News | 9 August 2024
Welsh Rugby Union legend Elinor Snowsill, has been honoured with a prestigious induction into the Gorsedd at the 2024 National Eisteddfod highlighting the impact she has made combining sporting excellence with cultural advocacy.
Elinor Snowsill
The Gorsedd of the Bards is an association made up of poets, writers, musicians, artists and other people who have made a distinguished contribution to the Welsh nation, the language, and its culture. Elinor, who is now Player Development Lead at the Welsh Rugby Union’s Player Development Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University was recognised for her exceptional contributions to promoting equality for women in rugby and presenting the game in Welsh, both on the pitch and in the media.
Born in Berkshire to a Welsh mother and English father, Elinor moved to Pontyclun aged seven, where she embraced the Welsh language and culture. Growing up in a bilingual household, she uses the Welsh language as a powerful tool in her professional and personal life.
Over Snowsill’s rugby career, she earned 76 caps for Wales, participated in four World Cups (2010, 2014, 2017, and 2021), the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, and toured the USA and England with the Barbarians.
A key figure in the transition of women’s rugby from amateur to professional, Elinor was among the first 12 players to receive a full-time professional contract from the Welsh Rugby Union in 2022. Her dedication to the sport and her advocacy for women’s equality in rugby have made her a role model and a trailblazer.
During the open-air ceremony which welcomed new members to the Gorsedd at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Elinor said: “I must admit, I feel more at home on the rugby pitch or in the World Cup than in the ceremonial robes of the Gorsedd, but to be able to share this experience with my Mam and have my Dad and Aunties present on the Maes, it’s a fantastic honour. I feel as if I’m taking part in the epitome of Welsh culture.”
Head of the Welsh Language Unit at Cardiff Met, Daniel Tiplady said: “Elinor’s journey serves as an inspiration, illustrating the profound impact of combining sporting excellence with cultural advocacy.
“Having another member of the University community being inducted into the Gorsedd shows the importance of the Welsh language to Cardiff Met and how we foster and attract staff who are proud of the language and its culture.”
Elinor’s induction into the Gorsedd is a family celebration, with her mother, Welsh food specialist, Nerys Howell, affectionately known as the ‘Welsh Mary Berry’, also inducted during the ceremony on August 9th in Pontypridd. This joint honour adds a special dimension to the occasion, underscoring the family’s deep roots in Welsh culture.
Elinor Snowsill and her Mother, Nerys Howell