He attended the local school, then Ysgol Tŷ-tan-domen, Bala, and trained as a secondary-school teacher at the Heath College, Cardiff.
He won numerous local eisteddfod chairs, including Pontrhydfendigaid, Lampeter, Gŵyl Fawr Aberteifi (Cardigan), Powys and the Urdd.
He was head teacher of Ysgol y Ffôr, Pwllheli, and Ysgol Treferthyr, Cricieth, before taking early retirement in order to run Siop y Pentan in Caernarfon.
He won the Crown in The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Wrecsam and District) 2011.
[2] In August 2018 Llifon caused controversy when he suggested the winner of the bardic crown at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod, Catrin Dafydd, couldn't have achieved this without men.