Several intrepid locals visited Castle Pinckney on Feb. 27, 2024, to hoist the Flag of Wales over the site to celebrate Saint David’s Day or the Feast of Saint David on March 1, 2024. Saint David (c. 500 to c. 589), the patron saint of Wales, served as the bishop of Mynyw (now St. Davids) during the 6th century.

Celebrations are held across Wales on March 1st every year to commemorate the date of Saint David’s death in 589. Thousands of Welsh flags are flown in street parades across the nation, including Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth. Many people wear a daffodil or leek, Wale’s national emblems. Some people dress up as dragons, leeks or daffodils. Traditional Welsh clothing is worn, and traditional food, including cawl and Welsh rarebit, is also served.

Saint David was recognized as a national patron saint in Wales in the 12th century, and Saint David’s Day has been celebrated for centuries since then. (See St. David’s Day in Wikipedia) Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond, was born in Pembroke Castle as a patrilineal descendant of the Tudor Dynasty of North Wales. He became King Henry VII of England after his victory over Richard II at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, which ended the Wars of the Roses.

King Henry’s green and white banner, featuring a red dragon, became a rallying point for Welsh patriotism with the memory of Saint David on his Feast Day. King Henry VII was the first monarch of the House of Tudor, and during the reign of this dynasty the royal coat of arms included the Welsh Dragon, a reference to the monarch’s origin.

Flying high over Castle Pinckney!

John Fill and Jonathan Tirpak, volunteers from the Stella Maris men’s club on Sullivan’s Island, joined SCV Fort Sumter Camp Member John Mahoney on March 1st to hoist the Flag of Wales over Castle Pinckney to commemorate Saint David’s Day. The flag was donated by The Saint David Society of Charleston.