1.
Belfast
–
Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, the second largest on the island of Ireland, and the heart of the tenth largest Primary Urban Area in the United Kingdom. On the River Lagan, it had a population of 286,000 at the 2011 census and 333,871 after the 2015 council reform, Belfast was granted city status in 1888. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, and was an industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. It has sustained a major aerospace and missiles industry since the mid 1930s, industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast Irelands biggest city at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education, business, and law, additionally, Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square. Belfast is served by two airports, George Best Belfast City Airport in the city, and Belfast International Airport 15 miles west of the city. Although the county borough of Belfast was created when it was granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1888, the site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. The Giants Ring, a 5, 000-year-old henge, is located near the city, Belfast remained a small settlement of little importance during the Middle Ages. The ONeill clan had a presence in the area, in the 14th century, Cloinne Aodha Buidhe, descendants of Aodh Buidhe ONeill built Grey Castle at Castlereagh, now in the east of the city. Conn ONeill of the Clannaboy ONeills owned vast lands in the area and was the last inhabitant of Grey Castle, evidence of this period of Belfasts growth can still be seen in the oldest areas of the city, known as the Entries. Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, in 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city. In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland as the island of Ireland was partitioned, the accompanying conflict cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the Troubles of the late 1960s onwards. Belfast was heavily bombed during World War II, in one raid, in 1941, German bombers killed around one thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless. Apart from London, this was the greatest loss of life in a raid during the Blitz. Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921 following the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and it had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. These opposing groups in conflict are now often termed republican and loyalist respectively. The most recent example of conflict was known as the Troubles – a civil conflict that raged from around 1969 to 1998
Belfast
–
Top: Skyline of Belfast Middle top left to right,
Queen's University Belfast,
Albert Memorial Clock, Belfast, The Boat,
Titanic Belfast Bottom left to right:
Belfast City Hall, view of Belfast with
Samson and Goliath.
Belfast
–
Belfast Castle
Belfast
–
Donegall Square in the early 1900s
Belfast
–
Aftermath of the Blitz in May 1941
2.
Irish language
–
Irish, also referred to as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people. Irish enjoys constitutional status as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also among the official languages of the European Union. The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland and it has the oldest vernacular literature in Western Europe. The fate of the language was influenced by the power of the English state in Ireland. Elizabethan officials viewed the use of Irish unfavourably, as being a threat to all things English in Ireland and its decline began under English rule in the 17th century. In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a decrease in the number of speakers. Irish-speaking areas were hit especially hard, by the end of British rule, the language was spoken by less than 15% of the national population. Since then, Irish speakers have been in the minority, efforts have been made by the state, individuals and organisations to preserve, promote and revive the language, but with mixed results. Around the turn of the 21st century, estimates of native speakers ranged from 20,000 to 80,000 people. In the 2011 Census, these numbers had increased to 94,000 and 1.3 million, there are several thousand Irish speakers in Northern Ireland. It has been estimated that the active Irish-language scene probably comprises 5 to 10 per cent of Irelands population, there has been a significant increase in the number of urban Irish speakers, particularly in Dublin. In Gaeltacht areas, however, there has been a decline of the use of Irish. Údarás na Gaeltachta predicted that, by 2025, Irish will no longer be the language in any of the designated Gaeltacht areas. Survey data suggest that most Irish people think highly of Irish as a marker of identity. It has also argued that newer urban groups of Irish speakers are a disruptive force in this respect. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil the name of the language is Gaeilge, before the spelling reform of 1948, this form was spelled Gaedhilge, originally this was the genitive of Gaedhealg, the form used in Classical Irish. Older spellings of this include Gaoidhealg in Classical Irish and Goídelc in Old Irish, the modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent dh in the middle of Gaedhilge, whereas Goidelic languages, used to refer to the language family including Irish, comes from Old Irish
Irish language
–
"Caution Children"
Irish language
–
Proportion of respondents who said they could speak Irish in the Ireland census 2011 or the Northern Ireland census 2011.
Irish language
–
A sign for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, in English, Irish and
Ulster Scots.
Irish language
–
The Pale - According to Statute of 1488
3.
County Down
–
County Down is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the northeast of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the southeast shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,448 km² and has a population of about 531,665 and it is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland and is within the province of Ulster. The county was archaically called Downshire and it borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east and south, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest. In the east of the county is Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula, the largest town is Bangor, on the northeast coast. Three other large towns and cities are on its border, Newry lies on the border with County Armagh, while Lisburn. Down contains both the southernmost point of Northern Ireland and the easternmost point of Ireland and it is currently one of only two counties of Ireland to have a majority of the population from a Protestant background, according to the 2001 census. The other is County Antrim to the north, during the Williamite War in Ireland the county was a centre of Protestant rebellion against the rule of the Catholic James II. After forming a force the Protestants were defeated by the Irish Army at the Break of Dromore and forced to retreat. Later the same year Marshal Schombergs large Williamite expedition arrived in Belfast Lough, after laying siege to Carrickfergus Schomberg marched south to Dundalk Camp, clearing County Down and much of the rest of East Ulster of Jacobite troops. Down contains two significant peninsulas, Ards Peninsula and Lecale peninsula, the county has a coastline along Belfast Lough to the north and Carlingford Lough to the south. Strangford Lough lies between the Ards Peninsula and the mainland, down also contains part of the shore of Lough Neagh. Smaller loughs include Lough Island Reavy, the River Lagan forms most of the border with County Antrim. The River Bann also flows through the areas of the county. Other rivers include the Clanrye and Quoile, there are several islands off the Down coast, Mew Island, Light House Island and the Copeland Islands, all of which lie to the north of the Ards Peninsula. Gunn Island lies off the Lecale coast, in addition there are a large number of small islands in Strangford Lough. County Down is where, in the words of the song by Percy French, The mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea. Slieve Donard, at 849 m, is the highest peak in the Mournes, in Northern Ireland, another important peak is Slieve Croob, at 534 m, the source of the River Lagan. An area of County Down is known as the Brontë Homeland, after Patrick Brontë, father of Anne, Charlotte, Emily, Patrick Brontë was born in this region
County Down
–
Mourne Mountains
County Down
–
King John's Castle on
Carlingford Lough.
County Down
–
A steam train on the
Downpatrick and County Down Railway travelling through the
Ulster drumlin belt near
Downpatrick.
4.
Townland
–
A townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin, pre-dating the Norman invasion, however, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survey. The total number of inhabited townlands was 60,679 in 1911, the total number recognised by the Irish Place Names database as of 2014 was 61,098, including uninhabited townlands, mainly small islands. In Ireland a townland is generally the smallest administrative division of land, the term townland in English is derived from the Old English word tun, denoting an enclosure. The term describes the smallest unit of division in Ireland, based on various forms of Gaelic land division. The term baile, anglicised as bally, is the most dominant element used in Irish townland names, today the term bally denotes an urban settlement, but its precise meaning in ancient Ireland is unclear, as towns had no place in Gaelic social organisation. The modern Irish term for a townland is baile fearainn, the term fearainn means land, territory, quarter. Throughout most of Ulster townlands were known as ballyboes, and represented an area of economic value. In County Cavan similar units were called polls, and in Counties Fermanagh and these names appear to be of English origin, but had become naturalised long before 1600. In modern townland names the prefix pol- is widely found throughout western Ireland, in County Cavan, which contains over half of all townlands in Ulster with the prefix pol-, some should probably be better translated as the poll of. In County Tyrone the following hierarchy of divisions was used, ballybetagh, ballyboe, sessiagh, gort. In County Fermanagh the divisions were ballybetagh, quarter and tate, further subdivisions in Fermanagh appear to be related to liquid or grain measures such as gallons, pottles and pints. In Ulster the ballybetagh was the unit controlled by an Irish sept. Fragmentation of ballybetaghs resulted in units consisting of four, eight, one of these fragmented units, the quarter, representing a quarter of a ballybetagh, was the universal land denomination recorded in the survey of County Donegal conducted in 1608. In the early 17th century 20 per cent of the area of western Ulster was under the control of the church. These termon lands consisted likewise of ballybetaghs and ballyboes, but were held by erenaghs instead of sept leaders, other units of land division used throughout Ireland include, In County Tipperary, capell lands and quatermeers. A capell land consisted of around 20 great acres, in the province of Connacht, quarters and cartrons, a quarter being reckoned as four cartrons, and each cartron being 30 acres. The quarter has also been anglicised as carrow, carhoo or caracute, in County Clare, as in Connacht, quarters, half-quarters, cartrons and sessiagh
Townland
–
Map showing the townlands of the
Thurles civil parish,
County Tipperary. The townlands of Thurles are typical: of widely varying shapes and sizes with irregular borders, forming a patchwork over the countryside. The townlands have a mean area of 64
ha (158
ac).
