1.
Magilligan
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Magilligan is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle. It is a huge 79,000 acres coastal site, part British army firing range and it gets its name from MacGilligans country, which formed a major part of the barony of Keenaght. It is situated within Causeway Coast and Glens district, a Martello Tower was begun here in 1812, rather late in the British sequence, as the original plan for a fort at Magilligan point was impractical due to soft ground. A genuinely round tower mounting two 24 pounder guns, it has been restored but is normally locked. It was built at the time as the more unusual double-gunned tower across the lough at Greencastle. It was not completed until 1817, two years after Napoleon, against whose invasion it was built to protect, had been exiled to St. Helena, the garrison stationed here never fired a shot at any enemy. During World War II the top of the tower was fitted out with a pillbox, since the tower was built, deposits of sand have extended the peninsular by several hundred metres and the tower is now located a considerable distance from the sea. It is close to Bellarena railway station and there is a service which operates all the year around with Greencastle across the lough. The famous Irish harpist Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh lived in Magilligan, Magilligan served as the base line for triangulation for the mapping of Ireland in the 19th century. Colonel Thomas Colby chose Magilligan due to the flatness of the strand and its proximity to Scotland which, a straight line precisely 30,533 feet was measured from North Station to Ballykelly in 1828 from which all other references were measured. The survey finished in 1846 when County Kerry was mapped, Magilligan Sand Dunes virtual field trip Magilligan Martello Tower The Lough Foyle Ferry Company History of Magilligan 1600-1800
2.
County Londonderry
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County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,074 km² and has a population of about 247,132 and it is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland, as well as part of the historic province of Ulster. Since 1981, it has one of four counties in Northern Ireland that has a Catholic majority. The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage, the place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire, meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Londonderry generally preferred by unionists, british authorities use the name Londonderry, while Derry is used by the Republic of Ireland. Mountsandel located near Coleraine in County Londonderry is perhaps the oldest recorded settlement within Ireland, at an early period, what became the county of Coleraine was inhabited by the OCahans, who were tributary to the ONeills. This county was named Londonderry, a combination of London and Derry, the Irish Society was made up of the twelve main livery companies of London, which themselves were composed of various guilds. Whilst The Irish Society as a whole was given possession of the city of Londonderry and Coleraine, the county town of County Londonderry, and seat of the Londonderry County Council until its abolition in 1973, was therefore moved to the town of Coleraine. The highest point in the county is the summit of Sawel Mountain on the border with County Tyrone, Sawel is part of the Sperrin Mountains, which dominate the southern part of the county. In the centre of the county are the deciduous forests at Banagher and Ness Wood. These councils were, Derry City Council, Limavady Borough Council, and Magherafelt District Council, most of Coleraine Borough Council, the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway continued as a private bus company based in the city but operating predominantly in County Donegal until it closed in 2014. Bus services are now provided by Ulsterbus, two major centres of the University of Ulster are in the county, including its headquarters at Coleraine and the Magee Campus in Derry. The Derry teams wear the red and white. There are many teams competing in up to five leagues. The county team has won one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and five National League titles, hurling is also widely played but is not as popular as football. However, the county team is regarded as one of the top hurling sides in Ulster. The Northern Ireland Milk Cup was established in 1983 and is regarded as one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments in Europe and the world. In rugby union, the county is represented at senior level by Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club, Magherafelt who compete in the Ulster Senior League and All Ireland Division Three
3.
HSC Manannan
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HSC Manannan is a 96-metre wave-piercing high-speed catamaran car ferry built in Tasmania in 1998. After commercial service in Australia and New Zealand, she was chartered to the US Military as USS Joint Venture, now owned and operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, she mainly provides a seasonal service between Douglas and Liverpool. Manannan is one of six 96-metre catamarans built by Incat of Tasmania, Australia and she was built as Incat 050 in 1998. Under the name Devil Cat, she operated for a period as a commercial ferry for TT-Line. A spell followed crossing the Cook Strait as Top Cat, then she was acquired by the US Navy and converted for military purposes. In 2001, she was commissioned as USS Joint Venture, serving for five years with the United States Armed Forces, a flight deck was added to accommodate various helicopters in the US Navy arsenal. In 2003, Joint Venture was assigned to Operation Enduring Freedom in the Horn of Africa, at the end of the five year charter, she was handed back to Incat in early 2006. She underwent a refit and was painted in the livery of Express Ferries, plans for her to enter service as a car and passenger ferry never materialised. On 19 May 2008, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company announced the purchase of the wave-piercing catamaran for £20 million, as the replacement for the fast craft Viking. Because of its previous use, the company said it had significantly fewer hours of service than a vessel of comparable age and was suited for the planned service. She completed the 11,868 miles mile voyage from Hobart to Portsmouth, with most of the materials for her refit, a £3 million refit, carried out by Burgess Marine in Portsmouth, provided a new aft accommodation module and the Sky Lounge. The heavy military ramp was replaced with a new stern door, following this, she arrived in Douglas on 11 May 2009. An open day took place at each of the Companys ports and at a ceremony, she was renamed after Manannán mac Lir. Manannan made her maiden voyage with the Steam Packet Company on Friday 22 May 2009 on the 07,30 sailing from Douglas to Liverpool. - by late March 2015, the number of motorcycles booked for the TT Festival was up 10% on the previous year, at 96 metres, Manannan is the largest vessel of its kind on the Irish Sea. In summer season, she operates daily sailings from Douglas to Liverpool, during the winter, Manannan remains in Douglas on reserve and sails to Liverpool to have her annual overhaul before returning for the summer season. The Manannans passenger facilities are located two decks. Express also suffered damage while in Manx waters and P&O were forced to cancel a number of their own sailings as a result
4.
