Five Roads

Five Roads (Template:Lang-cy) is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales near the town of Llanelli.

It is situated on the B4309 Llanelli to Carmarthen road, about five miles from the former and ten miles from the latter.

The name of the village comes from the fact that there are five roads leading off what is known as The Square, the central portion of the village centred on the main road. The five roads are: Rehoboth Road, Horeb Road, Heol Hen, and the entrance and exit of the Main Road, known as Ynys-y-Cwm Road on the Llanelli side and Eclipse Terrace on the Carmarthen side.

The village has two pubs, The Stag, situated centrally on the main road, and the Waun Wyllt 1/4 mile distant in the neighbouring hamlet of Horeb, which abuts Five Roads.

The Stag pub is famous as the meeting place of the Rebecca Rioters who gathered there to plan raids in the 18th Century. Prior to its refurbishment in 2007 the pub operated a two-bar system with the names of the bar and lounge, reflecting its Rebecca Riots history, named the Dai'r Cantwr Bar and Shoni Sguborfawr Lounge after two of the ringleaders.

A blue plaque was unveiled at the pub in 2008 as part of anniversary celebrations.

The roads which make up the Five Roads are: Rehoboth Road, Horeb Road, Heol Hen, and the entrance and exit of the Main Road, known as Ynys-y-Cwm Road on the Llanelli side and Eclipse Terrace on the Carmarthen side.

Five Roads is renowned for being a top-class sporting venue. Parc Elin Mair - the village park - hosted the 1954 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 1980 Olympic Games. The village hall was used by Muhammad Ali as a training camp in preparation for his 1974 world heavyweight boxing bout with George Foreman. After winning the fight, Alli dedicated his victory to Allah, his family and the residents of Five Roads. The back of his boxing shorts famously carried the words 'Pum Heol' for the remainder of his career.

As well as being a hotspot for sporting excellence, Five Roads has been at the centre of landmark political events over the years. The Five Roads Air Missile Crisis of 1963 caused shockwaves across the world when a ballistic missile facility situated in The Stag's car park was pictured by a U-2 spy plane pointing in the direction of the Waun Wyllt. Following a fist fight outside Five Roads Primary School, the owners of both pubs agreed to a meeting at the entrance to the cycle track in Horeb. This lead to the infamous 1963 Five Roads Peace Agreement.

Due to its rural location, Five Roads has been the holiday destination of choice for many celebrities. Tupac spent the entire summer of 1993 in the village, after renting a bungalow in Heol Hen. His Saturday night appearances at The Stag are remembered to this day by older residents. They recall how he would often drink seven pints of Snakebite (drink) before giving the pub a rousing rendition of his favourite song 'Dau Gi Bach'. American mafia boss Al Capone also visited Five Roads on multiple occasions in order to escape the stress of heading a multi million dollar criminal organisation. He stayed in a caravan on top of Mynydd Sylen, spending his days walking around the village, taking in the views and chatting to locals who adoringly knew him as 'Dai Caled'.

Many famous music artists have performed in the village. Elton John and Skrillex headlined a Scott Quinnell tribute night in 2012, performed in front of a capacity crowd at Rehoboth Chapel. Wild scenes outside the venue lead to approximately half the village being arrested.