Townland
–
A road sign in
County Antrim Northern Ireland, noting that this part of the road lies within Teeshan townland
Townland
–
A (rare) townland boundary marker in
Inishowen,
County Donegal.
Townland
–
Townland sign in
Irish for Baile na Coirce (Ballycuirke),
Moycullen,
County Galway, a
Gaeltacht townland.
5.
Castlereagh (borough)
–
Castlereagh was a local government district with the status of borough in Northern Ireland. It was an urban borough consisting mostly of suburbs of Belfast in the Castlereagh Hills with a small rural area in the south of the borough. Unusually, it had no natural borough centre, the main centres of population are Carryduff,6 miles south of Belfast city centre and Dundonald,5 miles east of it. Castlereagh was named after the barony of Castlereagh, which in turn was named after the townland of same name, the district was one of twenty-six created on 1 October 1973. The borough was divided into four areas, Castlereagh Central, South. In the 2011 elections,23 members were elected, the mayor for the civic year 2013–2014 was councillor David Drysdale and the Deputy Mayor was councillor Ann-Marie Beattie. Castlereagh and the city of Kent in Washington in the United States signed up as sister cities partners on 1 August 2000 and these elections saw the political landscape at Castlereagh change dramatically. The DUP lost overall control of the due to the loss of two council seats, one in Central and one in the East. The UUP also lost their representative in East. The Alliance Party gained one in East and Central, while the Green Party also gained in East, there were no changes in the West or South areas. There had been speculation that demographic change would deliver Sinn Féin a seat in South. However, this out to be unfounded, with the SDLP being the sixth placed runner up. The area covered by the former Castlereagh Borough Council had a population of 67,272 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census, local Councils in Northern Ireland Bow, John
Castlereagh (borough)
–
Castlereagh Borough
6.
Short Strand
–
The Short Strand is a working class, inner city area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist enclave surrounded by the mainly Protestant and it is on the east bank of the River Lagan in the townland of Ballymacarret, which is part of County Down. The borders of the Short Strand are Albertbridge Road, Short Strand Road, Newtownards Road, at the Short Strands northeast corner is St Matthews Catholic church. For decades, Protestants and Catholics have regularly clashed at the edges of the Short Strand and this has led to fierce rioting and, occasionally, gun battles. Much of the Short Strand is surrounded by peace lines, in the 19th century, many Catholics moved from County Down to the area. Despite living close to the shipyard, they were excluded from working there. The ethno-political conflict known as The Troubles began in 1969, in the early years of the Troubles, Catholics in Short Strand numbered about 6,000, while their Protestant neighbours totalled about 60,000. The area was the scene of violence, including rioting. On 27 June 1970, the Provisional IRA fought a gun battle with loyalist militants around St Matthews church. This was the Provisional IRAs first major action and became known as the Battle of St Matthews, throughout the Troubles there was a Royal Ulster Constabulary base in the Short Strand. It was heavily fortified due to bomb and gun attacks by the IRA and it was shut in 2010 and demolished in February 2011. In June 2002, there was major rioting between rival republican and loyalist crowds, numbering over 1,000, and prolonged exchanges of gunfire between the rival paramilitaries, on 20 June 2011, a group of 60 to 100 men were reported to be attacking peoples homes. There were reports of injuries, as well as homes being damaged, two men were reported to have been shot. Fighting had started at an area between Mountpottinger Road and the lower Newtownards road. Chief Superintendent Alan McCrum of the PSNI said that the violence had been orchestrated by the UVF, two men were shot, and eleven shots were fired. A press photographer was shot on the night of riots. Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Finlay said that there was no sign that the UVF intended to finish the rioting, much of the film The Outsider is set in the Short Strand. The Short Strand, and St Matthews Church in particular, are settings for season 3 of the television show Sons of Anarchy
Short Strand
–
An
Irish nationalist mural on Beechfield Street in Short Strand, showing British troops leaving Ireland and wishing them
Slán Abhaile
Short Strand
–
An entrance to Short Strand
7.
River Lagan
–
The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The River Lagan forms much of the border between County Antrim and County Down in the east of Ulster and it rises as a tiny, fast-moving stream near to the summit of Slieve Croob, Transmitter Road runs nearby. From here it continues on its journey to Belfast through Dromara, Donaghcloney, on the lower slopes of the mountain, it is joined by another branch from Legananny Mountain, just opposite Slieve Croob. At Dromara, about four miles from its source, its height above the sea is 390 ft, as the river continues on its journey to Belfast, it turns east to Magheralin into a broad plain between the plateaus of Antrim and Down. The river drains approximately 609 square km of land and flows over 70 km from the Mourne Mountains to the Stranmillis Weir. The catchment consists mainly of enriched agricultural grassland in the parts, with a lower section draining urban Belfast. There is one significant tributary, the Ravernet River, and there are several tributaries, including the Carryduff River, the River Farset. Water quality is fair, though there are localised problems and occasional pollution incidents. Work is proceeding to restore a population of Atlantic salmon to the river. The name Belfast originates from the Irish Béal Feirste, or the mouth of the Farset, the river on which the city was built, the Farset has been superseded by the River Lagan as the most important river. The Farset languishes in obscurity, covered over by the citys High Street, in 1989 the Laganside Corporation was established by the British government to redevelop the areas surrounding the Lagan in Belfast. One of the earliest and most important undertakings of the Corporation was the Lagan Weir, completed in 1994 at a cost of £14m, the weir controls the level of water upstream. One of the functions of the weir was to reduce unsightly mud flats at low tide. This was mostly successful, but mud flats are still evident on the river, the weir is a series of massive steel barriers which are raised as the tide retreats so as to keep the river at an artificially constant level. This, improvements to the system, and massive dredging of the river by mechanical excavators, has led to a marked improvement in water quality. Lagan Weir, dredging and aeration have increased water quality in the river, an otter and seals have followed the fish that now move up river to spawn in what was once an aquatic death trap. The Boathouses are all based between the Governors Bridge and the Stranmillis Weir, in September 2010, dredging commenced on the river Lagan. The operation was expected to last until spring 2011, in a similar way to the regeneration of Belfast riverside Lisburn City Council has embarked on a series of developments around the River Lagan
River Lagan
–
River Lagan at Lanyon Place, Belfast
River Lagan
–
River Lagan and Lanyon Place, Belfast, October 2009
River Lagan
–
The old Lagan Navigational Canal (disused) at Broadwater, near Aghalee. (The disused canal is not now part of River Lagan, part of The Lagan River was a part of this canal, giving the old canal its name.)
River Lagan
–
The Lagan at Drumbeg
8.