Broighter Gold
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The hoard includes a 7-inch-long gold boat, a gold torc and bowl and some other jewellery. A design from the hoard has been used as an image on the 1996 issue of the Northern Ireland British one-pound coins, the Broighter Collar and Broighter Ship also featured on definitive postage stamps of Ireland from 1990–1995. The National Museum of Ireland, who now hold the hoard, replicas of the collection are kept at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. The hoard was found near Lough Foyle in a field in the townland of Broighter 2 km northwest of Limavady in County Londonderry and it was discovered by Thomas Nicholl and James Morrow while working as ploughmen for Joseph L. Gibson in February 1896. They found the hoard whilst double ploughing and that means that one plough would follow the other to gain extra depth. It was estimated that the finds were buried 14 inches deep and were in proximity to each other. The find was taken to the farm where Maggie washed the items in a sink, at that time they did not realise they were made from gold. The hoard was sold to the British Museum for six hundred pounds. It consisted of a ship, complete with fittings and oars. The find was described as a lump of mud when initially shown, moreover, the boat had been so badly damaged by the plough that it took a goldsmith to later work out its structure. Part of the boat, a thwart, was found a few days later, the gold in the hoard all has the same metallurgical character, despite the diverse styles of the pieces. Some appear to be imported, while others may be reworked or entirely remade, the boat is a unique find that was measured at 7.25 inches by 3 inches and weighed 3 ounces. It had benches, rowlocks, two rows of nine oars and a rudder for steering. It also included tools for grappling, three forks, a yardarm and a spear, the tools are of much lighter design than the ships hull and are shown in the illustration. The boat suggests that the hoard was a deposit to the Celtic sea god Manannán mac Lir. The other remarkable item was the torc or collar which is 7.5 inches in diameter with buffer terminals, using a mortice, the hollow tube that made up the ring is 1.125 inches in diameter. The hinge is no longer there but it would have required to put on the collar. The fastening consists of a T piece which fits into a slot as the torc is closed, a section can then be turned which captures the T and prevents it opening
5.
Votive offering
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A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are made in order to gain favor with supernatural forces. In buddhism Votive offerings as construction of stupas was a prevalent and holy practice in ancient india which can be observed in ruins of vikramshila university, the modern construction practice called topping out can be considered as an example of a votive practice that has very ancient roots. In Europe, votive deposits are known from as early as the Neolithic, with polished axe hoards, high status artifacts such as armor and weaponry, fertility and cult symbols, coins, various treasures and animals were common offerings in antiquity. The votive offerings were sacrificed and buried or more commonly cast into bodies of water or peat bogs, in certain cases entire ships have been sacrificed, as in the Danish bog Nydam Mose. Often all the objects in a ritual hoard are broken, possibly killing the objects to put even further beyond utilitarian use before deposition. The purposeful discarding of valuable items such as swords and spearheads is thought to have had ritual overtones, the items have since been discovered in rivers, lakes and present or former wetlands by construction workers, peat diggers, metal-detectorists, members of the public and archaeologists. In Mesoamerica, votive deposits have been recovered from the Olmec site of El Manati, in archaeology, votive deposits differ from hoards in that although they may contain similar items, votive deposits were not intended for later recovery. Some archaeologists have recovered some votive offerings in ancient Sparta from the 5th century BC and these votive offerings give evidence to the presence of literacy in Spartan culture. One piece of pottery was found that may have had measurement signs on it and this would indicate an everyday literacy among the Spartans if this is true. Unfortunately, scholars have not recovered any other piece of pottery with an inscription to support that single find. The 13 Ancient Votive Stones of Pesaro were unearthed in 1737 on a local Pesaro farm in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, Italy and they are inscribed with the names of various Roman gods such as APOLLO, MAT-MATVTA, SALVS, FIDE, and IVNONII. A curse tablet or defixio is a sheet of tin or lead on which a message wishing misfortune upon someone else was inscribed. The two largest concentrations are from the springs at Aquae Sulis, where 130 examples are recorded, and at Uley. The usual form of divine invocation was through prayer, sacrifice, many unrecovered ancient votive offerings are threatened in todays world, especially those submerged in wetlands or other bodies of water. Wetlands and other aquatic sites often protect and preserve materials for thousands of years, therefore many remaining objects are in danger of oxidation and eventual rapid deterioration. The Torah makes provision for free-will offerings which may be made by any individual. These are different from votive offerings which are linked to a vow. cf Leviticus 22.23 where the Hebrew root letters for an offering are נדב
6.
Ler (mythology)
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Ler is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea and he is named Allód in early genealogies, and corresponds to the Llŷr of Welsh mythology. Ler is chiefly an ancestor figure, and is the father of the god Manannán mac Lir, Ler appears as the titular king in the tale The Children of Lir. Ler, like his Welsh counterpart, is a god of the sea, though in the case of the Gaelic myths his son Manannán mac Lir seems to take over his position and so features more prominently. It is probable that more myths referring to Ler which are now lost to us existed, ise luam as deach boi aniarthar Eorpa. Noḟindad tre nemgnacht inoiret nobíd insoinind ⁊ in donind ⁊ intan nosclæchlóbad cechtar don dá résin, et inde filium maris esse dixerunt. i. A renowned trader who dwelt in the Isle of Man and he was the best pilot in the west of Europe. Through acquaintance with the sky he knew the quarter in which would be fair weather and foul weather, hence the Scots and Britons called him a god of the sea, and hence they said he was son of the sea, i. e. The Ler in this story was the rival of Bodb Dearg for the kingship of the Tuatha Dé Danann after their retreat into the fairy mounds, in order to appease Ler, Bodb gave one of his daughters to marry him, Aeb. She bore him four children, one girl, Fionnuala, aebh died and, not wanting the children to remain motherless, Bodb sent another of his daughters, Aoife, to marry Ler. Aoife grew jealous of the children and cursed them to live as swans for 900 years, Children of Lir Lir is a fictional deity in Robert E. Howards Hyborian Age stories of Conan the Cimmerian
7.
Irish mythology
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The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity. However, much of it was preserved in medieval Irish literature and this literature represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. There are also a number of extant mythological texts that do not fit any of the cycles. Additionally, there are a number of recorded folk tales that, while not strictly mythological. Despite the dates of these sources, most of the material they contain predates their composition, the earliest of the prose can be dated on linguistic grounds to the 8th century, and some of the verse may be as old as the 6th century. The first of these part of the earliest known version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge and is housed in Trinity College. The other three are in the Royal Academy, when using these sources, it is, as always, important to question the impact of the circumstances in which they were produced. There was also a tendency to rework Irish genealogies to fit into the known schema of Greek or Biblical genealogy and it was once unquestioned that medieval Irish literature preserved truly ancient traditions in a form virtually unchanged through centuries of oral tradition back to the ancient Celts of Europe. A consensus has emerged which encourages the critical reading of the material, the Mythological Cycle, comprising stories of the former gods and origins of the Irish, is the least well preserved of the four cycles. The most important sources are the Metrical Dindshenchas or Lore of Places, Other manuscripts preserve such mythological tales as The Dream of Aengus, The Wooing Of Étain and Cath Maige Tuireadh, The Battle of Magh Tuireadh. One of the best known of all Irish stories, Oidheadh Clainne Lir, Lebor Gabála Érenn is a pseudo-history of Ireland, tracing the ancestry of the Irish back to before Noah. They faced opposition from their enemies, the Fomorians, led by Balor of the Evil Eye, Balor was eventually slain by Lug Lámfada at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh. With the arrival of the Gaels, the Tuatha Dé Danann retired underground to become the people of later myth. The Metrical Dindshenchas is the great work of early Ireland. It includes a lot of important information on Mythological Cycle figures and stories, including the Battle of Tailtiu, in which the Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated by the Milesians. It is important to note that by the Middle Ages the Tuatha Dé Danann were not viewed so much as gods as the shape-shifting magician population of an earlier Golden Age Ireland. Texts such as Lebor Gabála Érenn and Cath Maige Tuireadh present them as kings and heroes of the distant past, however, there is considerable evidence, both in the texts and from the wider Celtic world, that they were once considered deities. Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lug, a poem in the Book of Leinster lists many of the Tuatha Dé, but ends Although enumerates them, he does not worship them
8.
