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Daily journalist turned Welsh druid dies aged 81

Tributes have been paid to a former regional daily journalist who was later invested into the druidic order.

Emyr Williams, who wrote for the North Wales Daily Post for more than 35 years, died on Saturday after a long illness at the age of 81.

For many years, Emyr wrote a weekly column for the Post about the National Eisteddfod and was well known for championing the smaller village Eisteddfodau.

He was invested into the Gorsedd of Bards at the 2004 National Eisteddfod in Newport by the then archdruid, Robyn Lewis.

Mr Lewis said: “Emyr was a faithful friend to the Eisteddfod. He would focus on its strengths rather than its weaknesses and it was for this reason he was invited into the druidic order.

“During my time as archdruid I knew him as a man who would keep a confidence and I respected him for that.”

During his career Emyr covered the Dwyfor and Meirionnydd areas for the Post, the Cambrian News and the BBC.

He was also prominent in local campaigns to establish a new community hospital his home town of Porthmadog area.

Former Daily Post reporter Gerald Williams said: “He worked for the Cambrian News and soon began contributing to the Daily Post covering a large part of mid Wales. He was responsible for the areas pages in the paper.

“He was very workmanlike and would work seven days a week covering stories in his patch.”

Former Conwy MP Betty Williams said: “I knew Emyr many years before I became an MP. I worked at a solicitors office in Caernarfon and he was at the insurance office a few doors down and we would often see each other.

“In that line of work he was very thorough and he brought that to his work as a journalist.”

Mr Williams leaves a son, Gareth, and daughter Bethan. His wife, Dilys, died in 1997.