Heddiw mae Tregaron yn gartref i Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Ceredigion 2022, Gŵyl Gerddoriaeth Cymraeg Tregaroc, yn ganolfan ar gyfer trotian ceffylau a chartref Canolfan Aur Cymru sy’n gwerthu gemwaith aur o ddyluniad Celtaidd. Tref farchnad hanesyddol yw Tregaron a man strategol i’r porthmyn wrth fynd â’u hanifeiliaid o orllewin Cymru i farchnadoedd yn Lloegr. Cyn y rheilffyrdd, deuid â gwartheg i Dregaron o sawl man yn y gorllewin cyn eu gyrru dros y tir ar Ffordd y Porthmyn dros fynyddoedd Elenydd i farchnadoedd yn Lloegr. Cam cyntaf ffordd y porthmyn yn wreiddiol oedd y ffordd fynydd fendigedig o Dregaron i Abergwesyn. Byddai’r porthmyn yn teithio ryw ddwy filltir yr awr, neu 15 milltir y dydd, gan adael i’r gwartheg a’r defaid yn eu pedolau bori ar eu taith. Yn ôl y sôn âi rhyw 30,000 o wartheg y flwyddyn drwy Dregaron a thros ffyrdd y porthmyn i fwydo dinasoedd newydd Lloegr â digonedd o gig eidion da. Roedd pwysigrwydd masnachol Tregaron yn gymaint nes agor ‘Banc y Ddafad Ddu’, sef Banc Aberystwyth a Thregaron, ym 1810 a chyhoeddi ei a***n papur ei hun. Roedd nifer y defaid du ar y papur yn sefyll am nifer y punnoedd (1, 2, 10 ac ati). Gellir gweld enghreifftiau o’r a***n papur gwreiddiol yn Amgueddfa Ceredigion. Ar y sgwâr mae cerflun i goffáu Henry Richard, sylfaenydd ac ysgrifennydd cyntaf Cynghrair y Cenhedloedd, rhagflaenydd y Cenhedloedd Unedig. Ac yntau’n un o hoelion wyth y mudiad dirwest, mae cerflun Richards wrth reswm yn sefyll â’i gefn tuag at dafarn y Talbot. Un arall o feibion enwog y dref yw’r lleidr pen ffordd Twm Siôn Cati. Llew Jones mae’n dal i fod yn arwr gan blant Cymru hyd heddiw. Heb fod ymhell o Dregaron ar y ffordd at Lyn Brianne mae capel anghysbell Soar y Mynydd – y capel mwyaf tangnefeddus yng Nghymru o bosib. Fe’i codwyd ym 1822 i ddarparu addoldy i’r ffermwyr a’r porthmyn.
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Today Tregaron is the home to the National Eisteddfod Ceredigion 2022, Welsh Music Festival Tregaroc and also the centre for ‘Trotian’ - horse trotting and carriage racing. The annual summer event attracts competitors from all over the UK and Ireland. It is also the home of the Welsh Gold Centre selling Celtic inspired designs. Tregaron is also a 'Walkers are Welcome' town. Tregaron was a strategic point for drovers taking animals from West Wales to markets in England. Before railways, cattle were brought to Tregaron from many points in West Wales and then driven overland on the drovers roads through the Cambrian Mountains to markets in Hereford, London and even as far as Kent. The stunning Tregaron – Abergwesyn mountain road was originally the first stage of the drover's route. It is said that around 30,000 cattle per year went through Tregaron and such was the trading importance of the town that the ‘Black Sheep’ Aberystwyth and Tregaron Bank was opened in 1810 to issue its own bank notes. The number of black sheep (y defaid du) engraved on the banknotes indicated the number of pounds (1, 2, 10 etc). Original bank notes can be seen at Ceredigion Museum. On the main square is a statue commemorating a famous son of Tregaron, the 'Apostle of Peace'. Henry Richard became MP for Merthyr Tydfil, and was a founder and first secretary of the League of Nations, fore-runner to the modern United Nations. As a pillar of the temperance movement Richards’ statue naturally has his back to the Talbot pub. Another of the town’s famous sons is the legendary 17th century Twm Sion Cati, also known as the ‘Robin Hood of Wales' who is said to have used his wit and bravery to outsmart gentry and crooks alike. A wood carving depicting Twm stands proudly on Tregaron Square. Soar y Mynydd chapel lies in the mountains on the road to Llyn Brianne. Built in 1822 to service farmers and drovers, it is possibly the most peaceful chapel in Wales.