Fomorians
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The Fomorians are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. They are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings who come from the sea or underground, later, they were portrayed as giants and sea raiders. They are enemies of Irelands first settlers and opponents of the Tuatha Dé Danann, however, their relationship with the Tuath Dé is complex and some of their members intermarry and have children. The Fomorians have thus been likened to the jötnar of Norse mythology, the Fomorians seem to have been gods who represent the harmful or destructive powers of nature, personifications of chaos, darkness, death, blight and drought. The Tuath Dé, in contrast, seem to represent the gods of growth and it has also been suggested that the Fomorians derive from an older group of gods who were displaced by a newer group. In Old and Middle Irish, the race is called the Fomoire or Fomoiri. In Middle Irish, they are called the Fomóraiġ and a Fomórach. This is spelt Fomhóraigh and Fomhórach in Modern Irish, in English, they are often called the Fomorians, Fomori or Fomors. The etymology of the name is debated, the first part is now generally agreed to be the Old Irish fo, meaning under, below, lower, beneath, nether, etc. The meaning of the part is unclear. One suggestion is that it comes from the Old Irish mur, and this was the interpretation offered by some medieval Irish writers. Another suggestion is that it comes from mór and means something like the great under ones, the name would thus mean something like under demons or nether demons. Building on this, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt interprets the name as meaning inferior or latent demons, saying the Fomorians are like the powers of chaos, ever latent, donald Schlegel suggested that the Fomorians were Carthaginians who established a trading post on Irelands west coast. He suggests the name Fomoraige comes from the name of the Carthaginian god Pumay combined with the Old Irish suffix -raige, the Genealogies from Rawlinson B502 lists the full genealogy of the Fomorians going right back to the Biblical Noah, who was 10th from Adam and Eve. Rawlinson B502, Section 26, page 330, says, Bres himself carries the epithet the Beautiful. Geoffrey Keating in his History of Ireland appearing in the 1630s claimed that the Fomorians had been a people descended from Noahs other son. Partholon defeated Cíocal in the Battle of Mag Itha, but all his people died of plague. Then came Nemed and his followers, Ireland is said to have been empty for thirty years following the death of Partholons people, but Nemed and his followers encountered the Fomorians when they arrived
9.
Fragarach
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In Irish mythology, Fragarach, known as The Answerer or The Retaliator, was the sword of Manannan mac Lir and later, Lugh Lamfada. Forged by the gods, Manannan wielded it as his weapon before passing it on to Lugh and it was given to Cúchulainn by Lugh, and later to Conn of the Hundred Battles. It was said no one could tell a lie or move, with Fragarach at his or her throat. It was also said to place the wind at the command and could cut through any shield or wall. Science-fantasy author Patricia Kennealy Morrison uses Fragarach in her series The Keltiad the sword is used by several of her protagonists over the course of the series. Fragarach appears in the Dungeons & Dragons module The Temple of Elemental Evil as a sword that never misses and it later reappeared in 4th Edition as a sword destined to slay Thrumbolg, a powerful fomorian lord. In Hounded, written by Kevin Hearne, Atticus OSullivan wields the famous sword, in the visual novel Fate/hollow ataraxia, the sword appears as the weapon of Bazett Fraga McRemitz. It is a weapon that, upon the activation of an opponents strongest attack, reverses time, in the Digimon series, Fragarach is an extensible greatsword carried by Slayerdramon a Mega level Dragon Man Digimon. In Diane Duanes novel A Wizard Abroad, Fragarach is used by Annie Callahan as part of a reenactment of the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh. Besides its common use as a weapon, Fragarach is used to open a gate to the dimension where the Fomor. In the game Mabinogi, Lugh Lavada and Morgant use this weapon as a main weapon, in the PS3 game Folklore, Answerer is a folk the player encounters and can capture in the fourth nether realm, The Endless Corridor. In the manga Project ARMS, Keith Green utilizes a technique he calls Answerer. Later, his genetic template, Takashi Takatsuki/James Huang uses this technique as well, celtic Objects Encyclopaedia of the Celts
10.
Cloak of invisibility
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A cloak of invisibility is a fictional theme and a device under some scientific inquiry. In folklore, mythology and fairy tales, a cloak of invisibility appears either as an item used by duplicitous characters or an item worn by a hero to fulfill a quest. It is a theme in Welsh and Germanic folklore. The motif falls under D1361.12 magic cloak of invisibility in the Stith Thompson motif index scheme, cloaks of invisibility are magical items found in folklore and fairy tales. Such cloaks are common in Welsh mythology, a Mantle of Invisibility is described in the tale Culhwch, the mantle is described again, and in more detail, in the Breuddwyd Rhonabwy, and is later listed as one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. A similar mantle appears in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, in which it is used by Caswallawn to assassinate the seven stewards left behind by Bran the Blessed and usurp the throne. In the English fairy tale Jack the Giant Killer, the hero is rewarded with several magical gifts by a giant he has spared, the counterpart in Japan is the kakuremino, a magical straw cape or raincoat of invisibility. In the folktale of the Peach Boy Momotarō, one of the booty the hero collects from the ogres is a cape of invisibility, paralleling the story of Jack the giant-slayer. Although occurrences in fairy tales are rare, the cloak of invisibility appears in the German tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses and in The King of the Golden Mountain in Grimms Fairy Tales. The cloak in German fairy tales may be traceable to the tarnkappe, the Grimms clarify that Sîfrits kappe is a cape that covers not just the head but enshrouds the body, though in later times tarnkappe came to be regarded as a cap of invisibility. The tarnkappe is also owned by the king who is the title character in Laurin. In different passages or variant manuscripts of works, the tarnkappe is also referred to as the tarnhût or hehlkappe. In the original epic Nibelungenlied, the heros cloak not only grants him invisibility, in Richard Wagners opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, the cloak becomes a magic helmet called the Tarnhelm, which also imparts the ability to transform upon its wearer. When Fritz Lang adapted Nibelungenlied for the screen in his 1924 film Die Nibelungen. Another film from the year to use a cloak of invisibility was Raoul Walshs The Thief of Bagdad. Edgar Rice Burroughs uses the idea of an invisibility cloak in his 1931 novel A Fighting Man of Mars, the movie Erik the Viking humorously depicts the title character using a cloak of invisibility, which he does not realize apparently works only on elderly men. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodos elven cloak camouflaged him so that the enemy could see nothing more than a boulder where the Hobbits were, camouflaging cloaks form a central plot element in Samuel R. Delanys 1975 novel Dhalgren. In the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K, rowling, Harry Potter uses a Cloak of Invisibility, that was passed down to him by his father, to sneak into forbidden areas of his school and remain unseen
11.
