic band, Ceol Mhor – were not available to him. “I’m not married, I have some friends, but I wasn’t going out. I was getting bored every night. So I sat at home thinking, bad as this Covid thing is, it also gives me an opportunity.”
Tell us: has your life taken a new direction after the age of 60?
