1.
Irish-language
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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
2.
Vernacular
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Some linguists use vernacular and nonstandard dialect as synonyms. The use of vernacular is not recent, here vernacular, mother language and dialect are already in use in a modern sense. The figurative meaning was broadened from the diminutive extended words vernaculus, varro, the classical Latin grammarian, used the term vocabula vernacula, termes de la langue nationale or vocabulary of the national language as opposed to foreign words. In general linguistics, a vernacular is contrasted with a lingua franca, for instance, in Western Europe until the 17th century, most scholarly works had been written in Latin, which was serving as a lingua franca. Works written in Romance languages are said to be in the vernacular, the Divina Commedia, the Cantar de Mio Cid, and The Song of Roland are examples of early vernacular literature in Italian, Spanish, and French, respectively. In Europe, Latin was used instead of vernacular languages in varying forms until c. 1701, in its latter stage as New Latin, in Catholicism, vernacular bibles were later provided, but Latin was used at Tridentine Mass until the Second Vatican Council of 1965. Certain groups, notably Traditionalist Catholics, continue to practice Latin Mass, in India, the 12th century Bhakti movement led to the translation of Sanskrit texts to the vernacular. In science, a user of the vernacular was Galileo. 1600, though some of his works remained in Latin, a later example is Isaac Newton, whose 1687 Principia was in Latin, but whose 1704 Opticks was in English. Latin continues to be used in fields of science, notably binomial nomenclature in biology, while other fields such as mathematics use vernacular. In diplomacy, French displaced Latin in Europe in the 1710s, certain languages have both a classical form and various vernacular forms, with two widely used examples being Arabic and Chinese, see Varieties of Arabic and Chinese language. In the 1920s, due to the May Fourth Movement, Classical Chinese was replaced by written vernacular Chinese, the vernacular is also often contrasted with a liturgical language, a specialized use of a former lingua franca. Similarly, in Hindu culture, traditionally religious or scholarly works were written in Sanskrit or in Tamil in Tamil country. With the rise of the movement from the 12th century onwards, religious works were created in the other languages, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu. These circumstances are a contrast between a vernacular and language variant used by the same speakers, according to one school of linguistic thought, all such variants are examples of a linguistic phenomenon termed diglossia. In it, the language is bifurcated, i. e. the speaker learns two forms of the language and ordinarily uses one but under special circumstances the other. The one most frequently used is the low variant, equivalent to the vernacular, the concept was introduced to linguistics by Charles A. Ferguson, but Ferguson explicitly excluded variants as divergent as dialects or different languages or as similar as styles or registers
3.
Irish Free State
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The Irish Free State was an independent state established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. That treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the forces of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic, the Irish Republican Army, and British Crown forces, the Free State was established as a Dominion of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It comprised 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland, which comprised the remaining six counties, exercised its right under the Treaty to opt out of the new state. W. T. Cosgrave, who had led both of these governments since August 1922, became the first President of the Executive Council, the legislature consisted of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, also known as the Senate. Members of the Dáil were required to take an Oath of Allegiance, the oath was a key issue for opponents of the Treaty, who refused to take the oath and therefore did not take their seats. Pro-Treaty members, who formed Cumann na nGaedheal in 1923, held a majority in the Dáil from 1922 to 1927. In the first months of the Free State, the Irish Civil War was waged between the newly established National Army and the anti-Treaty IRA, who refused to recognise the state. The Civil War ended in victory for the government forces, with the anti-Treaty forces dumping its arms in May 1923, the anti-Treaty political party, Sinn Féin, refused to take its seats in the Dáil, leaving the relatively small Labour Party as the only opposition party. In 1926, when Sinn Féin president Éamon de Valera failed to have this policy reversed, he resigned from Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil entered the Dáil following the 1927 general election, and entered government after the Irish general election,1932, when it became the largest party. De Valera abolished the Oath of Allegiance and embarked on a war with Britain. In 1937 he drafted a new constitution, which was passed by a referendum in July of that year, the Free State came to an end with the coming into force of the new constitution on 29 December 1937. Under the new constitution the Irish state was named Ireland, meanwhile, opposition increased to Irelands participation in World War I in Europe and the Middle East. This came about when the Irish Parliamentary Party supported the Allied cause in World War I in response to the passing of the Third Home Rule Bill in 1914. Many people had begun to doubt whether the Bill, passed by Westminster in September 1914 but suspended for the duration of the war, Sinn Féin, the Irish Party and all other Nationalist elements joined forces in opposition to the idea during the Conscription Crisis of 1918. At the same time the Irish Parliamentary lost in support on account of the crisis, Irish republicans felt further emboldened by successful anti-monarchical revolutions in the Russian Empire, the German Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Sinn Féin party, founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905, had espoused non-violent separatism, under Éamon de Valeras leadership from 1917, it campaigned aggressively and militantly for an Irish republic. On 21 January 1919, Sinn Féin MPs, refusing to sit at Westminster, assembled in Dublin and it affirmed the formation of an Irish Republic and passed a Declaration of Independence, the irish people is resolved. To promote the common weal, to re-establish justice, with equal rights and equal opportunity for every citizen
4.
Gaelic revival
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The Gaelic revival was the late-nineteenth-century national revival of interest in the Irish language and Irish Gaelic culture. Irish had diminished as a tongue, remaining the main daily language only in isolated rural areas. Interest in Gaelic culture was evident in the middle of the century in the scholarly works of John ODonovan and Eugene OCurry. Concern for spoken Irish led to the formation of the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language in 1877, the latter produced the Gaelic Journal. Irish sports were fostered by the Gaelic Athletics Association, founded in 1884, the Gaelic League was established in 1893 by Eoin MacNeill and other enthusiasts of Gaelic language and culture. Its first president was Douglas Hyde, the objective of the League was to encourage the use of Irish in everyday life in order to counter the ongoing anglicisation of the country. The League grew quickly, having more than 400 branches within four years of its foundation and it had fraught relationships with other cultural movements of the time, such as the Pan-Celtic movement and the Irish Literary Revival. Important writers of the Gaelic revival include Peadar Ua Laoghaire, Patrick Pearse, early pioneers of Irish scholarship were John ODonovan, Eugene OCurry and George Petrie, ODonovan and OCurry found an outlet for their work in the Archaeological Society, founded in 1840. The Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language was formed in 1877 by, among others, George Sigerson, in 1882 the Gaelic Union began publication of a monthly journal, the Gaelic Journal. Its first editor was David Comyn, he was followed by John Fleming, a prominent Irish scholar, in November 1892 Douglas Hyde gave a lecture to the National Literary Society entitled The Necessity for De-Anglicising Ireland. He said that the Irish people had become almost completely anglicised, the Gaelic League was founded on 31 July 1893. Hyde was elected president, MacNeill secretary, and Lloyd treasurer, the Gaelic League held weekly meetings that were a combination of classes and conversation. Within months it had branches in Cork and Galway, after four years it had 43 branches, and after ten years more than 400. The League took over the Gaelic Journal in 1894, when OGrowney retired as editor, in January 1898 it began publication of a weekly newspaper, Fáinne an Lae. In March of the year, following a dispute with the owner. In 1901 MacNeill was replaced as editor by Eoghan Ó Neachtain, the League also concerned itself with the folk music of Ireland, and was involved in the movement which led to the organisation of the Feis Ceoil by Annie Patterson in 1897. The Leagues relations with contemporary cultural movements were strained, and sometimes hostile, pan-Celticism was viewed with suspicion by many members because its leaders in Ireland, especially Lord Castletown, were closely associated with the Irish establishment. The Irish Literary Revival was denounced because its works were written in English, not Irish, Eoin MacNeill wrote, Let them write for the English-speaking world or the English-speaking race if they will
5.