Psychopomp
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Psychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to provide safe passage, when seen as birds, they are often seen in huge masses, waiting outside the home of the dying. Classical examples of a psychopomp are the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, the Greek ferryman Charon and deities Hermes and Hecate, the Roman god Mercury, the form of Shiva as Tarakeshwara in Hinduism performs a similar role, although leading the soul to moksha rather than an afterlife. In many beliefs, a spirit being taken to the underworld is violently ripped from its body. In the Persian tradition, Daena, the Zoroastrian Self-guide, appears as a young maiden to those who deserve to cross the Chinvat Bridge or a hideous old hag to those who don’t. In Judaism and Islam, Azrael plays the role of the angel of death who carries the soul up to the heavens, in Jungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between the unconscious and conscious realms. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a man or woman. In many cultures, the shaman also fulfills the role of the psychopomp and this may include not only accompanying the soul of the dead, but also to help at birth, to introduce the newborn childs soul to the world. This also accounts for the title of midwife to the dying, or End of Life Doula. In Filipino culture, dead relations function as psychopomps, when the dying call out to specific dead persons, the spirits of the latter are supposedly visible to the former. The spirits, who wait at the foot of the deathbed, fetch the soul soon after death. Geoffrey Dennis, Abraham, Elijah, Lailah, Sandalphon, Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, eliade, Mircea, Shamanism,1964, Chapters 6 and 7, Magical Cures, the Shaman as Psychopomp
12.
Trickster
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Hansen that the term trickster was probably first used in this context by Daniel G. Brinton in 1885. Tricksters are archetypal characters who appear in the myths of different cultures. Lewis Hyde describes the trickster as a boundary-crosser, the trickster crosses both physical and often breaks societal rules. Tricksters. violate principles of social and natural order, playfully disrupting normal life, often, the bending/breaking of rules takes the form of tricks or thievery. Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both, the trickster openly questions and mocks authority. They are usually male characters, and are fond of breaking rules, boasting, all cultures have tales of the trickster, a crafty creature who uses cunning to get food, steal precious possessions, or simply cause mischief. In some Greek myths Hermes plays the trickster and he is the patron of thieves and the inventor of lying, a gift he passed on to Autolycus, who in turn passed it on to Odysseus. In Slavic folktales, the trickster and the hero are often combined. Frequently the trickster figure exhibits gender and form variability, in Norse mythology the mischief-maker is Loki, who is also a shape shifter. Loki also exhibits gender variability, in one case even becoming pregnant and he becomes a mare who later gives birth to Odins eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Nevertheless, the Biblical narrative clearly takes Jacobs side and the reader is invited to laugh, in The Trickster and the Paranormal, G. P. Hansen lists Mercury in Roman mythology, and Eshu in Yoruba mythology as examples of the trickster archetype, in a wide variety of African language communities, the rabbit is the trickster. In West Africa, the spider is often the trickster, the trickster or clown is an example of a Jungian archetype. In modern literature the trickster survives as an archetype, not necessarily supernatural or divine. Often too, the trickster is distinct in a story by his acting as a sort of catalyst, in that his antics are the cause of other characters discomfiture, a once-famous example of this was the character Froggy the Gremlin on the early childrens television show Andys Gang. A cigar-puffing puppet, Froggy induced the adult humans around him to engage in ridiculous, in later folklore, the trickster/clown is incarnated as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defense. He also is known for entertaining people as a clown does, for example, many typical fairy tales have the king who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by ordering several trials. No brave and valiant prince or knight manages to win them, until a poor, with the help of his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners
13.
Scottish mythology
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It was the belief that Beira, the Queen of Winter, had a firm hold on the country by raising storms during January and February thus preventing greenery to emerge. She was considered a tough and brutal old woman who stirred the deadly spiraling action of Corryvreckan, ushering snow, even the creation of lochs and mountains were attributed to her. Scottish mythology is not like the Greek and Roman myths as it deals with aspects of nature. In this context the most powerful and feared goddess representing winter is Beira who rules winter for its entire duration, immediately, the following season she readily concedes to Dual Lord and Lady who then enjoy equal power during the ensuing season. This myth is akin to the myth of the Mayans and deals with female power in the creation. However, Donald Mackenzie in his book Scottish Wonder Tales from Myth and Legend states that the goddesses of the Scottish myths are not glorified, Scottish mythology is dominated by goddesses, and according to Donald Mackenzie they are greater and stronger than the gods. The Celtic goddesses were authoritative and were associated with female fertility as related to female divinity, in olden times the Celtics land and national societies were both linked with the body of the goddess and her representative on earth was the queen. Another ambivalent character in Scottish myths was the hag, the Goddess, the Gaelic Cailleach, and the Giantess, the hag is also considered a healer and helpful during childbirth and is divine and said to have long ancestry and incredible longevity. She is also known as at once creator and destroyer, gentle and fierce, several origin legends for the Scots arose during the historical period, serving various purposes. One Scottish origin legend, or pseudo-historical account of the foundation of the Scottish people, as they roamed through Ireland, from Clonmacnoise, Armagh and Kildare to Cork, and finally, to Bangor, they were continually engaged at war with the Pictanei. After some time, they crossed the Irish Sea to invade Caledonia North of Roman Britain, successively capturing Iona, the latter places are echoed by the appearance of Cinnrígmonaid and Cinnbelathoir in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba. The territory so conquered was then named Scotia after Scota, the Egyptian wife of Spartan commander Nél or Niul, once the Picts adopted Gaelic culture and their actual characteristics faded out of memory, folkloric elements filled the gaps of history. In the eighteenth century the Picts were co-opted as a Germanic race, in the Celtic domains of Scotland, also known as Gaelteached, there were ancient pre-Christian structures. These are the Ulaid, or people of the North-Eastern corner of Ireland, the Ulaid had close links with Gaelic Scotland, where Cúchulainn is said to have learned the arts of war. These stories are written for the most part in prose, the centrepiece of the Ulster Cycle is the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Other important Ulster Cycle tales include The Tragic Death of Aifes only Son, Fled Bricrenn Bricrius Feast and this cycle is, in some respects, close to the mythological cycle of the rest of the Gaelic speaking world. Some characters from the latter reappear, and the sort of shape-shifting magic is much in evidence, side by side with a grim. Scottish Gaelic adaptations of Ulster Cycle tales appear in the Glenmasan manuscript, the stories of Finn mac Cumhaill and his band of soldiers the Fianna, appear to be set around the 3rd century in Gaelic Ireland and Scotland
14.
