Eddie Jones
Eddie’s name resounded through the melodies of folk dancing for years before I met him. Indeed, I aske
d for a few years “Who is Eddie Jones? The foolishness of youth and lack of knowledge about the gian
ts amongst the early pioneers. It seems that Eddie heard of this and in the National Eisteddfod at Dyffryn Lliw 1980 after he’d given Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd the first prize, he announced with a wide and good natured grin,”They know who Eddie Jo
nes is now!”
Eddie was a man with a wide knowledge and great love for the “pethau”, those things that are intrinsicaly
Welsh. His contribution to the work of the Urdd and the education of the children of Wales was extensive, especially in the field of religious education. As his daughter Nerys Ann states in her tribute to him in “Y Tincer”, the oath of the Urdd,
I will be faithful to Wales and worthy of her,
I will be faithful to my fellow man whoever he may be,
I will be faithful to Christ and his love.
were the foundations of his life. This is clearly to be seen in his eight contibutions to “Caneuon Ffydd”, the Songs of Faith.
However, in the world of the dance his contibution and application was heroic. I have no idea how he could create so much. He saw a gap in the provision of dances that existed and proceeded to fill that gap with a series of dances. He created a volume of dances, ”Screaming Wheels” to be performed by those wheelchairbound, and others named after villages or areas in Wales and in this way he answered the needs of many an eisteddfod committee.
For years he edited booklets for Cymdeithas Genedlaethol Dawns Werin Cymru, not only did he edit them but he also raised the money to publish them. In this he co-worked with John Mosedale and a number of valuable volumes were re-published, updated and re-edited amongst them, Llanofer Dances, Twentieth Century Dances and Nantgarw Fair Dances. The years of research bore fruit in the notes that went with these volumes. In this field his knowledge of William Jones and the Llangadfan Dances was, and is, the basis of many a discussion and interesting conversation. His booklet on Williams Jones is a piece of masterly research and to me the first point of reference in beginning any attempt to inerpret what old William saw as he watched “Roaring Hornpipe” and the others and tried to note them down.
Wales lost one of her best when she lost Eddie. We dancers lost a friend, a gentleman and one who danced the steps. Oh yes, I now who Eddie Jones is now.