Newcastle Emlyn

Newcastle Emlyn (Welsh: Castellnewydd Emlyn) is a town, straddling Ceredigion (Cardiganshire) and Carmarthenshire in west Wales (though officially it is in Carmarthenshire), lying on the River Teifi. The part of the town, which lies on the Ceredigion side of the River Teifi is Adpar, formerly called Trefhedyn and was an ancient borough in its own right.

The remains of the castle

Notable buildings in the town include the remains of the thirteenth century castle, the town hall and the secondary school, Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn. Other attractions include an art gallery and theatre, the Attic Theatre, while the Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry and the Teifi Valley Railway lie nearby. Unlike many small rural towns across Wales, Newcastle Emlyn has managed to maintain a wide range of local services, based mainly on small family businesses. Reflecting the agricultural nature of the area, the Dansco factory, which manufactures Mozzarella cheese, is the town's biggest employer. Legend has it that the last dragon was slaughtered in Newcastle Emlyn.

Until the 1960s, well over 90% of the town's population was Welsh-speaking, but a constant flow of incomers from outside Wales has had a marked affect on the town's linguistic make-up. Nevertheless, Welsh remains the language of most of the town's inhabitants and is spoken by 90% of those who are Welsh-born.