Why a huge horn was played before Wales v Iceland

The carnyx, an ancient Celtic instrument, was played before thousands at the Cardiff City Stadium

If you were watching the Wales v Iceland game on Tuesday night, you might have noticed a large horn being sounded before kick-off.

The imposing golden instrument, which stands at 12ft (3.6m), is known as a carnyx, and its origins date back to the ancient Celts.

Film fans might recall that a carnyx features in the opening scenes of Gladiator, where it is used as both an instrument and a weapon.

So why was it played in front of thousands of fans at the Cardiff City Stadium?

The Barry Horns, the band who were behind Tuesday's performance, said the instrument was once used prepare the Celts to fight the Romans.

“The performance was a bit of a medley of some of the strongest patriotic Welsh anthems,” said Gas Man, the Barry Horns musician who played the carnyx.

“I was quite keen to do something somewhat in the Welsh traditions, so you may have picked up on little rhythms from Yma o Hyd as well as a little bit from the chorus of the Welsh national anthem.”

What is a carnyx?

The carnyx was originally used by the ancient Celts between 200 BCE and 200 CE.

It is a type of bronze trumpet with an S-shaped head that is held in the air vertically.

“It was used to whip the Celts up into a frenzy, so they’d fight the Romans,” said Barry Horns member Fez.

“The myth is that the carnyx players would stand at the top of the valleys and plays this horn to sound as the Romans were marching below and then they’d go into battle.”

The length of the carnyx allows it to be heard over crowds of troops or, in this case, football players.

“The Romans were fascinated by them,” said Fez. “It was a total diversity of Celtic tribes that seemed to adopt this mad instrument.”

The carnyx hasn't been played for two thousand years, according to the Barry Horns

Is the carnyx hard to play?

The carnyx is thousands of years old, so the Barry Horns admitted it had been difficult to figure out.

“No one’s played this thing for two thousand years,” claimed Fez.

“No-one knows how to play it. We’ve all had a go on it. It’s suited to a trumpet or trombone player.”

On the night itself, Gas Man found one unexpected challenge – the weather.

“One of the really unexpected things was the cold conditions,” he said.

“I think anybody who plays a brass instrument would understand just how difficult it is to play when it’s really cold!"

Only around a dozen ancient carnyxes have been found to date – the most recent one was found by a metal detectorist in Suffolk in 2016.

The Wales national squad chipped in to fund the making of the £3,000 carnyx by a Belgian metalsmith.

“I’d like to express huge gratitude to the players for funding the creation of the instrument as well as a big thank you to the Football Association of Wales (FAW) for pulling all the logistics into place to make it happen,” said Gas Man.

So will the carnyx become part of Wales' pre-match ritual?

"The carnyx is another way of expressing our identity to the world,” said the FAW.

“Perhaps it played a part in the 4-1 victory that saw Cymru promoted to League A.”