THE spirit of Alexander Cordell hovered over the sixth Cordell Festival held in the shadow of Blaenavon Ironworks, a place much visited by the author in his lifetime.

Devotees and those wishing simply to enjoy the late summer sunshine and attractions made a jolly crowd. Cordell would have approved.

Folk music relating to the period of Cordell's best-known novels of Welsh life was powerfully performed by Dawson Smith and the Exiles who have also released a CD based on the author's work.

Each year the festival is staged by a different local authority participating in the Heads of the Valleys Project this year being the turn of Torfaen.

Of all the foregoing events this was the most atmospheric, held in a place close to the now-disappeared village of Garndyrus where much of Rape of the Fair Country was set and where the fictitious Mortymer family lived out their trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs.

Bogda Smreczak, Torfaen's tourism officer who negotiated the site with Cadw introduced the radio personality Roy Noble who announced the prize winners of the Cordell writing competition.

Over 1,000 people had visited the festival on each of the two days with the writer's memory and spirit very much to the fore, she said.

"The music, contributions from entrants in the writing contest, various shows and the stalls have all concentrated on Cordell and the period closest to his heart and work."

Last week would have seen the 95th anniversary of the birth of the writer who died in 1997 having been born George Alexander Graber, an Englishman.

In 1957 the budding author who had left the wartime Army with the rank of major and who was at the time a civil servant, entered an Argus contest for the best literary project, winning first prize with his Life Among the Ironworkers of Garndyrus and Blaenavon 1810 - 1836.

This apprentice-piece contained passages of what was to appear two years later as the full-blown Rape of the Fair Country.

In following years Cordell was to write 30 more books but in Gwent, Rape of the Fair Country wrought from our own landscape always remained the most deeply cherished.

The most colourful attraction was the re-enactment group of the 41st Regiment of Foot, their dress and accoutrement accurate to a time just before Cordell's masterpiece.

"What with the old buildings of Stack Square, the balance tower and furnaces of the old ironworks it all feels perfect" Mr Alan Rogers, an aviation development engineer and in his spare time a Captain of the 41st of Foot said.

"I read Cordell as a boy. It is marvellous to be able to enter into the spirit of his books."

The competition for the best tourism-related story with a Cordell link was won by Patricia Davies from Neath.

The cast of Coalhouse - a television documentary about miners of 70 years ago who might have lived in such places as Stack Square - chatted to festival-goers.

A recently-produced version of Cordell's 1957 project produced by Blaenavon Community Heritage and Cordell Museum was on sale.

Cheek-by-jowl with the still-mysterious moorland which the Mortymers would have known, the sixth festival was without doubt the most haunting.

"All you have to do is to half-close your eyes and Cordell's landscape jumps into the imagination" said David Ludlow Torfaen's head of economic development and more importantly, a Cordell fan.