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Hwyl

• Ruth McDonald
• 28 Sep 06, 11:52 AM

Hwyl is a Welsh word that doesn't really translate into English. The closest, or so my Welsh-speaking colleagues here assure me, would be "fun", or even, at a push, "craic". You pronounce it "howl". There might not have been much hwyl in Ian Paisley's message to the Secretary of State this morning, but the DUP leader certainly got a few laughs. Mr Hain started out with a tale familiar to some who've been through the rigorous security procedures - when Dr Paisley arrived in Manchester last night, he found he'd been designated, if you'll excuse the expression, as Ulster Unionist on his all-important security pass. At least it was orange, the audience was told. When Mr Hain told the audience that Dr Paisley had spent time preaching in the Welsh valleys, Dr Paisley told him "I think I got the hwyl". The fringe meeting, the first to be attended by the DUP leader, was sponsored by a Belfast Chinese restaurant, but fresh fruit and yoghurt featured heavily on the menu. Also there - Betty Orr, the headmistress at Edenbrook Primary. She made a guest appearance during the Secretary of State's conference speech, talking about the difficulties the years of violence had brought to the children who attended her school. She looked, I have to say, as cool as a cucumber despite the fact she was speaking to a packed hall full of delegates - although she did tell me afterwards she'd been nervous beforehand. This morning's the final push for delegates - Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will give the closing speech, and then the trains, planes and motorways will be full of Labour party members heading home, hopefully having had a bit of hwyl along the way.

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