David Richards (Dafydd Ionawr) David Richards (Dafydd Ionawr) David Richards (22 January 1751 – 12 May 1827), better-known by his bardic name Dafydd Ionawr, was a Welsh-language poet, born at Glanyrafon near Bryn-crug in the parish of Tywyn in Merionethshire (now Gwynedd), north-west Wales. He took an interest in poetry as a result of his acquaintance with Evan Evans (Ieuan Brydydd Hir), who was curate of St Cadfan's Church, Tywyn, and was later sent to a school at Ystradmeurig to obtain a better education than was available locally. After a period as a junior schoolmaster in Wrexham, he spent one term at Jesus College,
Arthur L. Welsh he was sent to Washington, D.C. to live with relatives shortly after his mother remarried. He was a top student who did best in math and mechanics, and was excellent at swimming. He changed his surname to "Welsh" when he joined the United States Navy as a 20-year-old, expecting greater success in the Navy with a name that did not sound "too Jewish". He received an honorable discharge after a tour of duty that lasted four years. He contracted typhoid fever one month after he was discharged and spent four months recovering in a hospital. After his recuperation, Welsh moved