This post was last updated on May 5th, 2025 at 01:12 pm
Listening to Welsh audio books is the perfect way to hear Welsh spoken by native speakers. While we know Cymraeg as a beautiful and poetic language, it can also be tongue-twisting for outsiders. Hearing someone speak it properly and naturally changes everything when you’re trying to learn!
Where can you find Welsh audio books? Does Audible have books in Welsh? Yes, Audible does have books available in Welsh. However, their collection of Welsh audio books is modest compared to those spoken in the majority languages (such as Spanish, for example). One reason is that the demand for Welsh audio books is smaller. Another is that fewer resources are available to make them. Audible does have a few books for the Welsh beginner if you’re trying to learn the language. The list below begins with Welsh audio books you can buy from Audible through Amazon.
Below that, you’ll find audio books from the Welsh publishing house Y Lolfa. Most of Y Lolfa’s impressive selection of Welsh books consists of paperback and hardback. These physical books cover an extensive selection of topics for children, teens, and adults. Subjects include poetry, art, music, sports, biographies, cooking, Welsh reading practice, fiction, politics, leisure, history, humor, nature, wildlife, and more. However, they do carry a few Welsh audio books, especially for those learning the language. Jump to the Y Lolfa section.
This post is about where to find Welsh audio books.
Welsh Audio Books
Whether you’re looking for Welsh audio books to read for pleasure or you’re trying to learn the language, you probably already know that they’re not as plentiful as many other types of audio books. Fortunately, you can still find them even from well-known sources like Audible. You’ll see some of the best places to look in the list below. I’ve also included a well-reviewed starter list of Welsh audio books, especially for those trying to learn the language.
Where to Find Welsh Audio Books
Here are some of the easiest and best places to find Welsh audio books:
- Amazon (mostly through Audible)
- Y Lolfa (Welsh publisher)
- Dref Wen (Welsh children’s book publisher)
- Welsh Libraries (you must live in the UK)
- Language Lizard (Welsh-English bilingual children’s books)
- Multilingual Books (Welsh language and children’s books)
Simple Welsh in an Hour of Your Time: Kickstart Your Welsh Today by Colin Jones
Would you like to read and speak Welsh? Simple Welsh is a great way to begin if you’re ready to teach yourself Cymraeg. You can receive your Welsh lessons on your schedule from the comfort of your own home.
From the blurb: This short book gives you the basics of Welsh in an effective and efficient way, taking as little time as possible. You can use it if you’re a complete beginner or as a revision aid if you’re already on the road to fluency. Or maybe if you just find yourself in a rut and would like a bit of help moving on.
The idea is simple; by spending around an hour on this book, with breaks in between chapters, you should be able to master a very simple form of Welsh. A simple form that will let you say what you, or anyone else, is doing, has done, or is going to do, including the negative and question forms. The book is broken down into six chapters, each taking around 10 minutes to complete and revise. Each chapter has exercises, together with answers at the back of the book.
The book is written by professional Welsh-to-adults tutor Colin Jones, author of the epic home-study Welsh course Cadw Swn. This book is the distillation of years of teaching Welsh to adults and should provide an essential introduction to the language.
Cwm Gwrachod [Witches’ Valley]: A Novel for Welsh Learners [Welsh Edition] by Colin Jones
As you learn the basics of the Welsh language, you’re going to really enjoy Welsh audio books like Cwm Gwrachod for some easy Welsh reading.
From the blurb: Croeso i Gwm Gwrachod, cwm bach diniwed yn y De. Welcome to Witches’ Valley, an innocent little valley in the South. Written by the author of the best-selling Welsh learners’ novel Coed y Brenin, this book should help you expand and improve your Welsh while being both interesting and entertaining. It should be suitable for those who’ve done a year or more of evening classes, although we’d hope that more advanced learners would also get a lot out of it.
The events, people, and places in Cwm Gwrachod are imaginary in that they exist only in my mind. The funny thing is that as you listen to this book, they will exist in your mind too, but entirely through the medium of Welsh.
Welsh Books as Audiobooks in English
If you’d like to listen to Welsh audio books but don’t speak Welsh or are still learning, not to worry. You can begin with the Mabinogion or learn about the famous Welsh bard Taliesin. Both of these fully qualify as Welsh books!