Church of Ireland
–
The Church of Ireland is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on a basis and is the second-largest Christian church on the island after the Catholic Church in Ireland. Like other Anglican churches, it has retained elements of pre-Reformation practice, notably its episcopal polity, nevertheless, in theological and liturgical matters, it incorporates many principles of the Reformation, particularly those espoused during the English Reformation. The church self identifies as being both Catholic and Reformed, within the church, differences exist between those members who are more Catholic-leaning and those who are more Protestant-leaning. For historical and cultural reasons, the Church of Ireland is generally identified as a Protestant church, the Church of Ireland is the second-largest in the Republic of Ireland, with around 130,000 members, and the third-largest in Northern Ireland, with around 260,000 members. The Church of Ireland describes itself as part of the Irish Church which was influenced by the Reformation. However, the Church of Ireland is also Protestant, or Reformed, since it opposes doctrines and ways of worshiping that it considers contrary to scripture and which led to the Reformation. When the Church of England broke communion with the Holy See, all, the church then became the established church of Ireland, assuming possession of most church property. This church-state link was vigorously applied when the Normans came to Ireland in the 12th century, Bishops were required to do homage to the king for their lands, just like earls and barons, who were vassals of the crown. It was therefore accepted, both during and after the Reformation, that the crown should continue to exercise authority over the church. In this way, church property that existed at the time of the Reformation, in Ireland, the substantial majority of the population continued to adhere to Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Legitimacy for the Norman invasion of Ireland was derived from a Papal Bull of 1155 – Laudabiliter, the bull gave King Henry II of England authority to invade Ireland ostensibly as a means of reforming the church in Ireland more directly under the control of the Holy See. The authorisation from the Holy See was based upon the Donation of Constantine which made every Christian island in the western Roman Empire the property of the Papacy. The Church of Ireland is the second largest church in Ireland, the Church of Ireland began as a reformed church independent of the Catholic Church in 1536 when the Irish Parliament declared King Henry VIII to be the Supreme Head of the Church on earth. He would not legally become king of Ireland until 1541, adrian granted Henry II the Lordship of Ireland, thus, Henrys assumption of the title of King had less to do with dispossessing the native Irish kings than with confronting the Pope. The reformation commenced mainly in Dublin under the auspices of George Browne during Henrys reign, when the Church of England was reformed under King Edward VI of England, so too was the Church of Ireland. All but two of the Irish bishops appointed by Queen Mary accepted the Elizabethan Settlement, although the vast majority of priests, the Church of Ireland claims Apostolic succession because of the unbroken continuity of the episcopal hierarchy, however, this is disputed by the Roman Catholic Church. In this way, they were able to conform to the established church whilst at the same time continuing to worship. in the traditional
Church of Ireland
–
St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh
Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
–
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Church of Ireland
–
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
9.
Roman Catholic
–
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church or the Universal Church, is the largest Christian church, with more than 1.28 billion members worldwide. As one of the oldest religious institutions in the world, it has played a prominent role in the history, headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, the churchs doctrines are summarised in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. Its central administration is located in Vatican City, enclaved within Rome, the Catholic Church is notable within Western Christianity for its sacred tradition and seven sacraments. It teaches that it is the one church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christs apostles. The Catholic Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and morals that it declares as definitive is infallible. The Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as such as mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders. Among the sacraments, the one is the Eucharist, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest the sacrificial bread and wine become the body, the Catholic Church practises closed communion, with only baptised members in a state of grace ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist. The Virgin Mary is venerated in the Catholic Church as Queen of Heaven and is honoured in numerous Marian devotions. The Catholic Church has influenced Western philosophy, science, art and culture, Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world, from the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticised for its doctrines on sexuality, its refusal to ordain women and its handling of sexual abuse cases. Catholic was first used to describe the church in the early 2nd century, the first known use of the phrase the catholic church occurred in the letter from Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans, written about 110 AD. In the Catechetical Discourses of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, the name Catholic Church was used to distinguish it from other groups that call themselves the church. The use of the adjective Roman to describe the Church as governed especially by the Bishop of Rome became more widespread after the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and into the Early Middle Ages. Catholic Church is the name used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church follows an episcopal polity, led by bishops who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within the church. Ultimately leading the entire Catholic Church is the Bishop of Rome, commonly called the pope, in parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the pope, though sometimes subject to the local bishop. Most religious institutes only have male or female members but some have both, additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship services
Roman Catholic
–
Saint Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City
Roman Catholic
–
St. Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City
Roman Catholic
–
Pope Francis, elected in the
papal conclave, 2013
Roman Catholic
–
Traditional graphic representation of the Trinity: The earliest attested version of the diagram, from a manuscript of
Peter of Poitiers ' writings, c. 1210
10.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the defunct Royal Ulster Constabulary which, although the majority of PSNI officers are still Ulster Protestants, this dominance is not as pronounced as it was in the RUC because of positive discrimination policies. The RUC was a police force and played a key role in policing the violent conflict known as the Troubles. As part of the Good Friday Agreement, there was an agreement to introduce a new police force based on the body of constables of the RUC. As part of the reform, an Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland was set up, the Police Act 2000 named the new police force as the Police Service of Northern Ireland, shortened to Police Service of Northern Ireland for operational purposes. All major political parties in Northern Ireland now support the PSNI, at first Sinn Féin, which represents about a quarter of Northern Ireland voters, refused to endorse the PSNI until the Patten Commissions recommendations were implemented in full. However, as part of the St Andrews Agreement, Sinn Féin announced its acceptance of the PSNI in January 2007. The senior officer in charge of the PSNI is its Chief Constable, the Chief Constable is appointed by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, subject to the approval of the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland. The Chief Constable of Northern Ireland is the third-highest paid British police officer, the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police are respectively the highest-paid and second-highest paid British police officers. Each district is headed by a Chief Superintendent, districts are divided into areas, commanded by a Chief Inspector, these in turn are divided into sectors, commanded by Inspectors. In recent years, under new structural reforms, some Chief Inspectors command more than one area as the PSNI strives to make savings, in 2001 the old police divisions and sub-divisions were replaced with 29 District Command Units, broadly coterminous with local council areas. In 2007 the DCUs were replaced by eight districts in anticipation of local government restructuring under the Review of Public Administration, responsibility for policing and justice was devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 9 March 2010, although direction and control of the PSNI remains under the Chief Constable. PSNI officers have police powers throughout Northern Ireland and the adjacent United Kingdom waters. Other than in mutual aid circumstances they have limited police powers in the other two legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom—England and Wales, and Scotland. The Patten Report recommended that a programme of long-term personnel exchanges should be established between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. This recommendation was enacted in 2002 by an Inter-Governmental Agreement on Policing Cooperation, the PSNI also has an education organisation named B safe, created by Dympna Thornton in 2006. The PSNI is supervised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland deals with any complaints regarding the PSNI, and investigates any allegations of misconduct by police officers. The current Police Ombudsman is former Oversight Commissioner Al Hutchinson, who took over from Nuala OLoan in November 2007, the Oversight role ended on 31 May 2007, with the final report indicating that of Pattens 175 recommendations,140 had been completed with a further 16 substantially completed
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
St. Patricks Day,
Downpatrick, 2011
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
Badge and Logo of the PSNI
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
Male and female PSNI officers on a pier in
Bangor, County Down
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
PSNI officers in riot gear and wielding
plastic bullet guns during a riot in Belfast, 2011
11.
Parliament of Northern Ireland
–
It was subsequently abolished under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. The Parliament of Northern Ireland was bicameral, consisting of a House of Commons with 52 seats, the House of Commons had 52 members, of which 48 were for territorial seats and four were for graduates of Queens University, Belfast. The boundary changes were not made by a boundary commission but by the Unionist government. Population movements were so small that these boundaries were used almost everywhere until the Parliament was dissolved in 1972, in 1968 the government abolished the Queens University constituency and created four new constituencies in the outskirts of Belfast where populations had grown. This change helped the Unionists, as they only two of the University seats but won all four of the newly created seats. There had, however, long been calls from outside Unionism to abolish the graduate franchise, the Senate was a last-minute addition to the Parliament, after the original plans for a single Senate covering both the Stormont and Dublin Parliaments were overtaken by events. Twenty-four senators were elected by the House of Commons using the single transferable vote, the elections were carried out after each general election, with 12 members elected for two parliaments each time. The other two seats were held ex officio by the Lord Mayor of Belfast and the Mayor of Londonderry, the Senate generally had the same party balance as the House of Commons, though abstaining parties and very small parties were not represented. Because of this, and its dependence on the House of Commons for election, the British monarch was originally to have been represented in both Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. However, the replacement of Southern Ireland by the Irish Free State led to the abolition of the post of Lord Lieutenant, instead, a new office – Governor of Northern Ireland – was created on 12 December 1922. Initially the Parliament met in Belfasts City Hall but moved immediately to the Presbyterian Churchs Assemblys College, the Commons met in the Colleges Gamble Library and the Senate in the Chapel. In 1932, Parliament moved to the new purpose-built Parliament Buildings, designed by Sir Arnold Thornely, at Stormont, the city boundaries were extended slightly to include Stormont within the capital city. Stormont came to be a nickname referring both to the Parliament itself and to the Northern Ireland government, the Parliament did not try to infringe the terms of the Government of Ireland Act, on only one occasion did the United Kingdom government advise the King to withhold royal assent. This was the Local Government Act which abolished proportional representation in government elections. The output of legislation was high for a devolved Parliament, though some of the Acts were adaptations of recently passed acts by the United Kingdom parliament. The 1921 general election was fought on the issue of partition. Thereafter, general election timing was up to the Prime Minister, elections almost always took place at a time when the issue of partition had been raised in a new crisis. This generally guaranteed the loyalty of Protestant voters to the Unionist Party, independent Unionist candidates and the Northern Ireland Labour Party were usually accused of being splitters or dupes of the Nationalists
Parliament of Northern Ireland
–
Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland
–
Arms of Northern Ireland, 1924–1972
Parliament of Northern Ireland
–
Robinson and Cleaver Department Store in Belfast, decorated for the State Opening of the first Northern Ireland parliament. June 22, 1921.
