'Cob Malltraeth' folk song, Malltraeth
Malltraeth Cob, which carries the road and Wales Coast Path over the Cefni river here, is the subject of a folk song which has been sung at countless concerts and eisteddfodau.
To hear an historic recording of Cob Malltraeth, by kind permission of the archives of the National Museum Wales, press play: or, Download mp3 (995KB)
This recording was made in 1963. The singer is T Morris Owen, who grew up in Anglesey in the late Victorian era. For more about him and an English translation of the words, follow the link below to the website of the National Museum of Wales (where you can also discover other folk songs).
The song is about the singer’s fears of what would happen if Malltraeth Cob were to break. This neurosis probably stems from the original Cob having been breached by the sea within a few years of its construction in the late 18th century. The Cob we see today was completed in 1812 – click here for our page about the structure.
The tune was annotated and published in 1914 by Grace Gwyneddon Davies in Alawon Gwerin Môn, a collection of seven folk songs from Anglesey. She had collected most of the songs by listening to them being sung by Owen Parry of Dwyran.
Postcode: LL62 5AS View Location Map
More about Cob Malltraeth – website of National Museum Wales