County Donegal
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County Donegal is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland and is in the province of Ulster and it is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. Donegal County Council is the council for the county and Lifford serves as the county town. The population of the county is 158,755 according to the 2016 census and it has also been known as Tyrconnell, after the historic territory of the same name. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster, uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. The greater part of its border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of 19,588, Letterkenny and the nearby city of Derry form the main economic axis of the northwest of Ireland. Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610, there are two Gaeltacht districts in the west, The Rosses, centred on the town of Dungloe, and Gweedore. Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west, Cloughaneely, centred on the town of Falcarragh, the most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas of outstanding natural beauty, Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. The main population centre of Inishowen, Irelands largest peninsula, is Buncrana, in the east of the county lies the Finn Valley. The Laggan district is centred on the town of Raphoe, according to the 1841 Census, County Donegal had a population of 296,000 people. As a result of famine and emigration, the population had reduced by 41,000 by 1851, by the time of the 1951 Census the population was only 44% of what it had been in 1841. The 2006 Census, undertaken by the States Central Statistics Office, had County Donegals population standing at 147,264, according to the 2011 Census, the countys population had grown to 161,137. It has an indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. The Slieve League cliffs are the sixth-highest sea cliffs in Europe, the climate is temperate and dominated by the Gulf Stream, with warm, damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands, Arranmore and Tory Island, lie off the coast, Irelands second longest river, the Erne, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce hydroelectric power, the River Foyle separates part of County Donegal from parts of both counties Londonderry and Tyrone. A survey of the marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003
6.
County Galway
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County Galway is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, it is part of the province of Connacht and is named after the city of Galway, there are several Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county. The population of the county is 258,552 according to the 2016 census, while it is named after the city of Galway, a different authority governs that territory. The county proper is administered by Galway County Council, the first inhabitants in the Galway area arrived over 7000 years ago. Shell middens indicate the existence of people as early as 5000 BC, the county originally comprised several kingdoms and territories which predate the formation of the county. These kingdoms included Aidhne, Uí Maine, Maigh Seóla, Conmhaícne Mara, Soghain, County Galway became an official entity around 1569 AD. In modern times, a number of inhabited islands are administered by the county. With the arrival of Christianity many monasteries were built in the county, monasteries kept written records of events in the area and of its people. These were followed by a number of law-tracts, genealogies, annals, extant manuscripts containing references to Galway include, Nearly 20% of the population of County Galway live in the Gaeltacht. County Galway is home to the largest Gaeltacht Irish-speaking region in Ireland, there are over 48,907 people living within this region which extends from Galway city westwards through Connemara. The region consists of the following Irish speaking areas, Galway City Gaeltacht, Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige, Conamara Theas, Aran Islands, all schools within the Gaeltacht use the Irish language for classroom instruction. There is also a constituent college of NUIG called Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in Carraroe. Spiddal is the largest town in the region, Galway city is also home to Irelands only Irish-language theatre Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. There is a strong Irish-language media presence in this area too, the Aran Islands are also part of the Galway Gaeltacht. There are about 30,000 -40,000 Irish speakers in County Galway, there are 3,006 attending the ten Gaelscoil and three Gaelcholáiste outside of the Galway Gaeltacht. According to the Irish Census 2006 there are 10,788 in the county who identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside of the education system. Prior to the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, the county was a whole despite the presence of two local authorities. Since that time, the administrative re-organisation has reduced the extent of the county by the extent of the area under the jurisdiction of Galway City Council
7.
County Mayo
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County Mayo is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, it is part of the province of Connacht and is named after the village of Mayo, Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 130,638 at the 2011 census, the boundaries of the county, which was formed in 1585, reflect the Mac William Íochtar lordship at that time. It is bounded on the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by County Galway, the east by County Roscommon, Mayo is the third-largest of Irelands 32 counties in area and 15th largest in terms of population. It is the second-largest of Connacht’s five counties in size and population. There is a distinct difference between the west and the east of the county. The west consists largely of poor subsoils and is covered with areas of extensive Atlantic blanket bog. Agricultural land is more productive in the east than in the west. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001, the County is divided into four municipal areas Castlebar, Ballina, Claremorris and West. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, the county town is at Áras an Contae in Castlebar the main population centre located in the centre of the county. For national elections half of the Claremorris Municipal District is in Galway West, murrisk south west containing Westport, Louisburgh, Croagh Patrick etc. These are followed by Westport, which has 5,543 residents and Claremorris, a survey of the terrestrial and freshwater algae of Clare Island was made between 1990 and 2005 and published in 2007. A record of Gunnera tinctoria is also noted, consultants working for the Corrib gas project have carried out extensive surveys of wildlife flora and fauna in Kilcommon Parish, Erris between 2002 and 2009. This information is published in the Corrib Gas Proposal Environmental impact statements 2009 and 2010, County Mayo has a long history and prehistory. At Belderrig on the north Mayo coast, there is evidence for Mesolithic communities around 4500 cal, BC. while throughout the county there is a wealth of archaeological remains from the Neolithic period, particularly in terms of megalithic tombs and ritual stone circles. The first people who came to Ireland – mainly to areas as the interior was heavily forested – arrived during the Middle Stone Age. Artefacts of hunter/gatherers are sometimes found in middens, rubbish pits around hearths where people would have rested and cooked over open fires. Once cliffs erode, midden-remains become exposed as blackened areas containing charred stones, bones and they are usually found a metre below the surface
8.
County Kerry
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County Kerry is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county, Kerry County Council is the local authority for the county and Tralee serves as the county town. The population of the county was 147,554 in 2016, Kerry is the fifth-largest of the 32 counties of Ireland by area and the 15th-largest by population. It is the second-largest of Munsters six counties by area, uniquely, it is bordered by only two other counties, County Limerick to the east and County Cork to the south-east. The diocesan see is Killarney, which is one of Irelands most famous tourist destinations, the Lakes of Killarney, an area of outstanding natural beauty are located in Killarney National Park. The tip of the Dingle Peninsula is the most westerly point of Ireland, there are nine historic baronies in the county. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, the county is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by the River Shannon. Just off the coast are a number of islands, including the Blasket Islands, Valentia Island, skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site, famous for the medieval monastery clinging to the islands cliffs. The county contains the extreme west point of Ireland, Dunmore Head on the Dingle Peninsula, or including islands, Tearaght Island, the most westerly inhabited area of Ireland is Dún Chaoin, on the Dingle Peninsula. The River Feale, the River Laune and the Roughty River flow through Kerry, the North Atlantic Current, part of the Gulf Stream, flows north past Kerry and the west coast of Ireland, resulting in milder temperatures than would otherwise be expected at the 52 North latitude. This means that plants such as the strawberry tree and tree ferns, not normally found in northern Europe. Because of the area and the prevailing southwesterly winds, Kerry is among the regions with the highest rainfall in Ireland. Owing to its location, there has been a reporting station on Valentia for many centuries. The Irish record for rainfall in one day is 243.5 mm, in 1986 the remnants of Hurricane Charley crossed over Kerry as an extratropical storm causing extensive rainfall, flooding and damage. Kerry means the people of Ciar which was the name of the tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich, in Old Irish Ciar meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective describing a dark complexion
9.