12.
Ulster loyalism
–
Ulster loyalism is a political ideology found primarily among working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland, whose status as a part of the United Kingdom has remained controversial. Most Ulster Protestants are descendants of settlers from Great Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries, like unionists, loyalists are attached to the British monarchy, support the continued existence of Northern Ireland, and oppose a united Ireland. Ulster loyalism has been described as a kind of ethnic nationalism and it is strongly associated with paramilitarism. Ulster loyalism emerged in the late 19th century, as a response to the Irish Home Rule movement, although most of Ireland was Catholic, in the province of Ulster, Protestants were the majority. Ulster was also more industrialized than other parts of Ireland and was dependent on trade with Britain. Loyalism began as a movement among Ulster Protestants who did not want to become part of an autonomous Ireland. While some Irish Catholics were also unionist, loyalism emphasized a Protestant, loyalists often use Ulster as an alternative name for Northern Ireland. Since partition, most loyalists have supported upholding Northern Irelands status as a part of the United Kingdom, i. e. unionism. Historically, the terms unionist and loyalist were often used interchangeably, however, since the resurgence of loyalist paramilitarism in the 1960s, a distinction between the two is made more often. The term loyalist is now used to describe working class unionists who are willing to use, or tacitly support. Loyalists are also described as being loyal primarily to the Protestant British monarchy rather than to the British government, garret FitzGerald argued that loyalists are loyal primarily to Ulster rather than to the Union. A small minority of loyalists have called for an independent Ulster Protestant state, in Northern Ireland there is a long tradition of militaristic loyalist Protestant marching bands. There are hundreds of bands who hold numerous parades each year. The yearly Eleventh Night bonfires and The Twelfth parades are strongly associated with loyalism, the term loyalist was first used in Irish politics in the 1790s to refer to Protestants who opposed Catholic Emancipation and Irish independence from Great Britain. Upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, six of the nine counties in the province of Ulster didnt join the new independent Irish Free State and remained a part of the United Kingdom. Academically cited records from 1926 indicate that at that stage 33. 5% of the Northern Ireland population was Roman Catholic, tensions between Northern Irelands Catholic population and its Protestant population led to a long-running bloody conflict known as the Troubles from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. This includes the British National Front, the British Peoples Party, bigger and more moderate right-wing unionist parties like the Ulster Unionists or Democratic Unionists usually seek to distance themselves from loyalist paramilitary activity. Loyalist paramilitary and vigilante groups have been active since the early 20th century, in 1912, the Ulster Volunteers were formed to stop the British Government granting self-rule to Ireland, or to exclude Ulster from it
Ulster loyalism
–
The
Union Flag,
Ulster Banner and
Orange Order flags are often flown by loyalists in Northern Ireland
Ulster loyalism
–
Loyalist graffiti and banner on a building in a side street off the
Shankill Road, Belfast (1970)
Ulster loyalism
–
A UVF mural in Belfast
Ulster loyalism
–
A republican mural in Belfast with the slogan "Collusion Is Not An Illusion"
13.
The Troubles
–
The Troubles is the common name for the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is described as a guerrilla war or low-level war. The most recent instalment of violence began in the late 1960s and is deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Belfast Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mainly took place in Northern Ireland, violence spilled over at times parts of the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe. The conflict was political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension, although it was not a religious conflict, a key issue was the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Unionists/loyalists, who are mostly Protestants and consider themselves British, want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, Irish nationalists/republicans, who are predominantly Catholics, want Northern Ireland to be reunited with the 26 counties which make up the Republic of Ireland in an independent united Ireland. This campaign was met with violence by loyalists who viewed the campaign as a stalking horse. This eventually led to the deployment of British troops, initially to protect Catholic civilians, the security forces of the Republic played a smaller role. More than 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, of whom 52% were civilians, 32% were members of the British security forces, there has been sporadic violence since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, including a campaign by anti-ceasefire republicans. The Troubles refers to the recent three-decade conflict between nationalists and unionists, the term the Troubles was previously used to refer to the Irish revolutionary period, it was adopted to refer to the escalating violence in Northern Ireland after 1969. The violence was characterised by the campaigns of Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups. It thus became the focus for the longest major campaign in the history of the British Army, nationalists regard the state forces as forces of occupation or partisan combatants in the conflict. One part of the Agreement is that Northern Ireland will remain within the United Kingdom unless a majority of the Northern Irish electorate vote otherwise and it also established the Northern Ireland Executive, a devolved power-sharing government, which must consist of both unionist and nationalist parties. In 1609, Scottish and English settlers, known as planters, were given land escheated from the native Irish in the Plantation of Ulster. As the Penal Laws started to be phased out in the part of the 18th century, there was more competition for land. With Roman Catholics allowed to buy land and enter trades from which they had formerly been banned, tensions arose resulting in the Protestant Peep ODay Boys and Catholic Defenders. This created polarisation between the communities and a reduction in reformers among Protestants, many of whom had been growing more receptive to democratic reform
The Troubles
–
2009: the
Ulster Banner flying over an
Ulster loyalist area (foreground) of
Derry, and the
Irish tricolour flying over an
Irish republican area (background) of the same city
The Troubles
–
Political map of Ireland
The Troubles
–
The fencing on the Belfast "
peace line ". The peace lines are a series of high
border barriers in
Northern Ireland that separate
Irish nationalist and
unionist neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban
interface areas in
Belfast, Derry,
Portadown and elsewhere. The stated purpose of the peace lines is to minimise inter-communal violence.
The Troubles
–
The
Battle of the Boyne (12 July 1690) by
Jan van Huchtenburg
14.
Ulster Volunteer Force
–
The Ulster Volunteer Force is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It emerged in 1966 and is named after the original UVF of the early 20th century and its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British soldier. The group undertook a campaign of almost thirty years during the Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence, the group is classified as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and United States. The UVFs declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Irish Republican Army – and it was responsible for more than 500 deaths. The vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were killed at random. During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurks Bar bombing, the group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. Two UVF men were blown up in this poorly planned attack. The UVFs last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub, until recent years, it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association, since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, organised crime, vigilantism and feuds with other loyalist groups. Some members have also found responsible for orchestrating a series of racist attacks. The UVFs stated goal was to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army –, the vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or were giving help to the IRA. Other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as retaliation for IRA actions, many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername Protestant Action Force, which first appeared in autumn 1974. They always signed their statements with the fictitious name Captain William Johnston, like the Ulster Defence Association, the UVFs modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. It used sub machine-guns, assault rifles, pistols, grenades, incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs, referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVFs forte. Members were trained in bomb-making and it developed home-made explosives, however, from 1977 bombs largely disappeared from the UVFs arsenal owing to a lack of explosives and bomb-makers, plus a conscious decision to abandon their use in favour of more contained methods
Ulster Volunteer Force
–
A UVF publicity photo showing masked and armed UVF members
Ulster Volunteer Force
–
Above: the UVF emblem, with the
Red Hand of Ulster and the motto "For God and Ulster" Below: the UVF flag
Ulster Volunteer Force
–
A UVF mural on the Shankill Road
Ulster Volunteer Force
–
An old UVF mural on Shankill Road, where the group was formed
15.
