Swansea University has awarded an honorary degree to legendary Welsh entertainer, Dewi Pws Morris.
The award was presented to Mr Morris at the University’s degree ceremony for the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law on the 18th of December.
Dewi was born and brought up in Treboeth, a village just outside Swansea. His name was Dewi Gray Morris but from a young age – to distinguish him from other boys named Dewi –he has been known, and is known throughout Wales, as Dewi Pws.
He was educated at Lôn Las Welsh medium primary and junior school and Dinefwr Grammar School in Swansea. From there he went to Cyncoed College to train as a teacher and after qualifying he taught for some years in Splott, Cardiff.
From teaching, he moved into the world of entertainment, revealing himself as a talented musician, songwriter, poet, author, actor, television and radio personality. Most of his output has been in the Welsh language including the iconic 1978 television film “Grand Slam”. Other acting roles have involved single plays, films and soaps (English and Welsh) – Taff Acre and Pobol Y Cwm and Rownd a Rownd.
He was awarded “Best Regional Presenter” in 2003 for his series “Byd Pws” (Pws’s World) by the Royal Television Society.
He is an accomplished poet and has featured in the Radio Cymru poetry competition programme Talwrn Y Beirdd. In 2010 he was nominated as Bardd Plant Cymru (Children’s Poet in Wales). He has written over a dozen books many of which are for children and he was a guest presenter for the Children’s Literature Festival in Cardiff 2016.
He was one of the founder members of the group Y Tebot Piws (Purple Teapot) and he later joined the revolutionary Welsh rock band Edward H Dafis. He is a songwriter of note and it is he who composed the Welsh classic – Lleucu Llwyd – regarded as one of the great songs of Wales. His interest in making music continues and in recent years he has played with punk folk band Radwm and appeared on stage with the folk band Ar Log.
In 2018 he was chosen as a guest adjudicator for “Cân i Gymru 2018” (the Song for Wales competition) for S4C and his most recent project was in the forthcoming black comedy “Toll” for Western Edge Pictures which was filmed in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire and will be premiered in 2019.
On receiving his award, Dewi Pws Morris said:
“It is a pleasure to return to my place of birth to receive this totally unexpected honour (and I don’t even have to learn a script!). It was here in Swansea that I received my early education and learnt that Cymru and y Gymraeg were very important to me. Also, it was here that I learnt to make the best sandcastles in the world!”
“Mae’n hyfryd i ddychwelyd i’r ddinas lle gês i fy ‘ngeni i dderbyn yr anrhydedd hollol annisgwyl hon (a ‘sdim rhaid i fi ddysgu sgript!). Yma yn Abertawe ges i fy addysg cynnar lle ddysgais fod Cymru a’r iaith Gymraeg yn bwysig i mi, a hefyd sut i adeiladu cestyll tywod gore’r byd.”
