He was born in 1924 and had his primary education at Ysgol Talsarnau and then at Barmouth Grammar School.

ceffyl a throl

 

Left Barmouth Grammar School when he was 14 because he had missed so much school following an operation for peritonitis. He got a place as a farm servant at Cefn Trefor Isaf with William Evans. Later he was employed by Edward Lewis Griffiths, Ty’n y Bwlch - who was the father of the late Iorwerth Griffiths. From there he moved to work with Bob Roberts Merthyr, who is the father of Councillor Caerwyn Roberts, and then in turn he went to John Hughes, Penbryn Pwll Du.

In 1944, married Tywyna Humphreys, Yr Onnen and was employed by Idwal Jones Penybryn making their first home in the Caerffynnon 'Lodge'. Their daughter, Lona, was born in 1945.

In 1946 he got the tenancy of Moel y Glo from Dafydd Jones Ellis, Rhosigor and worked as a shepherd. At that time, there were 1,500 sheep. Then he moved to Yr Onnen as shepherd for Spence Thomas, and from there moved to Croesor Uchaf as shepherd on the Cnicht and the Moelwyn mountains. Then back to Llandecwyn where he was shepherd and farm servant to Edward Roberts, Y Plas and lived in Can Coed Isaf.

In 1950 a son, Medwyn, was born to them and in the same period he got work on the railway with the maintenance gang. Later he was promoted to 'Ganger' and then appointed as a supervisor. At that time they lived as a family in Stabal Mail. Afterwards bought Tegfan, Llandecwyn and got a job with the Education Department as a Welfare Officer.

He had to retire early following a heart attack. It was decided to move to Ty'n y Coed, Dyffryn Ardudwy in 1985 and take up farming again. Tywyna died in 1996. His health also deteriorated and he died in 2003.

He started writing poetry at a young age and won many awards. At the beginning he would compete locally in small eisteddfodau, but he soon began to compete further afield from his own parish as more success would come to him. He won around 20 chairs, one of them at the Wladfa Eisteddfod, Patagonia. He also came very close at the Machynlleth National Eisteddfod.

Some of his work was published in a booklet in 1976, in the Beirdd Bro series, under the title 'Ieuan Jones, Talsarnau' and his winning poems, when he won Cadair y Wladfa can be seen in a book entitled 'Cerddi'r Gadair - Eisteddfod y Wladfa 1965 - 2003'

Probably one of Ieuan Jones' most memorable quotes is the following :-

Mai (May)

Hen fuwch y borfa uchel - heb aerwy
A bawr heddiw'n dawel
A dail Mai fel diliau mêl
Wedi rhoswellt y rhesel.

The above 'englyn', which was one of his most well-known, was received from his brother Geraint R Jones with grateful thanks.