Robert Seymour (loyalist)
–
Robert Seymour was a Northern Irish loyalist and a leading member of the Ulster Volunteer Force. He served as the paramilitary organisations East Belfast commander before being shot dead by the Provisional IRA in an alley behind his shop in Woodstock Road. His killing was in retaliation for the UVF bombing of a nationalist pub in which three Catholics died, in 1983, Seymour was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1981 murder of leading IRA member James Skipper Burns. Seymour cycled to Burns home in Rodney Parade, off the Donegall Road, Seymours conviction was overturned in the Appeal Court after the judge found the testimony of supergrass Joe Bennett unbelievable. Until 2011, Seymours image featured on a mural painted on a gable in Ballymacarrett Road. He had become a legend after the killing of Burns. Robert Seymour was born around 1955 in Belfast and he was raised in a Protestant family in staunchly Ulster loyalist east Belfast. On an unknown date he joined the paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force. He rose in the ranks of its Belfast Brigade, acquiring a reputation as a hitman, the Los Angeles Times alleged that he was number three in the hierarchy of the UVF command. Never having married, Seymour was described by journalists Jim Cusack and he was known by the nicknames of Squeak and Bobby Blood. Late at night on 23 February 1981 he cycled across Belfast to the home of leading Provisional IRA member James Skipper Burns in Rodney Parade, Donegall Road, close to the Falls Road. After breaking into the house whilst Burns and his girlfriend were out, he waited downstairs until the couple returned, Seymour then climbed the stairs and shot Burns dead as he lay sleeping beside his girlfriend, using a pistol with a silencer. Burns girlfriend never woke during the attack and Seymour was able to leave the house undetected and this feat, along with the shooting of such a high-ranking IRA member in the Irish republican stronghold of west Belfast, made him a local legend and loyalist folk hero. In 1983, Seymour and UVF battalion commander John Wilson were convicted of the murder, Seymour was given a total of four life sentences for murder. However, their convictions were overturned in the Appeal Court after the judge found Bennetts testimony to have been unbelievable, according to Bennett, the UVF had targeted Burns because they believed he was Gerry Adams second-in-command. Wilson had allegedly described the killing as a job well done. Seymour was later arrested and imprisoned for arms offences, on 15 June 1988, two masked Provisional IRA gunmen from the Markets and Ormeau Road areas entered the video shop he owned in Woodstock Road, East Belfast. Seymour made an attempt to escape by running out the door, however, he was cornered by the gunmen in an alley behind his shop
Robert Seymour (loyalist)
–
Robert Seymour is depicted second from the right in this UVF mural. The mural stood for over ten years in Ballymacarrett Road, East Belfast.
Robert Seymour (loyalist)
–
Seymour (far left) on a new mural painted at the same location
Robert Seymour (loyalist)
–
Memorial to Seymour and other local UVF members, Frazer Pass
16.
Provisional Irish Republican Army
–
It was the biggest and most active republican paramilitary group during the Troubles. It saw itself as the successor to the original IRA and called simply the Irish Republican Army. It was also referred to as such by others. The Provisional IRA emerged in December 1969, following a split in the republican movement, the IRA initially focused on defence, but it began an offensive campaign in 1971. The IRAs primary goal was to force the British to negotiate a withdrawal from Northern Ireland and it used guerrilla tactics against the British Army and RUC in both rural and urban areas. It also carried out a campaign in Northern Ireland and England against what it saw as political. The IRA called a ceasefire in July 1997, after Sinn Féin was re-admitted into the Northern Ireland peace talks. It supported the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and in 2005 it disarmed under international supervision, the campaign was supported by arms and funding from Libya and from some Irish American groups. As a result, the IRA launched a new strategy known as the Long War and this saw them conduct a war of attrition against the British and increased emphasis on political activity, via the political party Sinn Féin. The success of the 1981 Irish hunger strike in mobilising support and winning elections led to the Armalite and ballot box strategy, with more time, the British demand was quickly dropped after the May 1997 general election in the UK. The IRA ceasefire was reinstated in July 1997 and Sinn Féin was admitted into all-party talks. The IRAs armed campaign, primarily in Northern Ireland but also in England and mainland Europe, the dead included around 1,100 members of the British security forces, and about 640 civilians. The IRA itself lost 275–300 members and an estimated 10,000 imprisoned at times over the 30-year period. The organisation remains classified as a proscribed terrorist group in the UK, two small groups split from the Provisional IRA, the Continuity IRA in 1986, and the Real IRA in 1997. Both reject the Good Friday Agreement and continue to engage in paramilitary activity and this new IRA group is estimated by Police Service of Northern Ireland intelligence sources to have between 250 and 300 active militants and many more supporting associates. The Provisional IRA was organised hierarchically, at the top of the organisation was the IRA Army Council, headed by the IRA Chief of Staff. All levels of the organisation were entitled to send delegates to IRA General Army Conventions, the GAC was the IRAs supreme decision-making authority. Since 1969, there have only three, in 1970,1986, and 2005, owing to the difficulty in organising such a large gathering of an illegal organisation in secret
Provisional Irish Republican Army
–
IRA members showing an
improvised mortar and an
RPG (1992)
Provisional Irish Republican Army
–
IRA re-enactment in
Galbally, County Tyrone (2009)
Provisional Irish Republican Army
–
Republican colour party in Dublin, March 2009. The blue flag being carried at the front is that of "Dublin Brigade IRA".
Provisional Irish Republican Army
–
An IRA badge – the
phoenix is frequently used to symbolise the origins of the Provisional IRA.
17.
Malone RFC
–
Malone RFC is a rugby union club based in Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is currently in the Division 2A of the All-Ireland League, the club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is one of the last remaining Belfast rugby clubs not to have amalgamated, Malone Football Club was founded in 1892 by residents of Malone Park, Belfast. In 1896 Malone obtained senior status after two victories in the junior league, Malone first played a non-Irish side when it hosted Furness in 1903. The current name Malone Rugby Football Club was adopted in 1932, Malone moved to its present location in Gibson Park, Belfast in 1935, eventually purchasing it in 1953. The present clubhouse dates from 1967, the club hosted games from the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship. Malone players have played rugby in each decade since the start of the Twentieth Century. Data below is as of May 2009, British Isles,1903 British Lions tour to South Africa,3 caps. British Isles,1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand, British Isles 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa. Ireland,30 caps,6 conversions and 2 penalties, Lions 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa,3 caps. Lions 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia,4 caps, maurice Field, Centre, Ireland 17 caps. Paul Emerick, Centre/Wing, USA,37 caps,10 Tries, google Maps Satellite View of Malone RFC Malone RFC
Malone RFC
–
Malone's Gibson Park ground
Malone RFC
–
Malone
18.
Northern Amateur Football League
–
The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in Northern Ireland. These comprise four sections, the Premier Division, Division 1A, Division 1B and Division 1C. The league season lasts from August to May with each playing the others twice, once at their home ground. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw, no points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by points, then goal difference. At the end of season, the team that finishes in first place in the Premier division is crowned league champions. There are 14 clubs in the Premier Division, each playing a total of 26 games, the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1A. The league champions can be promoted to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, the two highest-placed teams are promoted into the Premier Division whilst the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1B. The two highest-placed teams are promoted to Division 1A and the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1C and this division was added to the Amateur League for the 2009/10 season. It now consists of 14 teams who will play a total of 26 matches. The two top-placed teams at the end of the season will be promoted to Division 1B, there are three sections within the Second Division, which has junior status, Division 2A, Division 2B and Division 2C. The top team in Division 2A at the end of the season can be promoted into the Intermediate section as long as their grounds meet intermediate standards, the Third Division is for reserve sides of teams in the first and second divisions. It has six sections, 3A to 3F, the Clarence Cup is a knock-out competition for all clubs. It was affiliated to the Irish Football Association as a league in August. The first season was 1923/24 and by the time the first fixtures were played on 22 September, the Co-operative and C. P. A. were tied at the top of the table, but the Co-operative won a play-off to be crowned the first Amateur League champions. A knock-out competition - the Clarence Cup - was also inaugurated in the first season, the Leagues first representative game was played on 26 January 1924 against the Minor League at the Oval, and was a 6-1 win for the Amateur League. In 1932, the League played its first representative match outside Northern Ireland and this became an annual fixture, which lasted until 1939, only to be halted by the Second World War. Subsequently, annual fixtures have resumed, first with the Scottish Amateur League and, during the next few years, the League gained intermediate status, and a junior-status second division was added in 1926
Northern Amateur Football League
19.
