This store requires javascript to be enabled for some features to work correctly.
This novel is set in the Flintshire coalfield of North Wales around the time of the Mold riots of 1869. We follow the story of a young man and a pony, both born on Mynydd Hiraethog, both destined to work in the mines.
The story starts in a snowstorm on Mynydd Hiraethog, a huge area of upland between the Conwy and Clwyd river valleys. This mountain is home to both wild ponies and a boy who lives in a community of smallholders. A remarkable connection is forged between the boy and one of the wild ponies.
This is a time when the coal mines in Flintshire are expanding rapidly. By the time the boy is a young man, he and the pony find themselves underground ...
Review:
‘We follow the story of Ifan, who has to look for work as the small homestead where he lives is not big enough to keep him. He feels that the wages of a farm servant are low, and so he joins the Irish who work in the area as they take a group of mountain ponies to the coal mines in Mold. He has some unexpected connection with one of those ponies, and we see the relationship deepen as Ifan gets work in the pits.
We will learn a lot from this historical novel - about the poverty of the Welsh countryside, and about the frightening reality and injustices of the dark life of the coal mines. We will also learn about the geography of the area, and an explanation of the meaning of Mynydd Hiraethog, together with the beautiful names of the mountains. In addition, we will learn a lot about the cleverness of the methods of handling wild ponies in the mountains, and the habits of young people when having a bit of fun with them.’
— Awen Schiavone
- ISBN: 9781845279592
- Myrddin ap Dafydd
- Adapted/Translated by Susan Walton
- Publication: February 2025
- Format: Paperback, 198x128 mm, 230 pages