Gildas
Jaffrennou is a dedicated craftsman. Born in Brittany, he is the son
of Taldir, the well-known Breton poet. He was educated at the Lycée
de Saint-Brieuc, and later he studied at Coleg Harlech (North Wales)
and at Bath Academy of Art. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Linguists,
and was awarded the Croix de Guerre during the second world
war.
Retired
when the book was published, he was previously an Art and Crafts teacher
in Wales, London and Kent.
He
has always been devoted to Folk Music, but it was in North Wales in
1947 that he became interested in the revival of the Celtic harp.
Under the guidance of Mrs. Arnold Dolmetsch he made his first harp
and published his first plan, followed by a booklet on how to make
a Celtic harp in 1952.
When
teaching in Merioneth he used to broadcast his own stories on the
B.B.C. Children's Hour. He has also written and illustrated a little
book for children, in Welsh, under the pen-name of Gildas.
As
a retired school teacher, he devotes all his leisure to Folk Harps,
and enjoys every minute of it.