Culture of the Isle of Man
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The official language of the Isle of Man is English. Manx Gaelic has traditionally been spoken but is now considered critically endangered, the Manx Gaelic language is a Goidelic Celtic language and is one of a number of insular Celtic languages spoken in the British Isles. The Manx language is related to the Irish language and Scottish Gaelic. By the middle of the 20th century only a few native speakers remained. By then a scholarly revival had begun to spread to the populace, the first native speakers of Manx in many years have now appeared, children brought up by Manx-speaking parents. Primary immersion education in Manx is provided by the Manx government, since 2003, degrees in Manx are available from the Isle of Man College and the Centre for Manx Studies. Manx-language playgroups also exist and Manx language classes are available in island schools. In the 2001 census,1,689 out of 76,315, or 2. 2% of the population, claimed to have knowledge of Manx, in common use are the greetings moghrey mie and fastyr mie which mean good morning and good afternoon respectively. The Manx language uses afternoon in place of evening, another frequently heard Manx expression is traa dy liooar meaning time enough, and represents a stereotypical view of the Manx attitude to life. Manx English, or Anglo-Manx, is the dialect of English which is spoken by the people of the Isle of Man. It has many borrowings from Manx language, early strata of Anglo-Manx contain much of Gaelic and Norse origin, but more recent Anglo-Manx displays heavy influence from Liverpool and Lancashire in North West England. The best known recorder of the Anglo-Manx dialect was the poet, in recent years, the Anglo-Manx dialect has almost disappeared in the face of increasing immigration and cultural influence from the United Kingdom. A few words remain in use, but apart from the Manx accent, little remains of this dialect. The earliest datable text in Manx, a history of the Isle of Man from the introduction of Christianity. Christianity has been an influence on Manx literature. Religious literature was common, but surviving secular writing much rarer, the Book of Common Prayer and Bible were translated into Manx in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first Manx Bible was printed between 1771 and 1775 and is the source and standard for modern Manx orthography, the first printed work in Manx, Coyrle Sodjeh, dates from 1707, a translation of a Prayer Book catechism in English by Bishop Thomas Wilson. With the revival of Manx, new literature has appeared, including Contoyryssyn Ealish ayns Cheer ny Yindyssyn, for centuries, the islands symbol has been its ancient triskelion, a device similar to Sicilys trinacria, three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh
15.
Isle of Man
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The Isle of Man, also known simply as Mann, is a self-governing crown dependency in the Irish Sea between England and Northern Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann, the Lord of Mann is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. Foreign relations and defence are the responsibility of the British Government, the island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century and the Manx language, in 627, Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the Kingdom of the Isles, magnus III, King of Norway, was also known as King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103. In 1266, the became part of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the short form often used in English, Mann, is derived from the Manx Mannin, though sometimes the name is written as Man. The earliest recorded Manx form of the name is Manu or Mana, the Old Irish form of the name is Manau or Mano. Old Welsh records named it as Manaw, also reflected in Manaw Gododdin, the name for an ancient district in north Britain along the lower Firth of Forth. The oldest known reference to the calls it Mona, in Latin, in the 1st century CE, Pliny the Elder records it as Monapia or Monabia. Later Latin references have Mevania or Mænavia, and Eubonia or Eumonia by Irish writers and it is found in the Sagas of Icelanders as Mön. The name is cognate with the Welsh name of the island of Anglesey, Ynys Môn, usually derived from a Celtic word for mountain. The name was at least secondarily associated with that of Manannán mac Lir in Irish mythology, later, a Manannán is recorded as the first king of Mann in a Manx poem. The island was cut off from the islands around 8000 BC. The first residents were hunter gatherers and fishermen, examples of their tools are kept at the Manx Museum. There were also the local Ronaldsway and Bann cultures, during the Bronze Age, burial mounds became smaller. Bodies were put in stone-lined graves with ornamental containers, the Bronze Age burial mounds created long-lasting markers around the countryside. The ancient Romans knew of the island and called it Insula Manavia although it is whether they conquered the island
16.
Lough Corrib
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Lough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway and it is the second largest lough in the island of Ireland. It covers 176 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with an area of its northeast corner in County Mayo. The first canal on the island of Ireland was cut in the 12th century, known as the Friars Cut, it allowed boats to pass from Lough Corrib to the sea at Galway. William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde wrote a book about the lake and he built a summerhouse on the banks of the lake, called Moytura House. Lough Corrib was designated a Ramsar site on 16 June 1996 and it has also been designated a Special Area of Conservation. Loch Coirib is a corruption of Loch Oirbsean, according to placename lore, this refers to Oirbsen or Oirbsiu—another name for the Tuatha Dé Danann figure Manannán mac Lir—who is believed to have been a god of the sea. In Irish the lough is also called An Choirib, surveys have been undertaken since 2007 by a local surveyor/cartographer to create up to date charts of Lough Corrib. These have uncovered a great many objects of significance which have been investigated by the Underwater Archaeology Unit of the National Monuments Service. The lake is now of international importance as an archaeological site. All historic wrecks in the lough are protected and a licence to them is required from the National Monuments Service. There is an abundance of wildlife in Lough Corrib including birds and hawks, otters, mink, stoat, frogs, bats, the dawn chorus in early spring is spectacular to listen to. Lough Corrib can be divided into two parts, a smaller basin to the south and a larger deeper basin to the north. These two parts are connected by a narrow channel, in the southern and eastern parts of the lake, the lake bed is dominated by limestone bedrock covered by deposits of precipitated marl. The surrounding land is mostly pastoral farmland to the south and east and bog to the west and north. In addition to the basis, some areas of scientific interest adjoining the lake, e. g. woodland, callows grassland. As well as being an internationally recognised attraction for tourists and fisherman, another unwelcome visitor is the highly invasive species Lagarosiphon major which is destroying fish habitat and the zebra mussel. The water taken from Lough Corrib was likely contaminated by migration of animal, dick Roche, the Minister of the Environment, announced a further allocation of €48 million to tackle the issue
17.