Ravenhill Stadium
–
The Kingspan Stadium is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby, with the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and it features an ornate arch at the entrance that was erected as a war memorial for those players killed in World War I and World War II. Prior to 1923, both Ulster and Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast, Ravenhill has been the annual venue for the Ulster Schools Cup final since 1924, which is traditionally contested on St Patricks Day. The stadium is traditionally the venue for the Ulster Towns Cup, Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. The most recent Ireland international played at the stadium was on 24 August 2007 against Italy in a match for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Before that, Scotland was the last visitor in the 1954 Five Nations Championship, Ravenhill also hosted the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship final in which New Zealand defeated South Africa. Ravenhill hosted memorable Ulster games in the Heineken Cup, Ulster beat Toulouse 15-13 at Ravenhill in the quarter-finals of the 1998-99 Heineken Cup. Ravenhill then hosted the 1998-99 Heineken Cup semi-final in which Ulster defeated Stade Français 33-27, the most memorable moment in that game was when out half David Humphreys ran from the Ulster 10-metre line to score a try. On 5 June 2014, Ulster signed a 10-year contract with the Kingspan Group for the rights to Ravenhill. On 30 May 2015, the 2015 Pro12 Grand Final was played at the Kingspan Stadium, glasgow Warriors beat Munster Rugby 31-13. On 11 November 2016, the Barbarians played a match against Fiji at the Kingspan Stadium, the new stand at Ravenhill was officially opened on 9 October 2009 by First Minister Peter Robinson, before a match between Ulster and Bath Rugby. The stand has however been in use since the first home match of the 2009-2010 season, the stand is on the Mount Merrion side of the ground, and consists of a terraced area, over 500 premium seats, and 20 corporate boxes. The terrace area is now covered by a roof for the first time in the stadiums history. The cost of the project is approximately £4.5 million, and has been funded by a mixture of public-sector funding, sales of tickets and boxes. In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland, Ulster Rugby received £14. 5m, which was used to redevelop Ravenhill and expand its capacity to from 12,000 to 18,000. In 2012, Ulster Rugby confirmed that three new stands would be built at Ravenhill, with work commencing in late 2012, two new stands at the Memorial and Aquinas ends of the stadium were completed while the main stand was demolished and rebuilt. The major refurbishment was completed in April 2014
Ravenhill Stadium
–
Kingspan Stadium
20.
Ulster Rugby
–
Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Pro12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup, Ulster play their home games at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast which has a capacity of 18,196. The province plays primarily in white and the team crest features a red hand within two rugby balls, the red hand being taken from the flag of Ulster. Ulster A competes in the British and Irish Cup, Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1999, the Celtic Cup in 2003 and the Celtic League in 2006. The Ulster Branch of the IRFU was founded in 1879, since then, Ulster has been arguably the most successful of the four Irish provinces having won the Inter-Provincial Championship a record 26 times. In the amateur rugby union era, Ulster regularly played international touring sides from the southern hemisphere and their most impressive performance was in the 1984/5 season when they defeated Andrew Slacks Grand Slam Wallabies. In the 1998–99 season, Ulster became the first Irish province to win the Heineken Cup and they beat French side US Colomiers 21–6 in the final at Lansdowne Road. The Ulster squad contained many part-time players two of whom, Andy Matchett and Stephen McKinty, started the final and this Ulster side was coached by Harry Williams and managed by John Kinnear. From 2001 to 2004, the Ulster team was coached by Alan Solomons and it was during this time that Ulster fully embraced the professional era. Alan Solomons coached Ulster to an unbeaten home record in the Heineken Cup. In the 2003–04 season, Ulster finished second in the Celtic League, despite an initially poor start to the season, the two extended Ulsters unbeaten home record in Europe to four years. However, inconsistent late form from Ulster, combined with a run from Leinster. In Ulsters final match against the Ospreys with Ulster one point behind, David Humphreys kicked a 40-metre drop goal to clinch the game, Ulster started the 2006–07 season in fine form racking up a number of victories including a 30–3 thrashing of Heineken Cup contenders Toulouse. The team began the 2007–08 season with a run of form. Mark McCall resigned in November following Ulsters embarrassing 32–14 home defeat to Gloucester in the round of the 2007–08 Heineken Cup. Assistant coach Steve Williams took temporary charge of the team, under Williams, Ulster had some initial success, however several defeats left them firmly rooted to the bottom of the Celtic League and out of Europe. In December, former Leinster and Scotland Head Coach Matt Williams was named Mark McCalls successor as Ulsters Head Coach. He took charge at the beginning of February 2008, but despite some improved performances, he failed to turn the season around, on 21 May 2009, Matt Williams resigned as Ulsters Head Coach after finishing 8th in the Celtic League that season
Ulster Rugby
–
Grandstand, Kingspan Stadium
Ulster Rugby
–
Ulster Rugby
21.
Ravenhill, Belfast
–
Pottinger was one of the nine district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2014. Located in the east of the city, the district elected six members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballymacarrett, Bloomfield, Orangefield, Ravenhill, The Mount, and Woodstock. The DEA was created for the 1985 local elections, when it replaced the former electoral Area A. Five of the six wards came from Area A with the Bloomfield ward added from Area B and it was abolished for the 2014 local elections, when all of its wards except Orangefield formed part of a new Titanic district electoral area. The Orangefield ward became part of a new Lisnasharragh district electoral area, Belfast City Council Electoral wards of Belfast Local government in Northern Ireland Members of Belfast City Council Belfast Pottinger Belfast Pottinger Belfast Willowfield
Ravenhill, Belfast
–
New stand at the
Kingspan Stadium, home of the
Ulster Rugby team.
Ravenhill, Belfast
–
Map showing Pottinger wards within Belfast
Ravenhill, Belfast
–
Gate in the
peace line to enter the
Short Strand.
Ravenhill, Belfast
–
Ormeau Embankment along the
River Lagan.
22.
36th (Ulster) Division
–
The 36th Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitcheners New Army, formed in September 1914. The division served on the Western Front as a formation of the British Army during the Great War, the divisions insignia was the Red Hand of Ulster. The Ulster Volunteers were a unionist militia founded in 1912 to block Home Rule for Ireland, in 1913 they organised themselves into the Ulster Volunteer Force to give armed resistance to the prospective Third Home Rule Act. With a rival Irish Volunteers being formed by nationalists in response, however, the outbreak of World War I intervened, the Act was put in abeyance until after what was expected to be a short war. The 36th Division was commanded by Major-General Oliver Nugent from 1915 to 1918, the 36th Division was one of the few divisions to make significant gains on the first day on the Somme. It attacked between the Ancre and Thiepval against a known as the Schwaben Redoubt. According to military historian Martin Middlebrook, The leading battalions had been ordered out from the wood just before 7. 30am, at zero hour the British barrage lifted. Up sprang the Ulstermen and, without forming up in the adopted by other divisions. By a combination of tactics and Ulster dash, the prize that eluded so many. During the Battle of the Somme the Ulster Division was the division of X Corps to have achieved its objectives on the opening day of the battle. This came at a price, with the division suffering in two days of fighting 5,500 officers and enlisted men killed, wounded or missing. War correspondent Philip Gibbs said of the Division, Their attack was one of the finest displays of courage in the world. Of nine Victoria Crosses given to British forces in the battle, Thiepval – Somme Thiepval, as a battle memorial, commemorates the 1916 Anglo-French offensive on the Somme. It pays tribute and respect for those who died where it stands and is the biggest British war memorial to the missing of The Western Front and it was built in the late 1920s to early 1930s. The 36th Ulster Divisions sector of the Somme lay astride the valley of the river Ancre. Their task was to cross the ridge and take the German second line near Grandcourt, in their path lay not only the German front line, but just beyond it, the intermediate line within which was the Schwaben Redoubt. To their left flank was the 29th Division, which included the Newfoundlanders, for them in less than half an hour it was all over,801 men went into action and on the unwounded name call next day, only 68 answered. To their right flank was the 32nd Division, including the Grimsby Chums, prior to the attack at 07,28 a large mine was exploded beneath the German line, the Chums would then attack at 07,30
36th (Ulster) Division
–
An arch in the
Shankill Road area of Belfast commemorating the 36th Ulster Division.
36th (Ulster) Division
–
Ulster Tower, Thiepval
36th (Ulster) Division
–
Guildhall Derry stained-glass window which commemorates the Three Irish Divisions, left the 36th, right the 10th and 16th
36th (Ulster) Division
–
Peace Park,
Messines
23.
