A Rhewl father's attempt to get his son to perform in Welsh has premiered before it compete's in Can i Gymru next week.

Denbighshire County Council road maintenance worker Erfyl Owen's song "Cofio Hedd Wyn" was revealed on Aled Hughes' BBC Radio Cymru breakfast show before the national competition on St David's day.

Mr Owen, known in Rhewl as "Bov" and for moonlighting in the Drovers Arms with his male voice choir Y Porthmyn, wrote the song to encourage his son Harri to begin perform songs in Welsh with his band Ceidwad y Gân

Mr Owen said: "My son was already in a band, but they didn't really ever perform in Welsh really, so I composed this to start singer a few more songs in Welsh and it's worked."

Joining son Harri in the band are fellow Ruthin musicians rapper and bassist Oli Bradley Hughes, acoustic guitarist Tom Alun Jones and drummer Sam Moorcroft along with lead guitarist Jake Vaughan Evans of Clawdd Newydd.

The band's name, "Keepers of the Song" is a recent change from the Clwydian Rangers, to reflect their move to Welsh language music for the track which combines traditional Celtic styled music with intermittent rapping segments to commemorate the centenary of the Welsh poet, killed in Flanders during World War One, last year.

Mr Owen added: "I wanted to keep the song Celtic sounding as, if they win, they will represent Wales in Ireland against other Celtic countries without it sounding too old fashioned."

The composer is an old hand and creating music with family members, in the 1980s he released two albums as part of the Welsh band Teulu Hafod y Gân with his mother, father, three sisters, two brothers and a sister-in-law.

His composition will compete against seven others, including Mared Williams of Llanefydd, near Denbigh and her entry Byw a Bod.

The winner of the competition, which will be held at Theatr Bryn Terfel at the Pontio Theatre in Bangor on Thursday, March 1 , will go on to compete against teams from Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Isle of Man and Scotland at the Pan Celtic Festival in County Donegal, Ireland on April 4.

“It's been a fantastic experience and whatever comes next, I’ve done it now and they have a chance to get noticed."