County Waterford
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County Waterford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is located in the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Waterford, which is derived from the Old Norse name Veðrafjǫrðr or Vedrarfjord, there is an Irish-speaking area, Gaeltacht na nDéise in the south-west of the county. Waterford City and County Council is the authority for the county. The population of the county at large, including the city, is 113,795 according to the 2011 census, County Waterford has two mountain ranges, the Knockmealdown Mountains and the Comeragh Mountains. The highest point in the county is Knockmealdown, at 794m and it also has many rivers, including Irelands third longest river, the River Suir, and Irelands fourth longest river, the Munster Blackwater. There are over 30 beaches along Waterfords volcanic coast line, a large stretch of this coastline, known as the Copper Coast has been designated as a UNESCO Geopark, a place of great geological importance. The area around Ring is a Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking area, Waterford City is the county seat, prior to the merger of the 2 Waterford authorities in June 2014 Dungarvan was the county seat for Waterford County Council. There are eight historic baronies in the county, Coshmore and Coshbride, Decies-within-Drum, Decies-without-Drum, Gaultiere, Glenahiry, some time between the 4th and 8th centuries, a tribe of native Gaelic people called the Déisi were driven from southern county Meath/north Kildare, conquering and settled there. The ancient principality of the Déise is today roughly coterminous with the current Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford, the westernmost of the baronies are Decies within Drum and Decies without Drum, separated by the Drum-Fineen hills. There are many tombs and ogham stones in the county. The Viking influence can still be seen with Reginalds Tower, one of the first buildings to use a brick, woodstown, a settlement dating to the 9th Century was discovered 5.5 kilometres west of Waterford city. It was the largest settlement outside of Scandinavia and the only large-scale 9th Century Viking settlement discovered to date in Western Europe, other architectural features are products of the Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland and its effects. As of 1 June 2014, Waterford City and County Council is the government authority for Waterford. The authority was formed following the merger of Waterford City Council, the merger occurred following the Local Government Reform Act 2014. Each local authority ranks equally as first level administrative units of the NUTS3 South-East Region for Eurostat purposes. There are 31 LAU1 entities in the Republic of Ireland, the local authority is responsible for certain local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, the collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing. The county is part of the South constituency for the purposes of European elections, for elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is part of two constituencies, Waterford and Tipperary South
10.
Cloghane
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An Clochán is a village and townland on the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland, at the foot of Mount Brandon. In 1974 the village was added to the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht and it has a population of 297. Cloghane and Brandon are jointly twinned with the village of Plozévet in Brittany, the village is set at the foot of Mount Brandon, on the north of the Dingle Peninsula and overlooking Brandon Bay. List of towns and villages in Ireland
11.
Brandon, County Kerry
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Cé Bhréannain or Bréanainn is a Gaeltacht village on the northern coast of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. It lies directly north of Dingle, at the foot of Mount Brandon and on the shores of Brandon Bay, the ancient Celtic harvest festival, a pre-Christian celebration called Féile Lughnasa, takes place yearly in the village and surrounding area on the last Sunday of July. Brandon Bay is one of the top windsurfing locations in Ireland, host of three PWA professional wave sailing events in 2000,2001 and 2002, it is home to several windsurfing schools catering to all levels from beginner to advanced. The Maharees, a peninsula between Brandon Bay and Tralee Bay, is where most windsurfing activity is based. Great locations include Sandy Bay for beginners, Scraggane Bay for intermediates on flat water, surfing is also growing quickly in the Maharees, with wave conditions as big as anything in Ireland. Cloghane and Brandon are jointly twinned with the village of Plozévet in France, list of towns and villages in Ireland
12.
County Meath
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County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Mid-East Region and it is named after the historic Kingdom of Meath. Meath County Council is the authority for the county. The population of the county is 194,942 according to the 2016 census, the county is drained by the River Boyne. Meath is the 14th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and it is the second largest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and third largest in terms of population. The county town is Navan, where the county hall and government are located, although Trim, County Meath also has the only two Gaeltacht areas in the province of Leinster, at Ráth Cairn and Baile Ghib. There are eighteen historic baronies in the county and they include the baronies of Morgallion and Ratoath. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, There are 40 elected members in Meath County Council. Fine Gael hold 13 seats, Fianna Fáil hold 10, Sinn Féin hold 8, There are 2 Dáil constituencies, Meath West and Meath East. Before, there was only one constituency, the two current constituencies are within the borders of the county. The constituencies also include part of the county of Westmeath. Together they return 6 deputies to Dáil Éireann, part of the county along the Irish Sea coast, known as East Meath which includes Julianstown and Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington are part of the Louth constituency for general elections. Fianna Fáil currently hold no seats, Fine Gael have 2 in each constituency, Labour has 1 in the East constituency, the county is colloquially known by the nickname The Royal County due to its history as the seat of the High King of Ireland. It formed from the part of the former Kingdom of Mide. The seat of the High King of Ireland was at Tara, the archaeological complex of Brú na Bóinne is 5,000 years old and includes the burial sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, in the north-east of the county. It is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, the Hill of Tara, an ancient historical site. Castles at Trim, Slane, Dunsany, Killeen, religious ruins at Trim, Bective, Slane, Dunsany, Skryne
13.
NUI Galway
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NUI Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. It is located in Irelands westerly city of Galway, a tertiary-level educational institution, it is ranked among the top 2 per cent of universities in the world. The University is ranked #249 in the 2016 QS World University Rankings and has also been awarded the full five QS stars for excellence. The university was founded in 1845 as Queens College, Galway, alumni include the incumbent Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Enda Kenny and Michael D. Higgins respectively, as well as numerous other prominent politicians. Other leading figures in Irish official life to have been educated here include Attorney General Máire Whelan and Comptroller, NUI Galway is a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of 40 long-established European universities. The university opened for teaching in 1849 as Queens College, Galway with 37 professors and 91 students, a year later it became part of the Queens University of Ireland. The Irish Universities Act made this college a constituent college of the new National University of Ireland and it was given special statutory responsibility under the University College, Galway Act in respect of the use of the Irish language as the working language of the college. It retained the title of University College, Galway until the Universities Act changed it to the National University of Ireland, located close to the city centre, it stretches along the River Corrib. The oldest part of the university, the Quadrangle building with its Aula Maxima was designed by John Benjamin Keane, it is a replica of Christ Church, the stone from which it is built was supplied locally. More modern parts of the university sprang up in the 1970s and were designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker, the 1990s also saw considerable development, including the conversion of an old munitions factory into a student centre. A new Human Biology Building is under construction at present, the highly toxic substance asbestos was removed from the university grounds on 13 occasions between March 2010 and June 2014. Nelson Mandela made an appearance at the University in 2003. On what was his last visit to Ireland, Mandela condemned U. S. foreign policy, in 2008, Éamon Ó Cuív was allegedly involved in an altercation with a protesting student on the grounds of the university. Ó Cuív was Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister at the time, in 2009, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was forced to flee from a public discussion in NUI Galway after being jostled by students opposed to the planned reintroduction of college fees. Shortly afterwards, the University announced its withdrawal of support for the Students Union-run RAG week, the Students Union president said she did not believe the decision was justified, with more than €20,000 having been raised for charity in 2009. NUI Galway has also announced details of plans to make the university a campus of the future at a cost of around €400 million, details of the future plans of the University also show a Human Biology building which will incorporate Anatomy, Physiology and other human sciences areas. It formed an alliance with University of Limerick in 2010. It launched its Strategic Plan Vision 2020 in 2015, Angelas College, Sligo has been a college of the National University of Ireland, Galway, it was previously a recognised college of the National University of Ireland
14.
