CEREMONIAL swords will be brandished and poetry recited at a special event celebrating Welsh culture in Oxford.

In light of falling numbers of applicants from Wales to Oxford University, its Welsh society – known as Dafydd Ap Gwilym after a 14th century Welsh poet – will be holding its first Eisteddfod for decades.

The Eisteddfod is a mixture between a competition and a celebration, the biggest example of which in Wales attracted up to 200,000 people.

The last recorded such event held by the group was in 1944.

The current Welsh society has decided to revive the custom and will host it at Jesus College in Turl Street tomorrow.

Society chairman Carwyn Graves said: “Applications to Oxford from Wales are dropping. The idea was if we could have a big, Welsh cultural event here, we could get attention and put Oxford into people’s minds and consciousness.”

Year 11 and Sixth Form pupils across Wales have been invited to enter the competition, writing poetry, prose and essays – all in Welsh.

The winners have been invited to come to the Eisteddfod where they will play a key role.

While traditionally the entire ceremony – which starts at 7.30pm – is held in Welsh, this year it will be bilingual to make it more accessible.

Mr Graves, 20, who lives in Worcester College, said: “I will hold the society’s ceremonial sword, which is fairly old and might even go back to 1886 when the society was founded.

“There is a proper way of doing things so I will brandish the sword and ask if there is peace and then sheave it.”

The winners will be called out by their aliases and invited to sit in a grand ceremonial chair.

Excerpts of the winning works will be read out, and the event will be ‘adjudicated’ by Chief Bard Mererid Hopwood.

Previous members of the society include former First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. Jesus College was established in the 16th century to accommodate Welsh scholars.

While the number of Welsh students accepted each year has remained static recently – 75 in 2012 compared with 74 each in 2011 and 2010, 79 in 2009 – the number of applications is at its lowest since 2008.

Just 424 pupils applied in 2012, a 10 per cent drop compared to 2011, when the figure was 476.

That 10 per cent drop compares to a 0.6 per cent in total applications to Oxford.

University spokesman Julia Paolitto said: “Oxford and its colleges are working actively with Welsh schools and teachers to provide support and encouragement to Welsh applicants.

“We work hard to get the message out that Oxford wants bright students with the potential to succeed here to apply, regardless of where they live or were educated.

“While we would certainly like to see even more bright Welsh students applying and coming to Oxford, we are pleased that for the 2012 entry Welsh applicants enjoyed their highest success rate since 2008.”

Mr Graves said the event was open to all, but there is limited space in the hall.