Scottish Gaelic
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Scottish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic, sometimes also referred to as Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish. The 2011 census of Scotland showed that a total of 57,375 people in Scotland could speak Gaelic at that time, the census results indicate a decline of 1,275 Gaelic speakers from 2001. A total of 87,056 people in 2011 reported having some facility with Gaelic compared to 93,282 people in 2001, only about half of speakers were fully literate in the language. Nevertheless, revival efforts exist and the number of speakers of the language under age 20 has increased, Scottish Gaelic is neither an official language of the European Union nor the United Kingdom. Outside Scotland, a group of dialects collectively known as Canadian Gaelic are spoken in parts of Atlantic Canada, mainly Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the 2011 census, there were 7,195 total speakers of Gaelic languages in Canada, with 1,365 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where the responses mainly refer to Scottish Gaelic. About 2,320 Canadians in 2011 also claimed Gaelic languages as their mother tongue, with over 300 in Nova Scotia, aside from Scottish Gaelic, the language may also be referred to simply as Gaelic. In Scotland, the word Gaelic in reference to Scottish Gaelic specifically is pronounced, outside Ireland and Great Britain, Gaelic may refer to the Irish language. Scottish Gaelic should not be confused with Scots, the Middle English-derived language varieties which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the modern era. Prior to the 15th century, these dialects were known as Inglis by its own speakers, from the late 15th century, however, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis. Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a language from Irish. Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the 8th century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth, by 900, Pictish appears to have become extinct, completely replaced by Gaelic. An exception might be made for the Northern Isles, however, however, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly, a process of Gaelicisation was clearly underway during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, by the 10th century, Gaelic had become the dominant language throughout northern and western Scotland, the Gaelo-Pictic Kingdom of Alba. Its spread to southern Scotland, was even and totalizing. Place name analysis suggests dense usage of Gaelic in Galloway and adjoining areas to the north and west as well as in West Lothian, less dense usage is suggested for north Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire. In south-eastern Scotland, there is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken, the area shifted from Cumbric to Old English during its long incorporation into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria
18.
Deirdre
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Deirdre is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet Deirdre of the Sorrows and her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland. Deirdre was the daughter of the royal storyteller Fedlimid mac Daill, hearing this, many urged Fedlimid to kill the baby at birth, but Conchobar, aroused by the description of her future beauty, decided to keep the child for himself. He took Deirdre away from her family and had her brought up in seclusion by Leabharcham, a poet and wise woman, Leabharcham told her she was describing Naoise, a handsome young warrior, hunter and singer at Conchobars court. With the collusion of Leabharcham, Deirdre met Naoise and they fell in love, accompanied by his brothers Ardan and Ainnle, the three sons of Uisneach and Deirdre fled to Scotland. They lived a life there, hunting and fishing and living in beautiful places. Some versions of the mention that Deirdre and Naoise had children, a son Gaiar. But the furious, humiliated Conchobar tracked them down, fergus sent Deirdre and the sons of Uisnech on to Emain Macha with his son to protect them. When they arrived, Conchobar sent Leabharcham to spy on Deirdre, Leabharcham, to protect Deirdre, told the king that Deirdre was now ugly and aged. Conchobar then sent another spy, Gelbann, who managed to catch a glimpse of Deirdre but was seen by Naoise, the spy managed to get back to Conchobar, and told him that Deirdre was as beautiful as ever. Conchobar called his warriors to attack the Red Branch house where Deirdre, Naoise and his brothers fought valiantly, aided by a few Red Branch warriors, before Conchobar evoked their oath of loyalty to him and had Deirdre dragged to his side. At this point, Éogan mac Durthacht threw a spear, killing Naoise, fergus and his men arrived after the battle. Fergus was outraged by this betrayal of his word, and went into exile in Connacht and he later fought against Ulster for Ailill and Medb in the war of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Irish Iliad. After the death of Naoise, Conchobar took Deirdre as his wife, after a year, angered by Deirdres continuing coldness toward him, Conchobar asked her whom in the world she hated the most, besides himself. She answered Éogan mac Durthacht, the man who had murdered Naoise, Conchobar said that he would give her to Éogan. As she was being taken to Éogan, Conchobar taunted her, at this, Deirdre threw herself from the chariot, dashing her head to pieces against a rock. There are also three books, Deirdre by James Stephens, The Celts by Elona Malterre, and The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson, LÉ Deirdre, a ship in the Irish Naval Service from 1972 to 2001, was named after her
19.
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
20.
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
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.
Ringfort
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Ringforts are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland, there are also many in south Wales and in Cornwall, where they are called Rounds. Ringforts come in sizes and may be made of stone or earth. Earthen ringforts would have been marked by a rampart, often with a stakewall. Both stone and earthen ringforts would generally have had at least one building inside, in Irish language sources they are known by a number of names, ráth, lios, caiseal, cathair and dún. The ráth and lios was an earthen ringfort, the ráth being the enclosing bank, the caiseal and cathair was a stone ringfort. The term dún was usually used for any stronghold of importance, in Ireland, over 40,000 sites have been identified as ringforts and it is thought that at least 50,000 ringforts existed on the island. They are common throughout the country, with a density of just over one ringfort within any area of 2 km2. It is likely that many have been destroyed by farming and urbanisation, however, many hitherto unknown ringforts have been found thanks to early Ordnance Survey maps, aerial photography, and the archaeological work that has accompanied road-building. Few Cornish examples have been excavated, with the exception of Trethurgy Rounds. According to the authoritative New History of Ireland, archaeologists are agreed that the vast bulk of them are the enclosures of the well-to-do of early medieval Ireland. The a priori case for attributing some ringforts to the Later Middle Ages. is based on the absence of any other settlement form of date in those landscapes. In other words, if the Gaelic-Irish did not live in ringforts, the conjecture that ringforts can be seen to have evolved from and be part of an Iron Age tradition has been expanded by Darren Limbert. This hypothesis is based on a number of re-interpretations of the available evidence, Limbert argues instead, that the ringfort should be seen in the context of a variety of similar developments in Britain and the European Continent, particularly in Iberia and Gaul. While conceding that most ringforts were built in the Early Christian period, supports an intrusion of a Celtic warrior caste. On the island of Öland, Sweden, nineteen ringforts have been identified, including Eketorp, a site that has been completely excavated, currently, excavations are ongoing at Sandby borg, which was the site of a massacre in the 5th Century A. D. It is also possible that the Hill of Tara is a type of ringfort. From a morphological viewpoint, and probably also from the view of the contemporary person, some L Plan Castles, such as Balingarry Castle in Ireland originated as ringforts
23.