Traffic sign
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Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones, later, signs with directional arms were introduced, for example, the fingerposts in the United Kingdom and their wooden counterparts in Saxony. Such pictorial signs use symbols in place of words and are based on international protocols. Such signs were first developed in Europe, and have adopted by most countries to varying degrees. Traffic signs can be grouped into several types, for example, Annexe 1 of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, which on 30 June 2004 had 52 signatory countries, defines eight categories of signs, A. Special regulation signs F. Information, facilities, or service signs G. Direction, position, a rather informal distinction among the directional signs is the one between advance directional signs, interchange directional signs, and reassurance signs. Advance directional signs appear at a distance from the interchange. A number of countries do not give information for the road ahead, advance directional signs enable drivers to take precautions for the exit. They often do not appear on lesser roads, but are normally posted on expressways and motorways, while each nation has its own system, the first approach sign for a motorway exit is mostly placed at least 1000 m from the actual interchange. After that sign, one or two additional advance directional signs typically follow before the interchange itself. The earliest road signs were milestones, giving distance or direction, for example, in the Middle Ages, multidirectional signs at intersections became common, giving directions to cities and towns. In 1686, the first known Traffic Regulation Act in Europe is established by King Peter II of Portugal and this act foresees the placement of priority signs in the narrowest streets of Lisbon, stating which traffic should back up to give way. One of these still exists at Salvador street, in the neighborhood of Alfama. The first modern road signs erected on a wide scale were designed for riders of high or ordinary bicycles in the late 1870s and early 1880s. These machines were fast, silent and their nature made them difficult to control, moreover their riders travelled considerable distances, the development of automobiles encouraged more complex signage systems using more than just text-based notices. One of the first modern-day road sign systems was devised by the Italian Touring Club in 1895, by 1900, a Congress of the International League of Touring Organizations in Paris was considering proposals for standardization of road signage. In 1903 the British government introduced four national signs based on shape, in 1909, nine European governments agreed on the use of four pictorial symbols, indicating bump, curve, intersection, and grade-level railroad crossing. The intensive work on road signs that took place between 1926 and 1949 eventually led to the development of the European road sign system
15.
Yield sign
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In road transport, a yield or give way sign indicates that each driver must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. A driver who stops or slows down to let another vehicle through has yielded the right of way to that vehicle, in contrast, a stop sign requires each driver to stop completely before proceeding, even if no other traffic is present. Particular regulations regarding appearance, installation, and compliance with the signs vary by jurisdiction, while give way and yield essentially have the same meaning in this context, many countries have a clear preference of one term over the other. The following chart compiles which countries and territories use which term and this chart is based on official government usage in the English language and excludes translations from other languages. A black triangle was a symbol of stop for all vehicles since about 1925 in Germany, in the United States, the first yield sign was installed in 1950 at First Street and Columbia Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma, having been devised and designed by Tulsa police officer Clinton Riggs. Riggs invented only the sign, not the rule, which was already in place, the sign as originally conceived by Officer Riggs was shaped like a keystone, later versions bore the shape of an inverted equilateral triangle in common use today. In Australia, the Give Way sign experienced a similar evolution as its counterpart in the United States, during the 1940s and 1950s, the sign was circular and yellow. In 1964, the changed to the triangular shape and red. In the 1980s the sign adopted its design and gained a counterpart for use at roundabouts. In road signs in Ireland, the sign reads yield in most areas, though in Gaeltacht areas. Signs erected before 1997 and still in service read yield right of way, Signs 1956–62 had blank white interior or were hollow. In New Zealand, the design also used the keystone shape as in the United States. In the 1980s, the design was adopted. The United Kingdoms Road Traffic Act calls for give way signs, the road marking accompanying the sign consists of a large inverted triangle painted just before the place to give way. In Wales, the signs bear bilingual legends, the Welsh ildiwch appears above give way, in the United Kingdom, a stop or give-way sign may be preceded by an inverted, blank, triangular sign with an advisory placard such as give way 100 yards. If controlling a merge-type movement on the roadway where acceleration geometry and/or sight distance is not adequate for merging traffic operation. The second crossroad of a highway, where the median width at the intersection is 9 m or greater. In this case, a STOP sign may be installed at the entrance to the first roadway of a highway
16.
Ring, County Waterford
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Ring or Ringagonagh is a parish within the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht na nDéise area in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on a peninsula about seven miles south of Dungarvan, the main settlement is the village of Ring or Ringville, which is within the townland of Ballynagaul. There are also two fishing piers/harbours, two beaches and a cove at Helvick, Ring is an anglicisation of the Irish name An Rinn, meaning a meaning cape, point or headland. The English-language version of the name was thus officially dropped from roadsigns in 2005. However, the English-language version of the name, Ring, is widely used in Waterford. The Irish language plays an important role for people in the area, gaoluinn na nDéise - the Waterford variant of the Munster Irish dialect - is spoken by native speakers. The strongest age-group of Irish speakers is the 10-14 age category, a large number of people have moved to the area over recent decades, and as a result there is a group of people living in Ring for whom Irish is not their first language. The results for Ring were as follows, All education in Ring is carried out through the medium of Irish, there is a pre-school, Naíonra na Rinne in the local community centre, Ionad Pobail na Rinne. There is one national school, Scoil Náisiúnta na Rinne. There is one school, Meánscoil San Nioclás which services Ring, An Sean Phobal. Coláiste na Rinne is a boarding Irish medium primary school in Ring, the Coláiste operates as an Irish language summer college during the summer. During term time it accommodates fifth and sixth class students, as Coláiste na Rinne is a primary boarding school many students go on to secondary level boarding schools from here. Many of the students are accommodated by local families, many of whom speak only Irish at home. As such it is seen as a way to improve the visitors quality of spoken Irish. A new Transition Year course is also being offered for students in 2016, Coláiste na Rinne also provides Irish-language training courses for various public sector bodies and trainee teachers. Rinn Ó gCuanach CLG is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ring, the club enters teams of both GAA codes each year, which includes two adult Gaelic football teams and two adult Hurling teams in the Waterford County Championships. The club is one of a handful of clubs at senior level in the county, competing in the Senior Hurling. Community development in Ring is primarily carried out by two bodies that co-operate with each other, Comhairle Pobail na Rinne have a rial na Gaeilge which requires activities taking place in the hall to include the Irish language, and most activities are carried out in Irish only
17.
Government of Ireland
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The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in the Republic of Ireland. The structure of the Government of Ireland is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland, the Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach. The deputy prime minister is called the Tánaiste, and is nominated by the Taoiseach from among the members of the Government, the Government must consist of between seven and fifteen members, according to the Constitution of Ireland. Every member of the Government must be a member of the parliament of Ireland, no more than two members of the Government may be members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas. Therefore, all members of the Government must be members of Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance must be members of the Dáil, the 7 to 15 Members of Government are generally referred to as The Cabinet. The Taoiseach is nominated by Dáil Éireann, the house of the Oireachtas. Other members of the Government are nominated by the Taoiseach, approved by Dáil Éireann, Members of the government are often styled cabinet ministers, as opposed to Ministers of State, called junior ministers, who are not in the cabinet. A minister is usually in charge of a Department of State, occasionally a minister without portfolio is appointed who is a minister and a member of the Government but not a Minister of the Government. Non members have no voting rights at Cabinet but may participate fully and normally receive circulated Cabinet Papers on the same basis as a full member of Government. The Government is advised by the Attorney General, who is not formally a member of the Government, the Chief Whip may attend meetings of the cabinet, but is not a member of the Government. In addition, the Government can choose other Ministers of State and this person is informally known as a Super Junior Minister. The current Super Junior Ministers are Paul Kehoe and Finian McGrath, Office of the President The Office of President was established by The Constitution. The President is elected directly by the people, the term of office is 7 years and a President may not serve more than 2 terms. The President must reside in or near Dublin, st. Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle, is the venue for Inauguration ceremonies, at which each President takes an oath as provided in the Constitution. The President represents all the people when undertaking official engagements at home, the President is Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces. There have been nine different holders of the office – Michael D. Higgins is the current President. The formal powers, the President, who does not have an executive or policy role, exercises them on the advice of the Government. Additional functions can be conferred on the President by law, a special Commission acts whenever the President is absent
18.