Mabinogion, the Four Branches: The Ancient Celtic Epic by Lady Charlotte Guest, Read by Colin Jones
From the blurb: After reading, recording, and listening to the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, I’m amazed that the world isn’t full of manga comics, Hollywood blockbusters, best-selling novels, sticker collections, trading cards, and fantasy role-playing games based on this quite astonishing collection of Welsh tales. The breadth and imagination of these stories are really quite amazing.
How many other stories can boast such a heady collection of wizards, body-swapping, bitter curses, deep revenge lasting for generations, a giant, a cauldron of immortality, murder plots, princes, kings, and even pig-embezzlement? Not to mention a woman made from flowers by two wizards as a wife for a man cursed by his mother from ever marrying another human being. A man who can only be killed by a spear which has been crafted for one year, and this while he stands with one leg on a bath and the other on the back of a young goat?
The Mabinogion is a collection of tales, told over generations, recorded in two manuscripts: Llyfr Coch Hergest (The Red Book of Hergest) and Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch (The White Book of Rhydderch). Translated into English by Lady Charlotte Guest, they contain a large number of tales from the Welsh storytelling tradition. Strictly speaking, however, the term Mabinogi (Mabinogion was mistakenly taken as the plural of Mabinogi by Lady Charlotte Guest) refers to the Four Branches recorded here.
Taliesin Origins: Exploring the Myth of the Greatest Celtic Bard by Gwilym Morus-Baird
From the blurb: Few authors are able to discuss the original Taliesin myth in as much depth as Dr. Gwilym Morus-Baird. As a native Welsh speaker and scholar, he has studied the Welsh bardic tradition from the inside, giving listeners insights few others have even guessed at.
In this groundbreaking exploration, Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird tells the many tales behind the story and draws out the deeper meanings of the original myth. As one of the most complete studies of the greatest Celtic bard out there, this book is a must-have for anyone seriously studying Celtic myth, be they students, researchers, druids, or pagans. It reveals the ancient roots of Taliesin’s myth in the Celtic tradition and interprets many of the symbols, themes, and meanings embedded in this important tale.
The book presents new insights not only into Taliesin himself but also the central figure of Ceridwen, the ancient symbol of her cauldron, the mystical relationship between Awen and Annwfn, and how all of these elements relate to the Welsh bardic tradition.
Books from Y Lolfa
Welcome to Welsh: Learn Welsh in Real-Life Situations by Heini Gruffudd
From the blurb: Welcome to the Welsh language! This CD has the audio files for the hugely popular Welcome to Welsh course, giving you the exact pronunciation of the conversations in the printed book (ISBN 9781800993327). Welcome to Welsh is the most humorous, user-friendly, and effective course on the market. It has 16 parts, which include grammar, exercises, real-life conversations, and cartoon stories, together with a 2,500-word Welsh-English and English-Welsh dictionary. Start listening and learning, and start your journey into Wales’ greatest living treasure—the Welsh language. Level: Beginner
My Way to Welsh: Double CD to accompany book by Heini Gruffudd
My Way to Welsh is an audio book in two CDs intended to accompany the My Way to Welsh course. I’ve provided links for both below. Level: Beginner
From the blurb: Double CD audio files. Listen to the lively, natural conversations on these CDs to speed your learning process and give you the confidence to use the language yourself.
For use with My Way to Welsh, a complete Welsh course. A comprehensive 90-lesson self-study Welsh-language course with a basic dictionary. It is in full colour with an attractive modern design and illustrated throughout. Double CDs are available to buy separately. Click the following link (or copy and paste it into your web browser) to download the FREE MP3 audio files to listen to the conversations.
You can also find free Welsh audio books for children from Dref Wen. They also offer both Welsh-only and bilingual books (non-audio). Books for adults include travel books and books for Welsh learners.
For samples of adult Welsh audio books, check out this post from the North Wales Society of the Blind. The books shown are available in Cymru’s libraries.
This post was about where to find Welsh audio books.
You may also enjoy 7 Fiction Books About Wales for Delightful Weekend Reading and Curl Up With a Welsh Folklore Book (a Sure Cure). Happy reading!
Leave a Reply