Eifionydd () is an area in north-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

covering the south-eastern part of the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( or , ) is a peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, with an area of about , and a population of at least 20,000. It extends into the Irish Sea, and its southern coast is the northern boundary of the Tremadog Bay inlet of Cardigan Ba ...

from

Porthmadog Porthmadog (), originally Portmadoc until 1972 and known locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community (Wales), community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Caernarfonshire. It li ...

to just east of

Pwllheli Pwllheli ( ; ) is a market town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula (), in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011, which declined slightly to 3,947 in 2021; a large proportion (81%) were Welsh language, Welsh speaking. ...

. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

. The

commote A commote (, sometimes spelt in older documents as , plural , less frequently )'' Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix ("together" ...

of Eifionydd formed the northern half of the former minor kingdom of Dunoding within the

Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire Succession of states, successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon ...

. It traditionally took its name from Eifion, son of Dunod (who gave his name to the cantref) and grandson of

Cunedda Wledig Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' (reigned – c. 460), was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of Western Europe. Name The name ''Cunedda'' (spelle ...

. The chief centre of the commote was at

Criccieth Criccieth, also spelled Cricieth (), is a town and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, Wales, on the boundary between the Llŷn Peninsula and Eifionydd. The town is west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a ...

, although there may have been an earlier royal residence at Dolbenmaen. Although it is not currently a unit of local government, the name is still in common use for the region. It includes the villages of

Chwilog Chwilog () is a village in Gwynedd, north Wales, and located on the Llŷn Peninsula. It is in the community (Wales), community of Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, and in the medieval commote () of Eifionydd, named after a 5th-century ruler. It is w ...

, Abererch,

Llanaelhaearn Llanaelhaearn is a village on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Local government in Wales, county of Gwynedd, Wales. Located in the community of (prior to 2024 called just "Llanaelhaearn") which also includes the larger village of Trefor, Gwynedd, Tr ...

, Pencaenewydd, Llangybi, Llanystumdwy, Llanarmon, Rhoslan, Pentrefelin, Penmorfa, Garndolbenmaen, Bryncir and Pantglas.

R. Williams Parry Robert Williams Parry (6 March 1884 – 4 January 1956) was one of Wales's most notable 20th-century poets writing in Welsh language, Welsh. Life R. Williams Parry was born in Tal-y-sarn, in Nantlle Valley, Dyffryn Nantlle, a first cousin to t ...

's poem ''Eifionydd'' contrasts rural Eifionydd with the bustling slate quarries of Dyffryn Nantlle.

References

John Edward Lloyd Sir John Edward Lloyd (5 May 1861 – 20 June 1947) was a Welsh historian. Early life and eduction John Edward Lloyd was born in Liverpool on 5 May 1861. He was educated in the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (which later become ...

(1911) ''A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest'' (Longmans, Green & Co, pages=238-239) {{coord, 52.926, -4.258, display=title, region:GB_scale:50000 Beddgelert Criccieth Dolbenmaen Llanystumdwy Porthmadog Commotes of Gwynedd Commotes of Snowdonia