County Roscommon
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County Roscommon is a county in the western region of the Republic of Ireland. It is also part of the province of Connacht and it is the 11th largest Irish county by area and 27th most populous. Its county town and largest town is Roscommon, Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 64,065 according to the 2011 census and it is the third largest of Connacht’s five counties by size and fourth largest in terms of population. The county borders every other Connacht county - Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim, in 2008, a news report said that statistically, Roscommon has the longest life expectancy of any county on the island of Ireland. County Roscommon is named after the county town of Roscommon, Roscommon comes from the Irish Ros meaning a wooded, gentle height and Comán, the first abbot and bishop of Roscommon who founded the first monastery there in 550 AD. Roscommon is the eleventh largest of the 32 counties of Ireland by area and it has an area of 984 square miles. Lough Key in north Roscommon is noted for having thirty-two islands, the geographical centre of Ireland is located on the western shore of Lough Ree in the south of the county. Seltannasaggart which is located along the border with County Leitrim is the tallest point in County Roscommon measuring to a height of 428 m. There are nine historical baronies in County Roscommon, south Roscommon Ballymoe shared with County Galway includes Ballymoe, Creggs and Glenamaddy. Rathcroghan, near Tulsk, a complex of sites, the home of Queen Medb, was the seat of Kings of Connacht. This was the point of the Táin Bó Cúailnge, or Cattle Raid of Cooley. County Roscommon as a division has its origins in the medieval period. With the conquest and division of the Kingdom of Connacht, those districts in the east retained by King John as The Kings Cantreds covered County Roscommon and these districts were leased to the native kings of Connacht and eventually became the county. In 1585 during the Tudor re-establishment of counties under the Composition of Connacht, a well defined and original fine metal workshop was active in county Roscommon in the twelfth century. The workshop has been linked to St. Assicus of Elphin, John ODonovan, historian and scholar, visited County Roscommon in 1837. He was compiling information for the Ordnance Survey, entering St. Peters parish in Athlone in June 1837, he wrote I have now entered upon ia region totally different from Longford, and am very much pleased with the intelligence of the people. But he had problems with place-names
24.
County Down
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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
25.
Clackmannan
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Clackmannan, is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is 1.8 miles south-east of Alloa and 3.2 miles south of Tillicoultry, the town is within the county of Clackmannanshire, of which it was formerly the county town, until Alloa overtook it in size and importance. According to a 2009 estimate the population of the settlement of Clackmannan is 3,348 residents, the name of the town refers to the Stone of Mannan, a pre-Christian monument that can be seen in the town square beside the Tollbooth Tower, which dates from 1592. During the twelfth century, the formed part of the lands controlled by the abbots of Cambuskenneth. Later it became associated with the Bruce family, who, during the fourteenth century and it still stands above the town according to Historic Scotland, but entry is forbidden. A crater on asteroid 253 Mathilde is named after Clackmannan, because Mathilde is a dark, carbonaceous body, its craters have been named after famous coalfields from across the world. The Clackmannan Group is the given to a suite of rocks of late Dinantian and Namurian age laid down during the Carboniferous period in the Midland Valley of Scotland. List of places in Clackmannanshire Clackmannan Clackmannan F. C
26.
Slamannan
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Slamannan is a village in the south of the Falkirk council area in Central Scotland. It is 4.6 miles south-west of Falkirk,6.0 miles east of Cumbernauld and 7.1 miles north-east of Airdrie. Slamannan is located at the cross of the B803 and B8022 roads, near the banks of the River Avon, at the time of the 2001 census, Slamannan had a population of 1,398 residents. The 19th-century parish church can accommodate upwards of 700 people, former Cabinet Minister Viscount Horne was born in Slamannan in 1871, the son of the villages Church of Scotland minister. He was ennobled in 1937 as Viscount Horne of Slammanan, other distinguished sons of Slamannan manse include John Cameron and his brothers Hugh, Sandy and Kenneth all of whom won national titles in athletics in the 1960s and 70s. All of them went on to become doctors. After serving as an army padre throughout the War, he went back to the coalfields in 1946 as a Church of Scotland minister and he was also the villages Labour county councillor and Convener of Stirlingshire Education Committee for twenty years until his death from black lung in 1968. Early twentieth century Everton footballer, Alex Sandy Young was born in Slamannan and he remains the all-time fourth-highest scorer for Everton, and scored the only goal at the 1906 FA Cup Final. Another footballer, Andrew Smith, also hailed from the village and he played for numerous clubs in Scotland and England including East Stirlingshire, West Bromwich Albion, Newton Heath and Bristol Rovers. Lance Corporal Samuel Frickleton, was born in Slamannan, in 1891, the family emigrated to New Zealand to take advantage of the plentiful jobs on offer in the coal mining industry, and the following year saw the outbreak of the First World War. Corporal Frickleton was awarded the militarys highest honour for his actions in the Battle of Messines and his bravery was so outstanding that his commanding officer claimed he could have won the Victoria Cross twice over. List of places in Falkirk council area Slamannan F. C. Gazetteer for Scotland page on history of Slamannan
27.
