What links Cricieth to Merthyr Tydfil ?

We will go through the individual name meanings first

Cricieth has grown from Crug Caeth

Crug - mound/rock
Caeth - captive/prisoner

So prisoners rock , which describes the castle in which Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was held captive.

On to Merthyr Tydfil then ,

Merthyr means martyr and Tydfil was the daughter of the local leader Brychan ( Bannau BRYCHEINIOG - Brecon beacons) , Tydfil who converted to Christianity was murdered by a band of marauding Saxons and was martyred as a result

So the connection ?

Well Cricieth wasnt always called Cricieth , it was at one time called TREFERTHYR - Martyrs town , so called after Saint Catherine who converted to christianity and converted many others, she was slain by Maxentius who beheaded her at the age of 18
St Catherines church sits in

the Town

And so it is christianity and the young female martyrs that link the two towns