TG4
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TG4 is an Irish public service broadcaster for Irish-language speakers. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and it is available to 98% of homes in Ireland through digital terrestrial television Saorview and is available on Virgin Media Ireland, eVision, Magnet Networks and Sky Ireland. TG4 is also available to watch live and to view previously broadcast programmes from around the world through the TG4 Player. TG4 was formerly known as Teilifís na Gaeilge or TnaG, before a campaign in 1999. TG4 was the national station to be launched in Ireland, after RTÉ One in 1961 and RTÉ Two in 1978. The channel has 650,000 viewers who tune into the channel each day to view a broad programming policy and it has been reported to have a share of 2% of the national television market in the Republic of Ireland and 3% of the national television market in Northern Ireland. The daily Irish-language programme schedule is its service, seven hours of programming in Irish supported by a wide range of material in other languages. TG4 launched its channel in 2012 on Virgin Media Ireland. TG4 TG4 HD TG4 HD launched on 2 October 2012, exclusively on UPC Ireland, the first HD broadcast featured the 2012 TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football Championship final. TG4 HD, similar to RTÉ Two HD, broadcasts mainly sporting programming from national to international events, documentaries, movies and it is anticipated that TG4 will itself start broadcasting its own programming produced in high-definition in the future. Format The channel simulcasts content from TG4 SD and upscales SD content into HD, All other content on the channel will be made available entirely in HD. In 1969, Lelia Doolan, Jack Dowling and Bob Quinn published Sit down and Be Counted, RTÉ and the Irish government had sought to improve the availability of Irish-language programming on RTÉ services. In 1972, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta was set up to provide Irish-language radio services across the country, All radio and television services provided by RTÉ provided some Irish-language programming. In 1980, a new group called Coiste ar son Teilifís Gaeltachta was set up, in 1987 they set up the pirate television station Telefís na Gaeltachta, after years of delays, including the sudden death of their technician who was to build the transmitter. Eighteen hours of live and pre-recorded programming was broadcast between 2 and 5 November 1987, the transmitter was built at a cost of IR£4,000 through donations from local Gaeltacht communities. In December 1988, further broadcasts were transmitted from three different sites, broadcasting pre-recorded programming, the movement for a national Irish-language television service continued to gain momentum afterwards. In 1989, Ciarán Ó Feinneadha, one of the members of Coiste ar son Teilifís Gaeltachta, moved to Dublin, FTN outlined their demands, A television station to be set up in the Gaeltacht regions serving the Gaeltacht and Irish speakers across the country. It should be linked to RTÉ, but independent from both editorial and organisational points of view, a special authority set up to run it with representatives from RTÉ, the Department of Communications, and Údarás na Gaeltachta
19.
Irish language
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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
20.
Ordnance Survey Ireland
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Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of Ireland. It was established in 2002 as a body corporate and it is the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland are the successors to the Irish operations of the British Ordnance Survey. OSI is part of the Irish public service, OSI has made modern and historic maps of the state free to view on its website. OSI is headquartered at Mountjoy House in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, Mountjoy House was also the headquarters, until 1922, of the Irish section of the British Ordnance Survey. Under the Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001, the Ordnance Survey of Ireland was dissolved and it employs 235 staff in the Phoenix Park and in six regional offices in Cork, Ennis, Kilkenny, Longford, Sligo and Tuam. OSI had sales of €13.3 million in 2012, the board also publishes a series of 1,50000 maps of the entire island known as the Discovery Series and a series of 1,25000 maps of places of interest and the Geology of Ireland. Thomas Colby, the long-serving Director-General of the Ordnance Survey in Great Britain, was the first to suggest that the Ordnance Survey be used to map Ireland. In 1824, a committee was established under the direction of Thomas Spring Rice, MP for Limerick, to oversee the foundation of an Irish Ordnance Survey. Spring Rice believed in the importance of Irish involvement in the process, but was overruled by the Duke of Wellington. Instead, the Irish Ordnance Survey was initially staffed entirely by members of the British Army, the resulting maps portrayed the country in a degree of detail never attempted before, and when the survey of the whole country was completed in 1846, it was a world first. The concrete triangulation posts built on the summits of many Irish mountains can still be seen to this day, the Royal Engineer officers in charge of the operation were Thomas Colby and Lieutenant Thomas Larcom. They were assisted by George Petrie, who headed the Surveys Topographical Department which employed the likes of John ODonovan, captain J. E. Portlock compiled extensive information on agricultural produce and natural history, particularly geology. The total cost of the Irish Survey was £860,000, the original survey was later revisited and revised maps issued on a number of occasions. All of these maps are in the public domain and while the originals can be hard to find. The British Ordnance Survey ceased to map Ireland just before the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. The new Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland officially came into existence on 1 January 1922, while the new Ordnance Survey of Ireland came into being slightly later, the OSI was initially part of the Irish Army under the Department of Defence. All staff employed were military personnel until the 1970s, when the first civilian employees were recruited, in more recent times, the Ordnance Survey of Ireland replaced traditional ground surveying with mapping based primarily on aerial photography
21.
County Cork
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County Cork is the largest and southernmost county of Ireland. It lies in the province of Munster and is named after the city of Cork, Cork County Council is the local authority for the county. Its largest settlements are Cork City, Ballincollig and Carrigaline, in 2016, the countys population was 542,196, making it the third most populous county in Ireland. There are two local authorities whose remit collectively encompasses the area of the county and city of Cork. The county, excluding Cork city, is administered by Cork County Council, both city and county are part of the South-West Region. For standardized European statistical purposes both Cork County Council and Cork City Council rank equally as first-level local administrative units of the NUTS3 South-West Region, there are 34 such LAU1 entities in the Republic of Ireland. For elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is divided into five constituencies—Cork East, Cork North–Central, Cork North–West, Cork South–Central, together they return 19 deputies to the Dáil. The county is part of the South constituency for the purposes of European elections, for purposes other than local government, such as the formation of sporting teams, the term County Cork is often taken to include both city and county. County Cork is located in the province of Munster and it borders four other counties, Kerry to the west, Limerick to the north, Tipperary to the north-east and Waterford to the east. Cork is the largest county in the state by land area and it is the largest of Munsters 6 counties by both population and area. The population of Cork city stood at 125,622 in 2016, the population of the entire county is 542,196 making it the states second most populous county and the third most populous county on the island of Ireland. The remit of Cork County Council includes some suburbs of the city not within the area of Cork City Council, there are 24 historic baronies in the county—the most of any county in Ireland. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, there are 253 civil parishes in the county. Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland, there are approximately 5447 townlands in the county, the Shehy Mountains are on the border with Kerry and may be accessed from the area known as Priests Leap, near the village of Coomhola. The Galtee Mountains are located across parts of Tipperary, Limerick, the upland areas of the Ballyhoura, Boggeragh, Derrynasaggart and the Mullaghareirk Mountain ranges add to the range of habitats found in the county. Important habitats in the uplands include blanket bog, heath, glacial lakes, Cork has the 13th highest county peak in Ireland. The three great rivers, the Bandon, the Blackwater and the Lee, and their valleys dominate central Cork, habitats of the valleys and floodplains include woodlands, marshes, fens and species-rich limestone grasslands
22.
The Rosses
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Defined by physical boundaries in the form of rivers, as well as history and language use, the area has a distinctive identity, separate from the rest of Donegal. The extensive region lies between the parish of Gweedore to the north and the town of Glenties to the south, a large part of the Rosses is in the Gaeltacht, which means that Irish is the spoken language. Gaeltacht an Láir is another Irish-speaking area, Irish is still used extensively in some areas including parts of the island of Arranmore, the townland of Ranafast and the village of Annagry. In some areas, like the hills around Dungloe, around Loughanure and in pockets of Doochary and Lettermacaward, the local people are said to have a preference for Gaelic football over soccer, which is often the case in rural areas of the country. The area fields a number of teams, both in soccer and Gaelic football. Keadue Rovers from the lower Rosses have traditionally been the areas strongest soccer team, there is also a strong tradition of songwriting in the area, Seán McBride from Cruit Island wrote the popular song The Homes of Donegal. Many people from The Rosses, in common with people other parts of County Donegal, have also settled in the City of Derry. The area is bounded by the River Gweebarra to the south, the Gweedore River to the north, the Derryveagh Mountains and the Gweebarra River to the east, the name comes from Ros, the Irish word for headland. The area presents a rocky landscape, studded with a myriad of lakes. The Rosses boasts Donegals only airport at Carrickfinn, various coach companies serve the area. The Rosses has been inhabited since time immemorial, and the ancient church of St. Crona in Termon near Dungloe has been dated to the 6th century AD. It was the site of a monastery founded by St. Crona, a cousin of the Royal Saint Columcille, founder of the settlement at Iona. In the 16th century, a number of ships from the Spanish Armada sank off or landed off its coast, historically The Rosses has relied heavily on hospitality, tourism and the fishing industry as the mainstays of its economy. The area has its own supermarket chain called The Cope which has been quite successful. There is very little manufacturing industry in The Rosses apart from a few located in Dungloe. The area claims a large proportion of Donegals tourist income, due to its scenery and its many festivals. There is a strong tradition of marching bands emanating from the region. Packie Bonner, former Ireland and Celtic goalkeeper Goats Dont Shave, folk band Niall Ó Dónaill, lexicographer Daniel ODonnell, singer Peadar ODonnell, socialist and author Pat the Cope Gallagher, T. D
23.
Gweedore
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Gweedore is an Irish-speaking parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Gweedore includes the villages Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Dunlewey, Crolly and Brinalack and this, along with its scenery and many beaches, has made the area a popular tourist destination, especially with visitors from Northern Ireland. Gweedore is the anglicisation of the original and official Irish name Gaoth Dobhair, Gaoth refers to an inlet of the sea at the mouth of the Crolly River, known as An Ghaoth. It is the boundary between Gweedore to the north and The Rosses to the south, dobhar is an old Irish word for water. Therefore, Gaoth Dobhair translates as the aqueous estuary, the name Gweedore or Gaoth Dobhair refers to the Catholic parish of the same name, not to any one village or town. The villages of Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Dunlewey and others are known as Gweedore. Gweedore has a population of 4,500 and is divided into 3 EDs, Machaire Chlochair with a population of 2,651, cnoc Fola/Mín an Chladaigh with a population of 1,326 and 83% Irish speakers. Dún Lúiche with a population of 695 and 76% Irish speakers, the predominant spoken language of the district is Irish, but English can be widely heard as well. All schools, religious services, and advertisements are through Irish and this is a Gaeltacht, an where the Irish language is the first language, providing an unbroken link with millennia of Irish history and culture. Since most of the inhabitants of the village are bilingual, it is common to hear English vocabulary used within an Irish sentence and vice versa, for example, the Irish suffix -ailte or -eáilte is used to form a Gaelicised version of English verbs, as in wreckailte tired. The Plantation of Ulster in 1609 added a twist to the fate of the parish, Irish-speaking families who were driven from their fertile lands in the Lagan Valley and the surrounding areas made their way to the poor boglands of west Donegal. Some of them made it as far as Gweedore and could go no further west, around the same time, English and Scottish colonists began to arrive when this uncharted territory was converted to baronies. It appears the parish was very sparsely populated up until the 17th century, the first people to arrive lived on the islands or by the shore in clusters, pockets of houses built close together and in each others shade. Up until the early 19th century the parish was only lightly populated, the standard of life was to deteriorate with the arrival of new landlords in the 19th century, in particular Lord George Augusta Hill and his son Arthur. The people of the led by James McFadden, the parish priest in 1875–1901, challenged the landlords with the founding of the Land League. The case was recalled in the 1928 memoirs of Tim Healy, an Irish American journalist, W. H. Hurlbert, also investigated the landlord-tenant dispute in Gweedore in minute detail in his book Ireland under Coercion, published in 1888. Many books have published in Irish, and several in English. One of the most prolific of local historians was Cáit Nic Giolla Bhríde, on the afternoon of 23 June 2009, a severe thunderstorm struck Gweedore
24.
Ulster Irish
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Ulster Irish is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Ulster. It occupies a position in the Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland. Ulster Irish thus has more in common with Scottish Gaelic and Manx than other Irish dialects do, within Ulster there have historically been two main sub-dialects, West Ulster Irish and East Ulster Irish. The Western dialect is spoken in County Donegal and once was in parts of neighbouring counties, the Eastern dialect was spoken in most of the rest of Ulster and northern parts of counties Louth and Meath. Irish was the language spoken in Ulster from the earliest recorded times until the 17th century Plantation of Ulster by English. Since the Plantation, Ulster Irish was steadily replaced by English, the Eastern dialect died out in the 20th century, but the Western lives on in the Gaeltacht region of County Donegal. In 1808, County Down natives William Neilson and Patrick Lynch published a study on Ulster Irish called An Introduction to the Irish Language. Both Neilson and his father were Irish-speaking Presbyterian ministers, the report also makes note of small pockets of Irish speakers in northwest County Cavan, southeast County Monaghan, and the far south of County Armagh. However, these small pockets vanished early in the 20th century while Irish in the Sperrins survived until the 1950s, the last native speaker of Rathlin Irish died in 1985. In the 1960s, six families in Belfast formed the Shaws Road Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking area of the Falls Road in West Belfast has recently been designated the Gaeltacht Quarter. The Ulster dialect contains many words not used in other dialects—of which the ones are Connacht Irish. The standard form of Irish is An Caighdeán Oifigiúil, in other cases, a semantic shift has resulted in quite different meanings attaching to the same word in Ulster Irish and in other dialects. Some of these include, ag déanamh is used to mean to think as well as to make or to do, síleann, ceapann and cuimhníonn is used in other dialects. Amharc or amhanc, look barúil) opinion, southern tuairim - in Ulster, tuairim is most typically used in the approximate value. Note the typically Ulster derivatives barúlach and inbharúla of the opinion, note that bealach alone is used as a preposition meaning towards. In the sense road Ulster Irish often uses bealach mór even for roads that arent particularly big or wide, cál, cabbage caraidh, weir cluinim, I hear. Áirithe also means certain or particular, mothaím is used to mean I hear, perceive as well as I feel but mothaím generally refers to stories or events. Tá mé ábalta is also a preferred Ulster variant, some of these words include, cloigeann head capall mare The phonemic inventory of Ulster Irish is as shown in the following chart
25.
Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland is a constituent unit of the United Kingdom in the north-east of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province, region, or part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the total population. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by an act of the British parliament, Northern Ireland has historically been the most industrialised region of Ireland. After declining as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles, its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17. 2% in 1986, dropping to 6. 1% for June–August 2014,58. 2% of those unemployed had been unemployed for over a year. Prominent artists and sports persons from Northern Ireland include Van Morrison, Rory McIlroy, Joey Dunlop, Wayne McCullough, some people from Northern Ireland prefer to identify as Irish while others prefer to identify as British. Cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, in many sports, the island of Ireland fields a single team, a notable exception being association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games. The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16th century, the English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made English control fragmentary. Victories by English forces in war and further Protestant victories in the Williamite War in Ireland toward the close of the 17th century solidified Anglican rule in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the victories of the Siege of Derry and their intention was to materially disadvantage the Catholic community and, to a lesser extent, the Presbyterian community. In the context of open institutional discrimination, the 18th century saw secret, militant societies develop in communities in the region and act on sectarian tensions in violent attacks. Following this, in an attempt to quell sectarianism and force the removal of discriminatory laws, the new state, formed in 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, was governed from a single government and parliament based in London. Between 1717 and 1775 some 250,000 people from Ulster emigrated to the British North American colonies and it is estimated that there are more than 27 million Scotch-Irish Americans now living in the US. By the close of the century, autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, in 1912, after decades of obstruction from the House of Lords, Home Rule became a near-certainty. A clash between the House of Commons and House of Lords over a controversial budget produced the Parliament Act 1911, which enabled the veto of the Lords to be overturned. The House of Lords veto had been the unionists main guarantee that Home Rule would not be enacted, in 1914, they smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers, a paramilitary organisation opposed to the implementation of Home Rule
26.
Dungloe
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An Clochán Liath is a Gaeltacht town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the town in The Rosses and the largest in the Donegal Gaeltacht. The bridge was built in 1762, the name an Clochán Liath was formerly anglicised as Cloghanlea. The name Dungloe or Dunglow is believed to come from the Irish Dún gCloiche and this name came into common English usage in the later years of the 18th century when the monthly fair, formerly held at Dún gCloiche was transferred to an Clochán Liath. In time the name of the fair and that of the town were subsumed, today, an Clochán Liath is the only officially recognised name of the town. The Comprehensive Linguistic Survey of the Gaeltacht found that 21. 4% of the population of the area spoke Irish on a daily basis, despite being within the Gaeltacht, Irish is not the everyday language of the majority of residents. Just over one fifth of the population are daily Irish speakers, nevertheless, there are Irish-speaking areas outside the town and Irish is to be heard regularly in the town. Dungloe is home to the Dungloe District Court, which covers the south-west area of County Donegal, there are a number of banks, a Garda station, Donegal County Council office, fire station, and a credit union located on the main street. Also, there are pubs, convenience stores, supermarkets, cafes, the town is the current headquarters of the Rosses indigenous supermarket chain, The Cope. The town attracts many tourists every July and August when the Mary From Dungloe International Festival takes place and it was founded in the 1960s and it has been frequented by many special guests over the years including Daniel ODonnell, Cliff Richard, Gay Byrne and Sharon Shannon. The picturesque Dungloe Bay and surrounding hills have proved popular with visitors and have enabled Dungloe to sustain a healthy tourism industry. There is also a dedicated to the socialist writer Peadar ODonnell in Dungloe each autumn. A little to the north of the town is the site of the ancient church of Templecrone, for information on accommodation, Heritage, visitor information and for things to do and see in and around Dungloe check out their main website www. therosses. In 1903, the town was linked, through Dungloe railway station, to the Londonderry, however, the station was closed on 3 June 1940 as part of a process that saw the closure of all railways in the county. Dungloe is mentioned in Fox Broadcasting Company series Sons of Anarchy as the source of the motorcycle clubs weapons from the True IRA, a fictional representation of the Real IRA
27.
Altan (band)
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Altan are an Irish folk music band formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy. The group were influenced by traditional Irish language songs from Donegal and have sold over a million records. The group were the first traditional Irish group to be signed to a label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1994. The group has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, when she was 15, she was allowed to go to dances under her brother Gearóid Ó Maonaighs watchful eye, and gradually Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh became a couple. They both took jobs as teachers at St. Patricks College in Dublin. In 1979, the two made their recording debut as accompanists for the well-known Belfast singer and Gaelic enthusiast Albert Fry on his self-titled debut album. Two years later, in 1981, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy graduated from college, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh had moved to Dublin and were both teaching at St. Oliver Plunkett primary school in Malahide. At the time, they were playing music in the folk clubs around Dublin. Ní Mhaonaigh has learned the Donegal style of fiddle-playing from her father, however, kennedys repertoire included a number of obscure northern flute tunes drawn from his travels in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. In the early 1980s, Ní Mhaonaigh formed a band with Kennedy, Gearóid Ó Maonaigh, people became interested in their repertoire of Donegal tunes. A short-lived band, the members contributed to Mairéad and Frankies debut album, Ceol Aduaidh, produced by Nicky Ryan. The album is a collection of Gaelic songs and Ulster jigs, after the release of their first album, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh were invited in America where they quickly realised there was a market there. They then took a break from teaching, which ultimately became permanent. Inspired by the success of their effort, they began to work on a new group of ballads. Released on the Green Linnet Records label, the result was 1987s Altan, named after a lake which sits in the shadow of Mount Errigal near Gweedore, in the Irish language, altan means stream. The album features many of the musicians who would join the band. Shortly after the release of their studio album in 1987, Ní Mhaonaigh. They began as a quartet with Kennedy on flute, Ní Mhaonaigh on fiddle and vocals, Ciarán Curran on bouzouki, later on, Dublins Paul OShaughnessy joined the band on fiddle, participating in the first three Green Linnet recordings
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Clannad
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Clannad are an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal. They subsequently went on to bridge the gap between traditional Celtic music and pop music in the 1980s and 1990s with albums such as Macalla, during their career they toured the world extensively and gained fans in every major territory. They have recorded in six different languages, most notably in Irish and they are also widely regarded as one of the bands which put Irish traditional music and the Irish language on the world stage and paved the way for many other Irish artists. They have won notable awards throughout their career, including a Grammy, a BAFTA, an Ivor Novello. Clannad are a band composed of siblings Moya Brennan, Ciarán Brennan, Pól Brennan. Their sister/niece Enya left the group in 1981 to pursue a solo career, ten years after taking a break, the five original members of Clannad reunited on stage at the Celtic Connections Festival in February 2007 in Glasgow, Scotland. Moya, Ciarán, Noel and Pádraig embarked on their first UK tour in over 10 years in March 2008, in September 2013, Clannad released Nádúr, their first studio album in fifteen years. Siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Máire Uí Bhraonáin and their two twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin grew up in Gaoth Dobhair, a village in County Donegal. The village is in the Gaeltacht and they were an Irish-speaking, the Brennans mother, Baba, was a music teacher, and their father, Leo, was a former member of a cabaret band. Leo was travelling extensively in the family years. Later, they bought a pub with a stage called Leos Tavern, the children would occasionally do cover versions of The Beatles, Beach Boys and Joni Mitchell songs at home and in their family pub. The children were performing late at night in the pub when the police sergeant walked in. They feared a summons, but instead the policemen had a form to enter a music competition. They did not have a name at the time, but had to find one for the competition, someone suggested Clann As Dobhar, which was provisionally blended into Clannad in 1973. The young Brennans and Duggans passion for the music of Ireland soon expanded beyond their native Gweedore. They would visit such outlying communities as Tory Island off Donegals coast, armed with some 500 Gaelic songs, they would later begin to arrange these songs for a full band. Clannad entered a folk festival in Letterkenny, County Donegal, and won first prize, a record contract with the Irish arm of Philips. They did not make the record until 1973 because the company did not like the idea of them doing half the album in Irish
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Enya
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Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, better known professionally as Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. She left in 1982 with their manager and producer Nicky Ryan to pursue a solo career, Enya developed her distinct sound over the following four years with multi-tracked vocals and keyboards with elements of new age, Celtic, classical, church, and folk music. She has sung in ten languages, Enyas first projects as a solo artist included soundtrack work for The Frog Prince and the 1987 BBC documentary series The Celts, which was released as her debut album, Enya. She signed with Warner Music UK which granted her considerable artistic freedom, the commercial and critical success of Watermark propelled her to worldwide fame, helped by its international top 10 hit single, Orinoco Flow. This was followed by the multi-million selling albums Shepherd Moons, The Memory of Trees, sales of the latter and its lead single, Only Time, surged in the United States following its use in the media coverage of the 11 September attacks. Following Amarantine and And Winter Came, Enya took an extended break from music, she returned in 2012 and released Dark Sky Island. Enya is known for her lifestyle and has yet to undergo a concert tour. A Day Without Rain remains the best selling new age album with an estimated 16 million copies sold worldwide, Enya has won several awards throughout her career, including seven World Music Awards, four Grammy Awards for Best New Age Album, and an Ivor Novello Award. She was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for May It Be, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin was born on 17 May 1961 in Dore, an area of the remote parish of Gweedore, County Donegal in northwestern Ireland. It is a Gaeltacht region where Irish is the primary language and her name is anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan, where Enya is the phonetic spelling of how Eithne is pronounced in Irish, Ní Bhraonáin translates to daughter of Brennan. The fifth of nine children, Enya was born into a Roman Catholic family of musicians, Enyas maternal grandfather Aodh was the headmaster of the primary school in Dore, and her grandmother was a teacher there. Aodh was also the founder of the Gweedore Theatre company, Enya described her upbringing as very quiet and happy. At age three, she took part in her first singing competition at the annual Feis Ceoil music festival and she took part in pantomimes at Gweedore Theatre and sang with her siblings in her mothers choir at St Marys church in Derrybeg. She learned English at primary school and began lessons at age four. I had to do work and then travel to a neighbouring town for piano lessons. I. remember my brothers and sisters playing outside, and I would be inside playing the piano. This one big book of scales, practising them over and over and it was devastating to be torn away from such a large family, but it was good for my music. Enya left the school at 17 and studied music in college for one year with the aim of becoming a piano teacher sort of person
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Galway
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Galway is a city in the West of Ireland in the province of Connacht. Galway City Council is the authority for the city. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay and is surrounded by County Galway and it is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland and the sixth most populous city in the island of Ireland. According to the 2016 Irish Census, Galway city has a population of 79,504, however, Galway will be European Capital of Culture in 2020, alongside Rijeka, Croatia. The citys name is from the Irish name for Abhainn na Gaillimhe, historically, the name was Anglicised as Galliv, which is closer to the Irish pronunciation as is the citys name in Latin, Galvia. The city also bears the nickname The City of the Tribes because of the fourteen merchant families called the tribes of Galway led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period. The term tribes was a one, because the merchants saw themselves as Anglo-Irish and were loyal to the King during the English Civil War. They later adopted the term as a badge of honour and pride in defiance of the towns Cromwellian occupier, residents of the city refer to themselves as Galwegians. Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe was constructed in 1124, by the King of Connacht, eventually, a small settlement grew up around this fort. During the Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230s, Galway fort was captured by Richard Mor de Burgh, as the de Burghs eventually became Gaelicised, the merchants of the town, the Tribes of Galway, pushed for greater control over the walled city. This led to their complete control over the city and to the granting of mayoral status by the English crown in December 1484. Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours, a notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Óge Martyn, stated From the Ferocious OFlahertys may God protect us. A by-law forbade the native Irish unrestricted access into Galway, saying neither O’ nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway without permission, during the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen merchant families. These were the The Tribes of Galway, the city thrived on international trade, and in the Middle Ages, it was the principal Irish port for trade with Spain and France. The most famous reminder of days is ceann an bhalla, now known as the Spanish Arch. In 1477 Christopher Columbus visited Galway, possibly stopping off on a voyage to Iceland or the Faroe Islands, seven or eight years later, he noted in the margin of his copy of Imago Mundi, Men of Cathay have come from the west. During the 16th and 17th centuries Galway remained loyal to the English crown for the most part, even during the Gaelic resurgence, however, by 1642 the city had allied itself with the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During the resulting Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian forces captured the city after a nine-month siege, the great families of Galway were ruined
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Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe
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Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, also called An Taiḃḋearc, is the national Irish language theatre of Ireland. The word taibhdhearc appears as a gloss for the Latin teatrum in an old Irish document, derived from roots meaning dream, the modern Irish for a theatre is amharclann. The building itself is built on the ruins of the citys original Augustinian friary. The rear wall incorporates a wall from this friary, including carved stone window frames. With its location on An tSráid Láir the Taibhdhearc is situated in the heart of the city of Galway. Throughout the year the theatre is a much sought-after venue for drama and music productions, the busiest period for the arts in the city happens during the two weeks of the annual Galway Arts Festival. In 2004 An Taibhdhearc awarded the Gradam Bhaitéir Uí Mhaicín prize for scriptwriting to Coinneáil Orainn by Darach Ó Scolaí, after suffering extensive smoke damage during a fire in 2007 An Taibhdhearc closed its doors for an extended period of renovation and refurbishment. While the theatre has been closed An Taibhdhearc has continued to produce shows in venues around Galway city and county. The theatre was re-opened in autumn 2012, with Irish President Michael D Higgins reopening the theatre at an event in September 2012
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Iveragh Peninsula
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The Iveragh Peninsula is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland, a mountain range, the Macgillycuddys Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its highest mountain, is also the highest peak in Ireland, towns on the peninsula include Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Ballinskelligs, Portmagee, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare. The Ring of Kerry, a popular tourist trail, circles the coastlines as well as the Skellig Ring, beginning and ending at Killarney, Valentia Island lies off the northwestern tip of the peninsula. It is connected with the peninsula by a bridge at Portmagee village, the Skellig Islands lie about 12 kilometres off the west coast and are known for their monastic buildings and bird life. Kerry Geopark is a community initiative on the Iveragh Peninsula which aims to promote geotourism in this area of geological importance. Some of the interest features are Kenmare Bay, signs of past glaciation and volcanic activity, corcu Duibne Dingle Peninsula Beara Peninsula Valentia Harbour railway station John Crowley and John Sheehan. The Iveragh Peninsula, A Cultural Atlas of the Ring of Kerry,2009, Iveragh Peninsula guide from Frommers Information about the Ring of Kerry Iveragh Peninsula at Birdlife International
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Dingle
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Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, principal industries in the town are tourism, fishing and agriculture, Dingle Mart serves the surrounding countryside. In 2011 Dingle had a population of 1,965, Dingle is situated in a Gaeltacht region. There used to be two schools but they have now amalgamated to produce Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne. An adult Bottlenose dolphin named Fungie has been courting human contact in Dingle Bay since 1983, a large number of Ogham stones were set up in an enclosure in the 4th and 5th centuries AD at Ballintaggart. In Ireland the town was developed as a following the Norman invasion of Ireland. By the thirteenth century more goods were being exported through Dingle than Limerick, by the fourteenth century, importing wine was a major business. Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond, who held palatine powers in the area, by the sixteenth century, Dingle was one of Irelands main trading ports, exporting fish and hides and importing wines from the continent of Europe. French and Spanish fishing fleets used the town as a base, connections with Spain were particularly strong, and in 1529 Thomas Fitzgerald, 11th Earl of Desmond and the ambassador of Charles V of Spain signed the Treaty of Dingle. Dingle was also a major port for pilgrims to travel to the shrine of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela. The parish church was rebuilt in the century under Spanish patronage. In 1569 the commerce of the town was increased when it was listed as one of fifteen towns or cities which were to have a monopoly on the import of wine, the Dingle Peninsula was the scene of much of the military activity of 1579–80. On 17 July 1579 James FitzMaurice FitzGerald brought a fleet of ships to Dingle. He made landfall, launching the Second Desmond Rebellion, but was to die soon after in a skirmish with the forces of a cousin. The fleet left the town three days, anchoring at Dún an Óir at the western end of the peninsula, leading eventually to the Siege of Smerwick of 1580. The residents of Dingle applied in 1569 for a grant to construct walls around the town. The grant was not forthcoming on that occasion, following the defeat of the Desmond Rebellion, Queen Elizabeth directed that a royal charter be granted to incorporate the town as a borough, and to allow for the construction of walls. Traces of these walls can still be seen, while the street layout preserves the pattern of burgage plots