Welsh language
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Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, historically it has also been known in English as the British tongue, Cambrian, Cambric and Cymric. The United Kingdom Census 2011 counted 3.1 million residents of Wales, 27% of whom had been born outside Wales, and 73% of whom reported having no Welsh language skills. Of residents of Wales aged three and over, 19% reported being able to speak Welsh, and 77% of these were able to speak, read and this can be compared with the 2001 Census, in which 20. 8% of the population reported being able to speak Welsh. 787,854 of residents in Wales aged three and over had one or more skills in Welsh, in surveys carried out between 2004 and 2006, 57% of Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in the written language. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people speak Welsh in England, Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, the name Welsh originated as an exonym given to its speakers by the Anglo-Saxons, meaning foreign speech. The native term for the language is Cymraeg, and for the name of the country of Wales it is Cymru, Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons. Classified as Insular Celtic, the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth. During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, evolving into Welsh and it is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Kenneth H. Jackson suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around 550, Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or Early Poets – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was composed in the Hen Ogledd, raising further questions about the dating of the material. An 8th century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns, the next main period, somewhat better attested, is Old Welsh, poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. Both the works of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin were in this era, Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts, Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible, albeit with some work, to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The famous cleric Gerald of Wales tells, in his Descriptio Cambriae, during one of the Kings many raids in the 12th century, Henry asked an old man of Pencader, Carmarthenshire whether the Welsh people could resist his army
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Serglige Con Culainn
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Serglige Con Culainn, also known as Oenét Emire is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His developing relationship with one of the Otherworldly women, Fand, the story survives in two manuscripts, the twelfth-century Book of the Dun Cow and a seventeenth-century copy of this manuscript, Trinity College, Dublin, H.4. This scribe may have made additions of his own. Precisely how much of our surviving text belongs to each source has been the subject of debate, the material judged to derive from Recension B exhibits linguistic features pointing, amongst later ones, to the ninth century, while the language of A seems to be eleventh-century. A has long considered the earlier version of the story nevertheless. The combination of material leads to some inconsistencies and incoherence in the story, the Ulster hero Cú Chulainn is with other men in Muirtheimne, hunting birds by the water. A number of the men kill two birds for their wives, so the women may wear feathers on each shoulder of their gowns, when all the women but Emer have birds, Cú Chulainn becomes determined to kill the largest, most beautiful birds for her. The only birds still in the sky are indeed the largest and most exotic-looking, Emer recognizes that this means they are from the Otherworld and tells Cú Chulainn not to kill them. He attempts to do so anyway, but only manages to strike one of the birds on the feathers of her wing, damaging her wing, Cú Chulainn falls ill, and lies unconscious and feverish next to a standing stone. In his fevered state he sees two women approaching and they are Fand and Lí Ban, whom he assaulted while they were in bird form. They have horsewhips and beat him almost to death and he lies ill in bed for nearly a year, until Lí Ban returns, asking him to come to Mag Mell and help Fand defeat her enemies in a battle there. In exchange for his aid, Fand will agree to heal him of his illness. Cú Chulainn refuses, but his charioteer, Láeg, agrees to go, at this point, the story is interrupted by Cú Chulainn suddenly giving a long series of advice to his foster-son Lugaid Réoderg, the newly chosen king of Tara. This material is part of the genre of tecosca and, in Dillons estimation, however, Cú Chulainns uncharacteristic wisdom here can be understood as a beneficial side-effect of his magically inflicted illness. On his return, Láeg, with the help of Emer manages to convince Cú Chulainn to accompany him to Fands lands, in Mag Mell he joins the battle, and helps defeat Fand and Lí Bans enemies. Fand agrees to sleep with him, but this is discovered by Emer, after much discussion both women recognize the others unselfish love, and request that Cú Chulainn take the other. Fand decides that since she already has a husband, Manannán mac Lir, Cú Chulainn and Fand are both heartbroken, however. Fand asks Manannán to shake his cloak of mist between her and Cú Chulainn, ensuring that they never meet again
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Cycles of the Kings
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The Cycles of the Kings, also known as the Kings Cycles or the Historical Cycle are a body of Old and Middle Irish literature. It was part of the duty of the medieval Irish bards, or court poets, to record the history of the family and this they did in poems that blended the mythological and the historical to a greater or lesser degree. The resulting stories form what has come to be known as the Historical Cycle, or more correctly Cycles, the kings that are included range from the almost entirely mythological Labraid Loingsech, who allegedly became High King of Ireland around 431 BC, to the entirely historical Brian Boru. However, the greatest glory of the Historical Cycle is the Buile Shuibhne, a 12th-century tale told in verse and prose. Suibhne, king of Dál nAraidi, was cursed by St Ronan and became a kind of man, half bird, condemned to live out his life in the woods. The story has captured the imaginations of contemporary Irish poets and has been translated by Trevor Joyce, orality and Literacy in some Middle-Irish King-Tales. Mündlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit in der frühen irischen Literatur, of cycles and other critical matters, some issues in Medieval Irish literary history and criticism. Cambridge, Dept. of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge
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Mythological Cycle
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It is one of the four major cycles of early Irish literary tradition, the others being the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. The term Mythological Cycle seems to have gained currency with Arbois de Jubainville, 1881–1883, usage predating this applies the term generically, e. g. to Norse mythology. In the opinion of Mackillop, use of the term is somewhat awkward today, the characters appearing in the cycle are essentially gods from the pre-Christian pagan past in Ireland. Commentators exercising caution, however, qualify them as representing only godlike beings and this is because the Christian scribes who composed the writings were generally careful not to refer to the Tuatha Dé Danann and other beings explicitly as deities. The disguises are thinly veiled nonetheless, and these writings contain discernible vestiges of early Irish polytheistic cosmology, examples of works from the cycle include numerous prose tales, verse texts, as well as pseudo-historical chronicles found in medieval vellum manuscripts or later copies. Some of the romances are of later composition and found only in manuscripts dating to near-modern times. The god-folk of the invasions are euhemerised, i. e. described as having dwelt terrestrially. Afterwards, the Tuatha Dé Danann are said to have retreated into the sídhe, having disappeared but not died, the deities oftentimes make guest appearances in narratives categorised under other cycles. Collected #lore literature, while they do not belong to the cycle in entirety, in the list that follows, citations are generally only given if the wiki page for that work is not developed. Otherwise, citations are deferred to the article in question. See #External links for additional titles, aislinge Óenguso Altram Tige Dá Medar. Cath Muige Tuired Cunga Cath Maige Tuired Ceithri cathracha i r-robadar Tuatha De Danand De Gabáil in t-Sída Echtra Nera Eachtra Léithín How the Dagda Got His Magic Staff, Oidheadh Chloinne Lir Oidheadh Chloinne Tuirenn Scél Tuáin meic Chairill Tochomlod Nemid co hErin Tochomlod mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind. Besides independent verses, a number of poems are embedded in prose tales, a number of them are also preserved in the pseudohistorical LGE, Keating, etc. Arsaidh sin a eóuin Accla Coire Érmai / Coire Goriath Collected lore are not wholly of mythological content, the Fitness of Names provides interesting explanations on names of Dian Cecht among others. Irish onomastica, the Dindshenchas, also include stories about such as Boann. Genealogical tracts and the Roll of the Kings, various glosses may also be culled for information, banshenchus Dobbs 1932 Cóir Anmann, Stokes 1897 Dindsenchas Sanas Cormaic, Nes Triads of Ireland, mention of the indeoin Dagdai, ox of Díl, etc. Chronicon Scotorum Lebor Gabála Érenn Glas Gaibhnenn The euhemerised deities arrived in five sets of migrations, remnants of the migration tales are the summarised accounts given in the LGE. Apart from these are the tale of Tuan mac Cairill, Fintan mac Bóchra colloquy, Tuan and Fintan are ancient beings from the Antediluvian past, who have reincaranted into different creatures, and are referred to in the LGE as well
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