T. F. O. Rippingham
–
Thomas Francis Ord Rippingham was an English-born architect who spent most of his professional life in the British civil service in Northern Ireland. Rip was born at 51 Kendal Road, Deritend, Aston, Birmingham, England, and was educated at St. Phillips Grammar School, Edgbaston, which was situated along side Cardinal Newmans Oratory in Birmingham. After he left St. Phillips he was an articled pupil, hill Parker, ARIBA, of The Avenue, Worcester, England. Rip enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 2 March 1916 and was called up for service in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on 1 November 1916, Regimental No.024526. He served in the R. A. O. C. for three years and four months, with three years and two months “in the field” in France and at the Somme in WW1. On 30 March 1920 he was transferred from the R. A. O. C, O. A. S. to the Army Reserve, Middlesex Regiment with the rank of Sergeant. Thomas Francis Ord Rippingham worked on projects and designs which have become part of the Northern Irish landscape. Buildings for the service in Northern Ireland, in, Banbridge, Bangor, Belfast, Holywood. Petty Sessions Court House, Chichester Street, Belfast, other buildings in Northern Ireland include, a public primary school in the Cregagh Estate. An estate of houses for the Admiralty, Antrim, housing for power station workers, Ballylumford. A small war memorial monument, Belfast City Hall, the conservation of Hillsborough Castle, Hillsborough. The restoration of Carrickfergus Castle, Carrickfergus
T. F. O. Rippingham
–
The main building, Stranmillis University College, May 2010
T. F. O. Rippingham
–
Saintfield Police station - the Rippingham building is almost hidden by modern defensive walls
T. F. O. Rippingham
–
Dromara Police station
T. F. O. Rippingham
–
Cregagh Housing Estate in South East
Belfast
24.
Protestant
–
Protestantism is a form of Christianity which originated with the Reformation, a movement against what its followers considered to be errors in the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the three divisions of Christendom, together with Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. The term derives from the letter of protestation from German Lutheran princes in 1529 against an edict of the Diet of Speyer condemning the teachings of Martin Luther as heretical. Although there were earlier breaks from or attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church—notably by Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, Protestants reject the notion of papal supremacy and deny the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, but disagree among themselves regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Five solae summarize the reformers basic differences in theological beliefs, in the 16th century, Lutheranism spread from Germany into Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states, and Iceland. Reformed churches were founded in Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland and France by such reformers as John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, the political separation of the Church of England from Rome under King Henry VIII brought England and Wales into this broad Reformation movement. Protestants developed their own culture, which made major contributions in education, the humanities and sciences, the political and social order, the economy and the arts, some Protestant denominations do have a worldwide scope and distribution of membership, while others are confined to a single country. A majority of Protestants are members of a handful of families, Adventism, Anglicanism, Baptist churches, Reformed churches, Lutheranism, Methodism. Nondenominational, evangelical, charismatic, independent and other churches are on the rise, and constitute a significant part of Protestant Christianity. Six princes of the Holy Roman Empire and rulers of fourteen Imperial Free Cities, the edict reversed concessions made to the Lutherans with the approval of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V three years earlier. During the Reformation, the term was used outside of the German politics. The word evangelical, which refers to the gospel, was more widely used for those involved in the religious movement. Nowadays, this word is still preferred among some of the historical Protestant denominations in the Lutheran and Calvinist traditions in Europe, above all the term is used by Protestant bodies in the German-speaking area, such as the EKD. In continental Europe, an Evangelical is either a Lutheran or a Calvinist, the German word evangelisch means Protestant, and is different from the German evangelikal, which refers to churches shaped by Evangelicalism. The English word evangelical usually refers to Evangelical Protestant churches, and it traces its roots back to the Puritans in England, where Evangelicalism originated, and then was brought to the United States. Protestantism as a term is now used in contradistinction to the other major Christian traditions, i. e. Roman Catholicism. Initially, Protestant became a term to mean any adherent to the Reformation movement in Germany and was taken up by Lutherans. Even though Martin Luther himself insisted on Christian or Evangelical as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ, French and Swiss Protestants preferred the word reformed, which became a popular, neutral and alternative name for Calvinists
Protestant
–
(
The Ninety-Five Theses)
Protestant
–
The Memorial Church in
Speyer, Germany
Protestant
–
Key figures of the Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther and John Calvin depicted on a church
pulpit. These reformers emphasised preaching and made it a centerpiece of worship.
Protestant
–
The Bible translated into
vernacular by Martin Luther. The supreme authority of
scripture is a fundamental principle of Protestantism.
25.
Catholic
–
The use of terms catholicism and catholicity is closely related to the use of term Catholic Church. The earliest evidence of the use of term is the Letter to the Smyrnaeans that Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about 108 to Christians in Smyrna. In 380, Emperor Theodosius I limited use of the term Catholic Christian exclusively to those who followed the faith as Pope Damasus I of Rome. Numerous other early writers including Cyril of Jerusalem, Augustine of Hippo further developed the use of the term catholic in relation to Christianity. In Christian theology, and specially in ecclesiology, terms Catholicism, when used with small c, terms catholicism and catholicity generally designate theological doctrine of the catholicity of the Church without denominational connotations. A common belief in Catholicism is institutional continuity with the early Christian church founded by Jesus Christ, many churches or communions of churches identify singularly or collectively as the authentic church. The Bishop of Rome was also considered to have the right to convene ecumenical councils, when the Imperial capital moved to Constantinople, Romes influence was sometimes challenged. The first great rupture in the Church followed this Council and they are often called Ancient Oriental Churches. The next major break was after the Council of Chalcedon and this Council repudiated Eutychian Monophysitism which stated that the divine nature completely subsumed the human nature in Christ. This Council declared that Christ, though one person, exhibited two natures without confusion, without change, without division, without separation and thus is both fully God and fully human, the next great rift within Christianity was in the 11th century. This division between the Western Church and the Eastern Church is called the East–West Schism, several eastern churches reunited, constituting some of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Liturgical and canonical practices vary between all these particular Churches constituting the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches, in all these cases the beliefs and practices of Catholicism would be identical with the beliefs and practices of the Church in question. However, in Roman Catholicism, the term catholic is understood as to cover those who recognize and are in standing with the Magisterium. The sense given to the word by those who use it to distinguish their position from a Calvinistic or Puritan form of Protestantism. It is then meaningful to attempt to draw up a list of common characteristic beliefs, the Roman Catholic Church includes the 23 rites who recognize the Magisterium. Belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the belief that Christ is made manifest in the elements of Holy Communion, possession of the threefold ordained ministry of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. Belief that the Church is the vessel and deposit of the fullness of the teachings of Jesus and this teaching is preserved in both written scripture and in unwritten tradition, neither being independent of the other. A belief in the necessity and efficacy of sacraments, liturgical and personal use of the Sign of the Cross The use of sacred images, candles, vestments and music, and often incense and water, in worship
Catholic
–
Ruins of gothic Catholic church in
Liptovská Mara (
Slovakia).
Catholic
–
Ancient statue of
Saint Peter in the Basilica dedicated to him in the
Vatican.
Catholic
–
An
Italian priest during the sacrament of
Baptism
26.
Ulster Defence Association
–
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during the Troubles, for most of this time it was a legal organisation. Its declared goal was to defend Ulster Protestant loyalist areas and to combat Irish republicanism, in the 1970s, uniformed UDA members openly patrolled these areas armed with batons and held large marches and rallies. Within the UDA was a group tasked with launching paramilitary attacks, the British government outlawed the UFF in November 1973, but the UDA itself was not proscribed as a terrorist group until August 1992. The UDA/UFF was responsible for more than 400 deaths, the vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, killed at random, in what the group called retaliation for IRA actions or attacks on Protestants. High-profile attacks carried out by the group include the Milltown massacre, the Sean Graham bookmakers shooting, the Castlerock killings, most of its attacks were in Northern Ireland, but from 1972 onward it also carried out bombings in the Republic of Ireland. The UDA/UFF declared a ceasefire in 1994 and ended its campaign in 2007, the other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Volunteer Force. All three groups are Proscribed Organisations in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Ulster Defence Association emerged from a series of meetings during the middle of 1971 of loyalist vigilante groups called defence associations. The largest of these were the Shankill and Woodvale Defence Associations, with groups based in East Belfast. The first meeting was chaired by Billy Hull, with Alan Moon as its vice-chair, Moon was quickly replaced by Jim Anderson and had left the organisation by the time of its formal launch in September. Its most prominent early spokesperson was Tommy Herron, however, Andy Tyrie would emerge as soon after. Its original motto was Cedenta Arma Togae and it was an organisation until it was banned by the British Government on 10 August 1992. At its peak of strength it held around forty thousand members, the UDA enforced this general strike through widespread intimidation across Northern Ireland. The strike was led by VUPP Assemblyman and UDA member, Glenn Barr, the UDA were often referred to as Wombles by their rivals, mainly the Ulster Volunteer Force. The name is derived from the fictional creatures The Wombles. Its headquarters is in Gawn Street, off the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, and its current motto is Quis Separabit, the UDA had several womens units, which acted independent of each other. Although they occasionally helped man roadblocks, the units were typically involved in local community work and responsible for the assembly. This was a source of pride for the UDA, the first womens unit was founded on the Shankill Road by Wendy Bucket Millar, whose sons Herbie and James Sham Millar would later become prominent UDA members
Ulster Defence Association
–
UDA members marching through Belfast city centre in a massive show of strength, summer 1972
Ulster Defence Association
–
Above: UDA emblem Below: UDA flag
Ulster Defence Association
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Masked and armed UDA members at a show of strength in Belfast
Ulster Defence Association
–
A UFF mural in the
Kilcooley estate near
Bangor
27.
Tartan gangs
–
The Ulster Young Militants are considered to be the youth wing of the Ulster Defence Association, an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the formed in 1974 when the Troubles were at their height. Their motto is Terrae Filius, Latin for Son of the Land and their numbers are unknown, but are mainly concentrated in the Belfast area, particularly east and south Belfast. The UYM had its origins in the Tartan Gangs of the early 1970s, unofficial loyalist street gangs who gained their name from the tartan scarves, the tartan was said to commemorate the 1971 Scottish soldiers killings by the Provisional IRA. These gangs included The Shankill Young Tartan, Ardcarn Boot Boys, Ballybeen Riot Squad, in East Belfast, some Tartan Gang members known to John McKeague formed the basis of the Red Hand Commando when he established that group in 1972. During the Ulster Workers Council strike of 1974, Tartan Gangs roamed the streets of Belfast, the Tartans would form the first of three major youth subcultures that formed the basis of the UYM, the others being skinheads in the early 1980s and spides in the 1990s. Although the exact date of establishment of the UYM as an official group attached to the UDA is unknown it is estimated to have been around 1974. Adair and a number of friends, including Sam McCrory, joined the UYM as a group in 1987, in recent times members have been involved in rioting, particularly during the marching season and at interface areas. The group was active in this respect in the Tigers Bay area. They have also blamed for arson attacks on Catholic schools. In 1999 the UYM was behind over 230 pipe bomb attacks in the UDA South East Antrim Brigade area alone, according to the University of Ulsters CAIN Project, the group have been responsible for one death during the conflict. In 2001 members of the UYM attacked and killed Trevor Lowry in Newtownabbey and it was later discovered that Lowry was a Protestant. Fianna Éireann Young Citizen Volunteers Notes Bibliography McDonald, Henry and Cusack, UDA, Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror, Penguin Ireland,2004 Taylor, Peter. Loyalists London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.1999 Wood, Ian S. Crimes of Loyalty, A History of the UDA, Edinburgh University Press,2006
Tartan gangs
–
UYM
mural on "Ulster's Freedom Corner",
Newtownards Road, Belfast
28.
Ulster Young Militants
–
The Ulster Young Militants are considered to be the youth wing of the Ulster Defence Association, an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the formed in 1974 when the Troubles were at their height. Their motto is Terrae Filius, Latin for Son of the Land and their numbers are unknown, but are mainly concentrated in the Belfast area, particularly east and south Belfast. The UYM had its origins in the Tartan Gangs of the early 1970s, unofficial loyalist street gangs who gained their name from the tartan scarves, the tartan was said to commemorate the 1971 Scottish soldiers killings by the Provisional IRA. These gangs included The Shankill Young Tartan, Ardcarn Boot Boys, Ballybeen Riot Squad, in East Belfast, some Tartan Gang members known to John McKeague formed the basis of the Red Hand Commando when he established that group in 1972. During the Ulster Workers Council strike of 1974, Tartan Gangs roamed the streets of Belfast, the Tartans would form the first of three major youth subcultures that formed the basis of the UYM, the others being skinheads in the early 1980s and spides in the 1990s. Although the exact date of establishment of the UYM as an official group attached to the UDA is unknown it is estimated to have been around 1974. Adair and a number of friends, including Sam McCrory, joined the UYM as a group in 1987, in recent times members have been involved in rioting, particularly during the marching season and at interface areas. The group was active in this respect in the Tigers Bay area. They have also blamed for arson attacks on Catholic schools. In 1999 the UYM was behind over 230 pipe bomb attacks in the UDA South East Antrim Brigade area alone, according to the University of Ulsters CAIN Project, the group have been responsible for one death during the conflict. In 2001 members of the UYM attacked and killed Trevor Lowry in Newtownabbey and it was later discovered that Lowry was a Protestant. Fianna Éireann Young Citizen Volunteers Notes Bibliography McDonald, Henry and Cusack, UDA, Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror, Penguin Ireland,2004 Taylor, Peter. Loyalists London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.1999 Wood, Ian S. Crimes of Loyalty, A History of the UDA, Edinburgh University Press,2006
Ulster Young Militants
–
UYM
mural on "Ulster's Freedom Corner",
Newtownards Road, Belfast
29.
Victoria Cross
–
The Victoria Cross is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry in the face of the enemy to members of the British armed forces and it was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857 and these investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace. The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War, since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals,11 to members of the British Army, the traditional explanation of the source of the metal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Some research has suggested a variety of origins for the material, research has established that the metal for most of the medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannons that were captured from the Russians in 1855. Owing to its rarity, the VC is highly prized and the medal has fetched over £400,000 at auction, a number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft, amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all VCs awarded, following a 2008 donation to the Imperial War Museum, the Ashcroft collection went on public display alongside the museums Victoria and George Cross collection in November 2010. These are unique awards of honours system, recommended, assessed, gazetted and presented by each country. In 1854, after 39 years of peace, Britain found itself fighting a war against Russia. The Crimean War was one of the first wars with modern reporting, before the Crimean War, there was no official standardised system for recognition of gallantry within the British armed forces. This structure was limited, in practice awards of the Order of the Bath were confined to officers of field rank. Brevet promotions or Mentions in Despatches were largely confined to those who were under the notice of the commanders in the field. Other European countries had awards that did not discriminate against class or rank, France awarded the Légion dhonneur and The Netherlands gave the Order of William. There was a feeling among the public and in the Royal Court that a new award was needed to recognise incidents of gallantry that were unconnected with a mans lengthy or meritorious service. Queen Victoria issued a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual on 29 January 1856 that officially constituted the VC, the order was backdated to 1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War. Queen Victoria had instructed the War Office to strike a new medal that would not recognise birth or class, the medal was meant to be a simple decoration that would be highly prized and eagerly sought after by those in the military services
Victoria Cross
–
The front and back of
Edward Holland 's VC.
Victoria Cross
–
Obverse of the cross. Ribbon: 1½" (38 mm), crimson (blue ribbon for naval awards 1856–1918).
Victoria Cross
–
The obverse of
William Johnstone's VC showing the dark blue ribbon for pre-1918 awards to naval personnel.
Victoria Cross
–
Victoria Cross as it appears on
Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones.
30.
Eric Norman Frankland Bell
–
Bell was born on 28 August 1895 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, present-day Northern Ireland, to Captain E. H. Bell. He was in command of a Trench Mortar Battery, and advanced with the Infantry in the attack, when our front line was hung up by enfilading machine gun fire Captain Bell crept forward and shot the machine gunner. Later, on no less than three occasions, when our bombing parties, which were clearing the enemys trenches, were unable to advance, he went forward alone and threw Trench Mortar bombs among the enemy. When he had no more bombs available he stood on the parapet, under intense fire, finally he was killed rallying and reorganising infantry parties which had lost their officers. All this was outside the scope of his duties with his battery. He gave his life in his devotion to duty. The Victoria Cross awarded to Bell was held by members of his family since it was awarded, air Marshal Sir Richard Bolt, stepson of the owner of the Cross, offered the cross to the Royal Irish Regiment. It was presented to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Museum in February 2001 The Register of the Victoria Cross Clark, a register of awards to Irish-born officers and men. Irelands VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 Monuments to Courage Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross Burial location of Eric Bell No known grave, name of the Thiepval Memorial, France Liverpool Institute Association
Eric Norman Frankland Bell
–
Eric Norman Frankland Bell
