MEILLIONEN O FERIONYDD Welsh
PRONUNCIATION:	mee-lee-oh-nehn oh veh-ree-oh-nith
TRANSLATION:	Clover of Merioneth
SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Vyts Beliajus. It was collected by John Welsh and first published in 1726. With live music, the siding Fig could be repeated as long as needed and any number of cpls could participate in a set, the musicians ending as the last cpl crossed at the foot of the set.
BACKGROUND:	Merioneth is a historic county of Wales. The dwellings of the peasantry, in general, are extremely rude; the farm buildings themselves, for the most part, are very poor; the fences are of stone or sod; and the chief fuel is peat. Merioneth is also known as Merionethshire.
MUSIC:	Folkraft (45) 1573x45
FORMATION:	Five couples, couple behind couple, inside hands joined, outside hands hang free.
METER/RHYTHM:	4/4.
STEPS/STYLE:	The dance has an easy, relaxed feeling.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
	INTRODUCTION
1	No action.
I.	FWD AND BWD
1	Dance 4 running steps fwd starting with outside ft.
2	Dance 4 running steps bwd.
3-4	Repeat meas 1-2.
II.	SLIDE AND SEPARATE
1	Facing ptr, join both hands and dance 4 slide steps to M L.
2	Dance 4 slide steps to M R.
3	Release hands and walk 4 steps bwd away from ptr.
4	Walk 4 steps twd ptr.
III.	CLAPPING
1	Clap own hands (ct 1); clap ptr R (ct 2); clap own hands (ct 3); clap ptr L (ct 4).
2	Clap own hands (ct 1); clap own hands to own chest (ct 2); clap both ptr hands (ct 3); hold (ct 4).
IV.	SIDING
1	Cpl 1 only starts: Pass ptr, L shldrs, with 4 running steps, turning L to face ptr on last step.
2	Pass ptr, R shldrs, with 4 running steps, turning R to face ptr on last step.
3	Pass ptr, L shldrs, with 4 running steps, turning (M R, W L) to face down the set, M 1 facing W 2, W 1 facing M 2.
4-6	Cpl 1 now repeats siding Fig with cpl 2 ending to face cpl 3.
7-9	As cpl 1 continues siding Fig with cpl 3, cpl 2 now does siding Fig across the head of the set.
10-12	Cpl 1 continues siding Fig with cpl 4 and cpl 2, now facing down the set, continues siding Fig with cpl 3.
13-15	Cpl 1 continues siding Fig with cpl 5 and cpl 2 continues siding Fig with cpl 4 while cpl 3 now does siding Fig across head of set.
16-18	Cpl 1 now does siding Fig across foot of set and prepares to continue siding Fig back up the set, while other cpls are continuing as before.
19-end	The siding Fig contines until all the dancers have completed siding with each cpl in set and reversed direction to regain their original starting pos where they stop and wait for all cpls in the set to finish the siding Fig and across the foot of the set.
	End dance with a bow to ptr.
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes