1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Republic of Ireland
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Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a sovereign state in north-western Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the part of the island. The state shares its land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint Georges Channel to the south-east, and it is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President, the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955. It joined the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union, after joining the EEC, Ireland enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in rapid economic growth. The country achieved considerable prosperity between the years of 1995 and 2007, which known as the Celtic Tiger period. This was halted by a financial crisis that began in 2008. However, as the Irish economy was the fastest growing in the EU in 2015, Ireland is again quickly ascending league tables comparing wealth and prosperity internationally. For example, in 2015, Ireland was ranked as the joint sixth most developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index and it also performs well in several national performance metrics, including freedom of the press, economic freedom and civil liberties. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a member of the Council of Europe. The 1922 state, comprising 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland, was styled, the Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that the name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland. The 1948 Act does not name the state as Republic of Ireland, because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution. The government of the United Kingdom used the name Eire, and, from 1949, Republic of Ireland, for the state, as well as Ireland, Éire or the Republic of Ireland, the state is also referred to as the Republic, Southern Ireland or the South. In an Irish republican context it is referred to as the Free State or the 26 Counties. From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801, until 6 December 1922, during the Great Famine, from 1845 to 1849, the islands population of over 8 million fell by 30%
3.
Provinces of Ireland
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Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces, Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The provinces of Ireland serve no administrative or political purposes, a king of over-kings, a rí ruirech was often a provincial or semi-provincial king to whom several ruiri were subordinate. Entities belonging to the 1st and 2nd millennia are listed and these do not all belong to the same periods. Over the centuries, the number of provincial kings varied between three and six, no more than six genuine rí ruirech were ever contemporary, with the average being three or four. Also, following the Norman invasion, the situation became more condensed and complicated than previously. The Norman invasion began in 1169, and the Normans went on to occupy Ireland until 1541, in the early Irish annals these five ancient political divisions were referred to as cúigí such as the fifth of Munster, the fifth of Ulster and so on. Later record-makers dubbed them provinces, in imitation of the Roman imperial provinciae, in modern times they have become associated with groups of counties, although they have no legal status. The provinces were supplanted by the present system of counties after the Norman invasion, during the Tudor conquest, and for about a century after, provincial Presidencies existed in Connacht and Munster, serving a primarily military role. Six of the nine Ulster counties form modern-day Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is sometimes called a province of the United Kingdom. These two inconsistent usages of the province can cause confusion. This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland, Munster in the south is the kingdom of music and the arts, of harpers, of skilled ficheall players and of skilled horsemen. The fairs of Munster were the greatest in all Ireland, the last kingdom, Meath, is the kingdom of Kingship, of stewardship, of bounty in government, in Meath lies the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the High King of Ireland. The ancient earthwork of Tara is called Rath na Ríthe
4.
Ulster
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Ulster is a province in the north of the island of Ireland. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a rí ruirech, the definition of the province was fluid from early to medieval times. It took a shape in the reign of King James I of England when all the counties of Ireland were eventually shired. This process of evolving conquest had been under way since the Norman invasion of Ireland, particularly as advanced by the Cambro-Norman magnates Hugh de Lacy, Ulster was a central topic role in the parliamentary debates that eventually resulted in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Under the terms of the Act, Ireland was divided into two territories, Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the passing through the province. While these six counties and two boroughs were all in the province of Ulster, three other counties of the province – Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan – were assigned to the Irish Free State. Ulster has no function for local government purposes in either country. However, for the purposes of ISO-3166-2, Ulster is used to refer to the three counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan only, which are given country sub-division code IE-U. It has also suggested to have derived from Uladh plus the Norse suffix ster. The Irish name, Cúige Uladh, means the province of the Ulaid, the Ulaidh were a group of tribes who dwelt in the region. Ulaidh has historically been anglicised as Ulagh or Ullagh and Latinised as Ulidia or Ultonia, the latter two have yielded the terms Ulidian and Ultonian. Words that have used in English are Ullish and Ulsterman/Ulsterwoman. Northern Ireland is often referred to as Ulster, despite including only six of Ulsters nine counties and this usage is most common amongst people in Northern Ireland who are unionist, although it is also used by the media throughout the United Kingdom. Most Irish nationalists object to the use of Ulster in this context, Ulster has a population of just over 2 million people and an area of 21,552 square kilometres. About 62% of the area of Ulster is in the UK while the remaining 38% is in the Republic of Ireland. Ulsters biggest city, Belfast, has an population of over half a million inhabitants, making it the second-largest city on the island of Ireland. Three Ulster counties – Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan – form part of the Republic of Ireland, about half of Ulsters population lives in counties Antrim and Down. 8% to 42. 7%. While the traditional counties continue to demarcate areas of government in the Republic of Ireland
5.
Counties of Ireland
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The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions that have been, and in some cases continue to be, used to geographically demarcate areas of local government. These land divisions were formed following the Norman invasion of Ireland in imitation of the then in use as units of local government in the Kingdom of England. The older term shire was historically equivalent to county, the principal function of the county was to impose royal control in the areas of taxation, security and the administration of justice at the local level. Cambro-Norman control was limited to the southeastern parts of Ireland. The powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English nobility waned over time, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level. In the Republic of Ireland, some counties have been resulting in the creation of new counties. Along with certain defined cities, counties form the basis for the demarcation of areas of local government in the Republic of Ireland. Currently, there are 26 county level,3 city level and 2 city and county entities – the modern equivalent of counties corporate – that are used to demarcate areas of government in the Republic. In Northern Ireland, counties are no longer used for local government, upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, the county became one of the basic land divisions employed, along with county boroughs. The word county has come to be used in different senses for different purposes, in common usage, many people have in mind the 32 counties that existed prior to 1838 – the so-called traditional counties. However, in usage in the Republic of Ireland, the term often refers to the 28 modern counties. The term is also conflated with the 31 areas currently used to demarcate areas of government in the Republic of Ireland at the level of LAU1. In Ireland, usage of the county nearly always comes before rather than after the county name, thus County Roscommon in Ireland as opposed to Roscommon County in Michigan. The former Kings County and Queens County were exceptions, these are now County Offaly and County Laois, the abbreviation Co. is used, as in Co. There appears to be no official guidance in the matter, as even the local council uses all three forms, the synonym shire is not used for Irish counties, although the Marquessate of Downshire was named in 1789 after County Down. Parts of some towns and cities were exempt from the jurisdiction of the counties that surrounded them and these towns and cities had the status of a County corporate, many granted by Royal Charter, which had all the judicial, administrative and revenue raising powers of the regular counties. The political geography of Ireland can be traced with accuracy from the 6th century. At that time Ireland was divided into a patchwork of petty kingdoms with a political hierarchy which
6.
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
7.
West European Time
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Western European Time is a time zone covering parts of western and northwestern Europe. WEST is called British Summer Time in the UK and is known as Irish Standard Time in Ireland. Conversely, Iceland and eastern Greenland are included although both are west of 7. 5°W, in September 2013, a Spanish parliamentary committee recommended switching to WET, a move being considered by MPs. However, the German occupation switched France to German time, two other occupied territories, Belgium and the Netherlands, did the same, and Spain also switched to CET in solidarity with Germany under the orders of General Franco. In the United Kingdom, from 1940 to 1945 British Summer Time was used in winters, between 18 February 1968 and 31 October 1971, BST was used all year round. In Ireland, from 1940 to 1946 Irish Summer Time was used all year round, between 18 February 1968 and 31 October 1971, Irish Standard Time was used all year round. In Portugal, CET was used in the mainland from 1966 to 1976, the autonomous region of the Azores used WET from 1992 to 1993. Iceland Mykines, Faroe Islands Western Ireland Western Portugal Madeira Canary Islands These areas are located between 7°30′ W and 22°30′ W Areas using UTC+1, See Central European Time
8.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
9.
Irish Standard Time
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Ireland uses Irish Standard Time in the summer months and Greenwich Mean Time in the winter period. In Ireland, the Standard Time Act 1968 legally established that the time for purposes in the State shall be one hour in advance of Greenwich mean time throughout the year. This act was amended by the Standard Time Act 1971, which legally established Greenwich Mean Time as a time period. Ireland therefore operates one hour behind standard time during the winter period and this is defined in contrast to the other states in the European Union, which operate one hour ahead of standard time during the summer period, but produces the same end result. The instant of transition to and from saving time is synchronised across Europe. In Ireland, Winter time begins at 02,00 IST on the last Sunday in October, the Statutes Act,1880 defined Dublin Mean Time as the legal time for Ireland. T. M. Healy opposed the reading on the basis that while the Daylight Saving Bill added to the length of your daylight. After the Irish Free State became independent in 1922, subsequent developments tended to mirror those in the United Kingdom and this avoided having different times on either side of the border with Northern Ireland. Summer time was provided on a basis by acts in 1923 and 1924. The 1925 act provided a summer time period, which could be varied by ministerial order. Double summer time was considered but not introduced during the Emergency of World War II, from 1968 standard time was observed all year round, with no winter time change. This was an experiment in the run-up to Irelands 1973 accession to the EEC, in those years, time in Ireland was the same as in the six EEC countries, except in the summer in Italy, which switched to Central European Summer Time. From the 1980s, the dates of switch between winter and summer time have been synchronised across the European Union. The statutory instruments that have been issued under the Standard Time Acts are listed below, in format year/SI-number, except where stated, those issued up to 1967 were called Summer Time Order <year>, while those issued from 1981 are Winter Time Order <year>. In November 2012, Tommy Broughan introduced a members bill to permit a three-year trial of advancing time by one hour, to CET in winter. In July 2014, the joint committee issued an invitation for submissions on the bill, closing time in Irish public houses was half an hour later during summer time. In 2000, the closing hours were simplified by removing summer/winter time changes. Between 1933 and 1961, lighting-up time was an hour before/after sunrise/sunset in summer-time, since 1961, it has been half-an-hour in all cases
10.
Western European Summer Time
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Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme,1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Also sometimes erroneously referred to as Irish Summer Time, the scheme runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October each year. At both the start and end of the schemes, clock changes take place at 01,00 UTC, during the winter, Greenwich Mean Time is used. The asymmetry reflects temperature more than the length of daylight, Ireland observes Standard Time during the summer months and changes to UTC+0 in winter. As Irelands winter time period begins on the last Sunday in October and finishes on the last Sunday in March, the result is the same as if it observed summer time. The following countries and territories use Western European Summer Time during the summer, starting in 1916, the dates for the beginning and end of BST each year were mandated by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In February 2002, the Summer Time Order 2002 changed the dates and times to match European rules for moving to, note, Until 1 October 1916 time in all of Ireland was based on Dublin Mean Time, GMT −25 minutes. BBC News report, Tundra time call in clocks debate, UK Government Report, Overview of the pros and cons of British Summer Time
11.
Irish grid reference system
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The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. The Irish grid lies within the British grid, but uses a different co-ordinate system with a meridian more suited to the westerly location, in general, neither Ireland nor Great Britain uses latitude or longitude in describing internal geographic locations. Instead grid reference systems are in common usage, the national grid referencing system was devised by the Ordnance Survey, and is heavily used in their survey data, and in maps based on those surveys. Additionally grid references are commonly quoted in publications and data sources. The Ordnance Survey of Ireland has implemented a new system for Ireland called Irish Transverse Mercator, or ITM. In both systems, the origin is at 53°30 N, 8° W — a point in Lough Ree, close to the western shore. The area of Ireland is divided into 25 squares, measuring 100 by 100 km, the squares are numbered A to Z with I being omitted. Seven of the squares do not actually cover any land in Ireland, within each square, eastings and northings from the origin of the square are given numerically. For example, G0305 means square G,3 km east,5 km north, coordinates may also be given relative to the origin of the entire 500 by 500 km grid. For example, the location of the Spire of Dublin on OConnell Street may be given as 315904,234671 as well as O1590434671, coordinates in this format must never be truncated, because, for example,31590,23467 is also a valid location. Ordnance Survey Ireland,185 years of innovation in mapping, archived from the original on September 11,2009. The Irish Grid - A Description of the Co-ordinate Reference System used in Ireland PDF on the Irish Grid from OSi, history and overview of the system, from OSI OSI online coordinate converter tool Clickable webmap that shows Irish grid references
12.
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
13.
Fanad
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Fanad is a peninsula that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal in Ireland. The origins of the name Fanad are lost in time there is some speculation that the name derives from an old Gaelic word Fana for sloping ground. It is also referred to as Fannet or Fannett in older records, There are an estimated 700 people living in Fanad and 30% Irish speakers. Fanad encompasses the parishes of Clondavaddog, Killygarvan and parts of Tullyfern and it measures approximately 25 km north-south measured from Fanad Head to the town of Ramelton and approximately 12 km east-west measured between the townlands of Doaghbeg and Glinsk. The southern boundary of Fanad has been the subject of dispute over the centuries. In the 16th century, during the time of the MacSuibhnes as rulers of Fanad and it consists of small villages such as Tamney, Rossnakill and has a bordering village called Kerrykeel. Geological maps of County Donegal show rock alignments running south-west to north east across the Fanad peninsula, the cliffs around Fanad Head are of exposed Grandiorite, whereas the higher ground running south from Fanad Head to Portsalon is a band of Quartzite. Knockalla Mountain is also formed of Quartzite, the landscape of Fanad has been shaped by geological processes which include the effects of periodic covering with ice sheets and glaciers as recently as 14,000 years ago. The retreat of the ice sheet had a impact on Fanad. It is speculated that much of Lough Swilly was may have been dry land which was flooded due to a rise in sea level within the last 10,000 years, Mulroy Bay may have been similarly formed at this time. The peat outcrops on the foreshore at White Strand north of Rathmullan contain the remainder of trees which were submerged by the advance of the sea in this area. Many of the beaches on the Fanad shoreline were formed at this time by glacial deposits which were reworked by the actions of waves. This was probably the landscape which greeted the earliest settlers who ventured along the coastline in the late Mesolithic Period, There are also portal tombs or dolmens from the Neolithic period including examples at Gortnavern south of Kerrykeel and above Saltpans on the Lough Swilly side of the peninsula. These are suggested as dating from circa 3, 800–3,200 BC, evidence of the occupation of Fanad during the Bronze Age continues in the form of tombs and related monuments. Three possible stone circles probably belonging to the Bronze Age have been identified near Rathmullan, several cist burial sites which are though to date from the Bronze Age were discovered in Fanad including a now destroyed group at a cairn at Killycolman near Rathmullan. Ring forts and ornately carved stonework are features of Iron Age Donegal including such major monuments as Grianan Aileach, evidence of ring forts has been found in 35–40 locations in Fanad, principally in coastal locations on both the Swilly and Mulroy coasts. Bealoideas and the earliest records suggest that Fanad was originally occupied by the Corpraige from whom St. Colmcilles mother Eithne is said to have come, the Corpraige may have occupied a territory as far south as the River Swilly and Binswilly Mountain including Gartan. All traces of the Corpraige had disappeared from the area by the 12th century, congal Cennemigher Mac Fergus Fanad was high king of Ireland from 700 AD until his death in 710 AD
14.
Lough Swilly
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Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords in Ireland, at the northern extremities of the lough are Fanad Head with its famous lighthouse and Dunaff Head. Towns situated on the lough include Buncrana on Inishowen and Rathmullan on the western side, at the southern end of the lough lies Letterkenny. Steeped in history the lough and the Grianán Ailigh hill fort at its southeastern bend was recorded on Ptolemys map of the world and it has numerous early Stone Age monuments and Iron Age fortifications along its shores as well as a number of shell middens dated to approximately 7000 BC. It is most famous for being the site of the Flight of the Earls, during a gale on 4 December 1811, the Royal Navy 36-gun Apollo-class frigate HMS Saldanha was shipwrecked in Lough Swilly. There were no survivors out of the estimated 253 aboard, due to its natural shelter and impressive depth the lough was an important naval port. Subsequently Tone was captured and taken ashore at Buncrana on the east side of the Swilly, martello towers were built around 1804 to defend the approaches to Derry. The six on the lough cost €1,800 each, were armed with smoothbore cannon, firing round shot and were completed in six months. The remains of fortifications can still be inspected at Lenan Head, Fort Dunree, Neds Point, Buncrana, Inch Island and on the west coast at Rathmullan, Knockalla. During this period a boom was placed across the lough between Macamish Point and Neds Point, supported by a number of trawlers, to prevent U-boat attacks. After the Irish War of Independence the lough was also one of the Treaty Ports specified in the Anglo-Irish Treaty until its final handing over at Fort Dunree in 1938. There was reportedly only one incident, when a Royal Navy ship entered the lough. However, the turned around before Irish forces fired upon it. List of loughs in Ireland Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway
15.
Ramelton
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Ramelton is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon,11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km east of Milford, the town is named from Ráth Mealtain, an early Gaelic chieftain. The fort is said to lie under the ruins of a castle of the ODonnells. Ramelton was settled by English and Scots planters during the Ulster Plantation of the 17th century and is the site of the oldest Presbyterian church in Ireland, Ramelton is home to a Mr. McLaughlin, who is known to be one of Donegals greatest pintmen. Rumour has it he rivalled the great Paddy Losty, Ramelton also has a Church of Ireland Church of St. Paul, Parish of Tullyaughnish. The town was the setting for the 1995 television serial The Hanging Gale, the town hosts the Lennon Festival, a village fair, since 1970. Ramelton is a Fáilte Ireland designated Heritage Town, Ramelton is serviced by many shops and services within the town. The Town Hall in Ramelton was built in the late 19th century and still has a vital role in the community today
16.
Milford, County Donegal
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Milford or Millford, historically called Ballynagalloglagh, is a small town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. The population at the 2011 census was 1,530, located north of Letterkenny, the town was founded in the 18th century by the Clement family. The Irish Baile na nGallóglach literally means town of the gallóglach, the gallóglaigh were an elite class of mercenary warrior who came from Gaelic-Norse clans in Scotland between the mid 13th century and late 16th century. A battle between the Irish and the English took place on a hill in the townland and this is where the name comes from, Milford also has a health centre, library with council offices and a fire station. Local lakes offer great freshwater fishing, Milford is within close driving distances to four different beaches, Portsalon, Rathmullan, Downings and Tramore. As a feeder town to Letterkenny, Milford is a well located friendly village with a thriving young population. Milford is a centre for education in the community, included are National School, Scoil Mhuire Milford, Two Secondary Schools, Loreto Community School and Mulroy College, and an Adult Education VEC centre. Celtic F. C. and Northern Ireland footballers Patsy Gallacher, list of populated places in Ireland Milford official website Milford Presbyterian Church
17.
Flight of the Earls
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They retained their lands and titles, although with much diminished extent and authority. However, the countryside was laid bare in a campaign of destruction in 1602, ONeill was pardoned under the terms of the Treaty of Mellifont in March 1603 and submitted to the crown. When King James I took the throne in 1603 he quickly proceeded to issue pardons for the Irish lords, as king of Scotland he had a better understanding of the advantages from working with local chiefs in the Scottish Highlands. This was not a new policy but was a well-understood and longstanding practice in the Tudor conquest of Ireland, on 10 September 1602 the Prince of Tyrconnell had already died, allegedly assassinated, in Spain, and his brother succeeded him as 25th Chieftain of the ODonnell clan. He was later granted the Earldom of Tyrconnell by King James I on 4 September 1603, the Ó Catháins had formerly been important subjects of the ONeills and required protection, in turn, Chichester wanted to reduce ONeills authority. An option was to charge ONeill with treason if he did not comply with the new arrangements, the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in the same year made it harder for Catholics to appear loyal to both the crown and the papacy. As the Dublin administration sided with O Cathain, ONeill was invited by King James to make his case in 1607 to the Privy Council in London, by 1607 ONeills allies The Maguire and the Earl of Tyrconnell were finding it hard to maintain their prestige on lower incomes. They planned to seek Spanish support before news of the Battle of Gibraltar arrived, when their ship dropped anchor, ONeill seems to have joined them on impulse. Fearing arrest, they chose to flee to the Continent, where they hoped to recruit an army for the invasion of Ireland with Spanish help, however, earlier in 1607 a Spanish fleet had been destroyed by the Dutch in the Battle of Gibraltar. Also as the Anglo-Spanish War had ended in 1604, King Philip III of Spain wanted to preserve the recent peace with England under its new Stuart dynasty, as a part of the peace proposals, a Spanish princess was to marry James son Henry, though this never transpired. Tyrone ignored all these realities, remained in Italy, and persisted with his plan until his death in exile in 1616. The earls left from the town of Rathmullan with some of the leading Gaelic families in Ulster and their departure was the end of the old Gaelic order, in the sense that the earls were descended from Gaelic clan dynasties that had ruled their parts of Ulster for centuries. The Flight of the Earls was a watershed in Irish history, the Earls set sail from Rathmullan, a village on the shore of Lough Swilly in County Donegal, accompanied by ninety followers, many of them Ulster noblemen, and some members of their families. Several left their wives behind, hoping either to return or retrieve them later and they finally reached the Continent on 4 October 1607. The act was significant as the date of the exile from Rathmullan was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This supposed relic of the True Cross was probably a relic taken from that kept at Holy Cross Abbey. Their destination was Spain, but they disembarked in France, the party proceeded overland to Spanish Flanders, some remaining in Leuven, while the main party continued to Italy. They planned to return to Ireland and campaign for the recovery of their lands, with the support of Spain, tadhg Ó Cianáin subsequently described the journey in great detail
18.
1607 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 1607 in Ireland. September 14 - Flight of the Earls, Hugh ONeill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Rory ODonnell, plantation of Ulster, following the Flight of the Earls. The Kingdom of East Breifne is disestablished and settled by English and Scottish colonists, Sir Randall MacDonnell settles 300 Presbyterian Scots families on his land in Antrim. Enniskillen Castle is taken by the English, lifford comes into the possession of Sir Richard Hansard. Construction of Jamess Fort, protecting Kinsale harbour, is completed to the design of Paul Ive, construction of Prince Ruperts Tower, protecting Cork Harbour, is completed about this date
19.
Carmelite
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However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain. The charism of the Carmelite Order is contemplation, Carmelites understand contemplation in a broad sense encompassing prayer, community, and service. These three elements are at the heart of the Carmelite charism, the most recent statement about the charism of Carmel was in the 1995 Constitutions of the Order, in which Chapter 2 is entirely devoted to the idea of charism. Carmel understands contemplation and action to be complementary, not contradictory, the Order is considered by the Church to be under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and thus has a strong Marian devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. There are also such as active Carmelite sisters. Carmelite tradition traces the origin of the order to a community of hermits on Mount Carmel, There are no certain records of hermits on this mountain before the 1190s. By this date a group of men had gathered at the well of Elijah on Mount Carmel and these men, who had gone to Palestine from Europe either as pilgrims or as crusaders, chose Mount Carmel in part because it was the traditional home of Elijah. The foundation is believed to have dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some time between 1206 and 1214 the hermits, about very little is known, approached St. Albert of Jerusalem. The Rule of St. Albert addresses a prior name is only listed as B. When later required to name their founders, the Brothers referred to both Elijah and the Blessed Virgin as early models of the community. Later, under pressure from other European Mendicant orders to be more specific, virtually nothing is known of the Carmelites from 1214, when Albert died, until 1238. The Rule of St. Albert was approved by Pope Honorius III in 1226, the Carmelites next appear in the historical record, in 1238, when with the increasing cleavage between the West and the East, the Carmelites found it advisable to leave the Near East. Many moved to Cyprus and Sicily, in 1242, the Carmelites migrated west, establishing a settlement at Aylesford, Kent, England, and Hulne, near Alnwick in Northumberland. Two years later, they established a chapter in southern France, settlements were established at Losenham, Kent, and Bradmer, on the north Norfolk coast, before 1247. By 1245 the Carmelites were so numerous in England that they were able to hold their first general chapter at Aylesford, where Saint Simon Stock, then eighty years old, was chosen general. During his rule of twenty years the order prospered, foundations were made at London and Cambridge, Marseilles, Cologne, York, Monpellier, Norwich, Oxford and Bristol, Paris, and elsewhere. By 1274, there were 22 Carmelite houses in England, about the number in France, eleven in Catalonia
20.
Friary
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A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters, or monasteries of monks or nuns, houses of canons regular and canonesses regular also use this term, the alternative being canonry. In pre-Reformation England, if an Abbey church was raised to cathedral status, the bishop, in effect, took the place of the abbot, and the monastery itself was headed by a prior. Priories first came to existence as subsidiaries to the Abbey of Cluny, many new houses were formed that were all subservient to the abbey of Cluny and called Priories. As such, the priory came to represent the Benedictine ideals espoused by the Cluniac reforms as smaller, lesser houses of Benedictines of Cluny. There were likewise many conventual priories in Germany and Italy during the Middle Ages, the Benedictines and their offshoots, the Premonstratensians, and the military orders distinguish between conventual and simple or obedientiary priories. Conventual priories are those autonomous houses which have no abbots, either because the required number of twelve monks has not yet been reached. Simple or obedientiary priories are dependencies of abbeys and their superior, who is subject to the abbot in everything, is called a prior. These monasteries are satellites of the mother abbey, the Cluniac order is notable for being organised entirely on this obedientiary principle, with a single abbot at the Abbey of Cluny, and all other houses dependent priories. Priory may also refer to schools operated or sponsored by the Benedictines, Priory is also used to refer to the geographic headquarters of several commanderies of knights. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Herbermann, Charles
21.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
22.
Sligo
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Sligo is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2014, it is the second largest urban centre in the West of Ireland, the Sligo Borough District constitutes 61% of the countys population of 63,000. Sligo is a historic, cultural, commercial, industrial, retail, served by rail, port and road links, Sligo exerts a significant influence on its hinterland. Sligo is also a popular tourist destination, being situated in an area of outstanding beauty, with many literary. Sligo is the anglicisation of the Irish name Sligeach, meaning abounding in shells or shelly place and it refers to the abundance of shellfish found in the river and its estuary, and from the extensive shell middens in the vicinity. The river now known as the Garavogue meaning little one was originally called the Sligeach. It is listed as one of the seven rivers of Ireland in the 9th century AD tale The Destruction of Da Dergas Hostel. The river Slicech is also referenced in the Annals of Ulster in 1188, the Ordnance Survey letters of 1836 state that cart loads of shells were found underground in many places within the town where houses now stand. The whole area, from the estuary at Sligo, around the coast to the river at Ballysadare Bay, is rich in marine resources which were utilised as far back as the Mesolithic period. The importance of Sligos location in prehistory is demonstrated by the abundance of ancient sites close by, for example, Sligo towns first roundabout was constructed around a megalithic passage tomb at Abbeyquarter North in Garavogue Villas. This is an outlier of the group of monuments at Carrowmore on the Cuil Irra peninsula on the western outskirts of the town. The area around Sligo town has one of the highest densities of archaeological sites in Ireland. It is the place in which all classes of Irish megalithic monuments are to be found together. Knocknarea mountain, capped by the cairn of Miosgan Maeve. Cairns Hill on the edge of the town also has two very large stone cairns. This is the oldest causewayed enclosure so far discovered in Britain or Ireland and it consists of a large area enclosed by a segmented ditch and palisade, and was perhaps an area of commerce and ritual. These monuments are associated with the coming of agriculture and hence the first farmers in Ireland, during the early medieval period the site of Sligo was eclipsed by the importance of the great Columban monastery 5 miles to the north at Drumcliff. By the 12th century there was a bridge and small settlement in existence at the site of the present town, the annalists refer to this Sligo as a sraidbhaile which seems to have consisted of the castle and an attached defensive bawn
23.
1595 in Ireland
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Events from the year 1595 in Ireland. Ongoing - Nine Years War, Rebellion of Hugh ONeill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone, March 25–27 - Battle of Clontibret in County Monaghan, Tyrones forces achieve victory over English troops led by Sir Henry Bagenal in the first major action of the Nine Years War. September 4 - Lieutenant Colonel Richard Wingfield is wounded in a clash with Tyrones troops in Ulster and he is knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir William Russell, in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on 9 November before returning to England. Daniel ODaly, diplomat and historian Approximate date - John Barnewall, Franciscan friar March 2 - John Garvey, Archbishop of Armagh Seamus Ó hÉilidhe, Archbishop of Tuam
24.
Gaelic Ireland
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Gaelic Ireland was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the prehistoric era until the early 17th century. Before the Norman invasion of 1169, Gaelic Ireland comprised the whole island, thereafter, it comprised that part of the country not under foreign dominion at a given time. For most of its history, Gaelic Ireland was a hierarchy of territories ruled by a hierarchy of kings or chiefs. Warfare between these territories was common, occasionally, a powerful ruler was acknowledged as High King of Ireland. Society was made up of clans and, like the rest of Europe, was structured according to class. Throughout this period, the economy was mainly pastoral and money not used. A Gaelic Irish style of dress, music, dance, sport, architecture, Gaelic Ireland was initially pagan and had an oral culture. Inscription in the alphabet began in the protohistoric period, perhaps as early as the 1st century. The conversion to Christianity accompanied the introduction of literature, and much of Irelands rich pre-Christian mythology and sophisticated law code were preserved, in the Early Middle Ages, Ireland was an important centre of learning. Irish missionaries and scholars were influential in western Europe, and helped to spread Christianity to much of Britain, in the 9th century, Vikings began raiding and founding settlements along Irelands coasts and waterways, which became its first large towns. Over time, these settlers were assimilated and became the Norse-Gaels, after the Norman invasion of 1169–71, large swathes of Ireland came under the control of Norman lords, leading to centuries of conflict with the native Irish. The King of England claimed sovereignty over this territory – the Lordship of Ireland –, however, the Gaelic system continued in areas outside Anglo-Norman control. The territory under English control gradually shrank to a known as the Pale and, outside this. In 1542, Henry VIII of England declared the Lordship a Kingdom, the English then began to conquer the island. By 1607, Ireland was fully under English control, bringing the old Gaelic political and social order to an end, Gaelic Ireland had a rich oral culture and appreciation of deeper and intellectual pursuits. Filí and draoithe were held in high regard during Pagan times and orally passed down the history, later, many of their spiritual and intellectual tasks were passed on to Christian monks, after said religion prevailed from the 5th century onwards. However, the continued to hold a high position. Poetry, music, storytelling, literature and other art forms were highly prized and cultivated in both pagan and Christian Gaelic Ireland, hospitality, bonds of kinship and the fulfilment of social and ritual responsibilities were highly important
25.
O'Neill dynasty
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The ONeill dynasty is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaelic origin, that have held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As Chiefs of Cenél nEógain, they are historically the most prominent family of the Northern Uí Néill, along with the ODonnell, the ONeills hold that their ancestors were Kings of Ailech during the Early Middle Ages, as descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. A number of their progenitors and members are named as High Kings of Ireland, such as Niall Glúndub, from 1185 until 1616, the ONeills were sovereign Kings of Tír Eógain, holding territories in the north of Ireland, particularly around what is today County Tyrone. The ONeill clan claims descent from Niall Glúndub, a 10th-century king of Ailech as well as High King of Ireland, Niall descended from the Cenél nEógain branch of the Northern Uí Néill. The first to adopt the surname was Niall Glúndubs great-great-grandson. The ONeill clan does not receive a mention in recorded history until 1160, in 1167 the high-king of Ireland, Ruaidri Ua Concobhair marched north and divided the kingdom of Tír Eoghain into two. The portion north of Slieve Gallion, was given to Niall Mac Lochlainn, with the south of Slieve Gallion. After this the two rival clans contested for control over Tír Eoghain until the battle of Caimeirge in 1241, once the MacLaughlins were defeated, the ONeills spread out and slowly dominated the other client clans across Ulster and the other Irish kingdoms. They used the disruption of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 to their benefit and were able to consolidate their hold on the half of Ulster. The Bruce Invasion of Ireland devastated the Norman Earldom of Ulster, the dominant Gaelic and Anglo-Irish leaders were in tune with their contemporary peers of the Middle Ages in terms of education, international trade, and diplomacy. In 1171, King Henry II of England came to Ireland to remove the authority of the Norman lords in Ireland and he met the leading Irish kings and received the pledge of fealty from them. During the Middle Ages, the ONeills of Tyrone were active politically and militarily throughout Ireland, occasionally sending nobility to fight within Ireland and in campaigns in Europe. From 1312 to 1318, the ONeill kings were staunch supporters of King Robert the Bruce and they sent troops and supported Edward in his attempt to become King of Ireland in 1315. In 1394 Richard II of England deemed King Niall Mor Le Grand ONeill upon a friendly hosting of the two kings. In 1493, Henry VIII of England referred to Henry ONeill, King of Tyrone, as the Chief of the Irish Kings, the ONeills independent stature within Ulster began to change with the ascent of King Henry VIII in England in 1509. Soon after he took the English throne, Henry decided to grasp Ireland via a reputed Papal Bull that claimed to grant the lordship of Ireland to English kings and this was spurred by the 1547 Rising of Silken Thomas Fitzgerald. The ONeills supported their FitzGerald dynasty cousins in that rebellion and had to maneuver politically to keep the English from toppling their power in Ulster when the rising failed, Henry began a policy to reduce the kings in Ireland to the same rank and structure as the English nobility. The last King of Tyrone and first original earldom was one such grant by Henry VIII in 1542 to Conn Bacach ONeill, on the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland
26.
O'Donnell Clan
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The ODonnell dynasty were an ancient and powerful Irish family, kings, princes and lords of Tyrconnell in early times, and the chief allies and sometimes rivals of the ONeills in Ulster. Like the family of ONeill, that of ODonnell of Tyrconnell was of the Uí Néill, i. e. Conall was baptised by St. Patrick. The chi-rho was adopted on a banner, the labarum, upheld on a vexillum, which resembled a Christian cross, according to the Life and Acts of Saint Patrick, commissioned by Sir John de Courcy and written by Jocelyn of Furness, St. His land became Tír Chonaill, Tyrconnell, the land of Conall, conalls Constantinian shield, and this motto, have been the main O’Donnell arms in various forms, through the centuries. They would thence turn right into the atrium of St. Peters Basilica and it would certainly have resonated with and been observed by Cardinal Patrick ODonnell. The jewel in the ODonnell crown was Donegal Castle, one of seven ODonnell castles, nonetheless Tyrconnell existed for a period as an independent kingdom, recognised by King Henry III of England. Gofraidh Ó Domhnaill, the first chieftain, was son of Domhnall Mór Ó Domhnaill, in 1257, Gofraidh was victorious when he went to battle at Creadran-Cille against Brian Ua Néill. Overtime, the ODonnell King of Tyrconnell became known as the Fisher-King, on the Continent, the ODonnells were patrons of the arts, and of religious benefices. In particular, one, Manus, wrote the biography of ColmCille and they also were the patrons of the Franciscans in Donegal Abbey. They also exercised jus patronus to nominate bishops, the O’Donnell rulers of Tyrconnell are also noted for having in the late 12th century given sanctuary to the Donlevy dynasty of Ulaid, after their kingdom had fallen to John de Courcy in 1177. It is in Tyrconnell that a branch of the Donlevys became known as the MacNultys, deriving from the Irish Mac an Ultaigh, meaning son of the Ulsterman, in reference to their former kingdom of Ulaid. During the Donlevy exile in Tyrconnell, The O’Donnell gave them the high Gaelic status of “ollahm leighis” or his official physicians and this union of the MacDonlevy and the ODonnell, though, bore no issue. Later in the early 13th century, the O’Donnell also gave succor to the Ó Cléirigh kings of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, onara married Donnchadh Ó Cléirigh, a son of the Chief of the name of the Ó Cléirigh family then also of Tyconnell. The Ó Cléirigh were too a learned Irish royal family that had lost their sub-kingdom in Uí Fiachrach Aidhne in what is today County Galway to the Anglo-Norman forces of Henry Plantagenet. The Ó Cléirigh then went into service of the O’Donnell as poet historians, scribes and secretaries or official bards, onara bore for Donnchadh a son Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, anglicized Michael O’Cleary, who matured to become the principal author of the Annals of the Four Masters. But for the grace of the O’Donnell, this union would never have occurred. Lector & Inaugurator of the Chieftaincy - OFriel Gallowglass Marshalls & Standard - Bearers - MacSweeney Commanders of Cavalry - OGallagher Custodians of the Cathach of St, in 1541 Manus ODonnell took part in the Surrender and regrant process. In 1567 the ODonnells won the Battle of Farsetmore against the ONeills, during the Nine Years War of 1594-1603, the ODonnells of Tyrconnel played a leading part, led by the famous Prince Red Hugh ODonnell
27.
Continental Europe
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Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe, or, by Europeans, simply the Continent, is the continuous continent of Europe, excluding surrounding islands. This historical core of Carolingian Europe was consciously invoked in the 1950s as the historical basis for the prospective European integration. In both Great Britain and Ireland, the Continent is widely and generally used to refer to the mainland of Europe, an apocryphal British newspaper headline supposedly once read, Fog in Channel, Continent Cut Off. It has also claimed that this was a regular weather forecast in Britain in the 1930s. In addition, the word Europe itself is regularly used to mean Europe excluding the islands of Great Britain, Iceland. The term mainland Europe is also sometimes used, derivatively, the adjective continental refers to the social practices or fashion of continental Europe. Examples include breakfast, topless sunbathing and, historically, long-range driving often known as Grand Touring. Differences include electrical plugs, time zones for the most part, the use of traffic, and for the United Kingdom, currency. Britain is physically connected to continental Europe through the undersea Channel Tunnel and this route is popular with refugees and migrants seeking to enter the UK. Especially in Germanic studies, continental refers to the European continent excluding the Scandinavian peninsula, Britain, Ireland, and Iceland. The reason for this is that although the Scandinavian peninsula is attached to continental Europe, kontinenten is a vernacular Swedish expression that refers to the area excluding Sweden, Norway, and Finland but including Denmark and the rest of continental Europe. In Norway, similarly, one speaks about Kontinentet as an entity, usually referring to Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Benelux countries. Today, the Scandinavian peninsula is accessible by train and road with several bridge/tunnel structures connecting the Danish peninsula of Jutland to Scania in Sweden. The Continent may sometimes refer to the part of Italy, the continental part of Spain, the continental part of France. The term is used from the perspective of the residents of each country to describe the continental portion of their country or the continent as a whole. Continental philosophy Geopolitical divisions of Europe Geographical midpoint of Europe Mainland Western Europe Hajnal line
28.
Bishop of Raphoe
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The Bishop of Raphoe is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a title. In the earliest period of the diocese, the see was often referred to as Tír Conaill. It was also written as Ráith Both, the Middle Irish spelling of the location. In 1266, Bishop Germanus of Derry forcibly transferred the Inishowen peninsula from jurisdiction of the diocese of Raphoe to Derry, after the Reformation, there were parallel episcopal successions. In the Church of Ireland, the title continued until 1834 when it united with Derry and formed the united bishopric of Derry, in the Roman Catholic Church, the title continues as a separate bishopric. The current Incumbent is the Most Reverend Philip Boyce, O. C. D, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe, who was appointed by Pope John Paul II on 29 June 1995 and received episcopal ordination on 1 October 1995
29.
Napoleonic Wars
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The wars resulted from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and the Revolutionary Wars, which had raged on for years before concluding with the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. Napoleon became the First Consul of France in 1799, then Emperor five years later, inheriting the political and military struggles of the Revolution, he created a state with stable finances, a strong central bureaucracy, and a well-trained army. The British frequently financed the European coalitions intended to thwart French ambitions, by 1805, they had managed to convince the Austrians and the Russians to wage another war against France. At sea, the Royal Navy destroyed a combined Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar in October 1805, Prussian worries about increasing French power led to the formation of the Fourth Coalition in 1806. France then forced the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to sign the Treaties of Tilsit in July, although Tilsit signified the high watermark of the French Empire, it did not bring a lasting peace for Europe. Hoping to extend the Continental System and choke off British trade with the European mainland, Napoleon invaded Iberia, the Spanish and the Portuguese revolted with British support. The Peninsular War lasted six years, featured extensive guerrilla warfare, the Continental System caused recurring diplomatic conflicts between France and its client states, especially Russia. Unwilling to bear the consequences of reduced trade, the Russians routinely violated the Continental System. The French launched an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The resulting campaign witnessed the collapse and retreat of the Grand Army along with the destruction of Russian lands. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in a Sixth Coalition against France, a lengthy military campaign culminated in a large Allied army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813. The Allies then invaded France and captured Paris in the spring of 1814 and he was exiled to the island of Elba near Rome and the Bourbons were restored to power. However, Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and took control of France once again, the Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June. The Congress of Vienna, which started in 1814 and concluded in 1815, established the new borders of Europe and laid out the terms, Napoleon seized power in 1799, creating a de facto military dictatorship. The Napoleonic Wars began with the War of the Third Coalition, Kagan argues that Britain was irritated in particular by Napoleons assertion of control over Switzerland. Furthermore, Britons felt insulted when Napoleon stated that their country deserved no voice in European affairs, for its part, Russia decided that the intervention in Switzerland indicated that Napoleon was not looking toward a peaceful resolution of his differences with the other European powers. The British quickly enforced a blockade of France to starve it of resources. Napoleon responded with economic embargoes against Britain, and sought to eliminate Britains Continental allies to break the coalitions arrayed against him, the so-called Continental System formed a league of armed neutrality to disrupt the blockade and enforce free trade with France
30.
Ian Anderson (Manx politician)
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Robert John Gurney Anderson, known as Ian Anderson, was a former President of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man. Mr Anderson was born in Glencross, Rathmullan, County Donegal, Ireland and he left school at the age of 13 and joined the Belfast Technical College before moving to the Isle of Man in 1946. In 1963 Ian was elected as a member of Patrick commissioners, in 1982 he was elevated to the Legislative Council and remained a member until retiring from Tynwald in 1993. In 1988 he was elected as the, second ever non-Governor and he served until 1990 when the constitution was altered and Sir Charles Kerruish became ex officio President. Ian Anderson also held many Ministerial-level appointments during his career and he died on 11 January 2005. His son is David Anderson MHK
31.
List of abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland
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List of monastic houses in Ireland is a catalogue of the abbeys, priories, friaries and other monastic religious houses in Ireland. This article provides a gazetteer for the whole of Ireland, to navigate the listings on this page, use the map or the table of contents. Foundations are listed alphabetically within each county, formal Name or Dedication, shows the formal name of the establishment or the person in whose name the church is dedicated, where known. Alternative Names, some of the establishments have had alternative names over the course of time, in order to assist in text-searching such alternatives in name or spelling have been provided. Monastic Glossary, following the listing, provides links to articles on the monastic orders as well as other terms which appear in the listing. In this article smaller establishments such as cells and notable monastic granges, kathleen Hughes & Ann Hamlin The Modern Traveller to the Early Irish Church, Four Courts Press
32.
Lifford
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Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council. Lifford lies in the Finn Valley area of East Donegal where the River Finn meets the River Mourne to create the River Foyle, the Burn Deele, a burn, flows into the River Foyle just north of Lifford. The town grew up around a castle there by Manghus Ó Domhnaill, ruler of Tír Chonaill. It later became a British Army garrison town until Ireland won independence as a dominion in early December 1922 and it lies across the River Foyle from Strabane and is linked to that town by Lifford Bridge. Manus ODonnell began building the castle in 1527 on the Wednesday after St. Brendans day and he completed the masonry and woodwork by the end of that summer even though the O’Neill’s of Tyrone were at war with him. In 1543 the castle of Leithbher was given to Cahir OGallagher to be guarded for the O’Donnell clan and he then proceeded to banish the people loyal to the O’Donnell’s from the castle so that he could keep it for himself. In 1544 Calvagh, the son of ODonnell, went to the English Lord Justice, and brought back English soldiers with him to Tirconnell, the olden name for County Donegal. ODonnell, Calvagh, and these men went with ‘ordnance and engines for taking towns’ to the castle of Lifford to take it back from the descendants of the OGallaghers. Cahir, the son of Tuathal Balbh & Turlough, the son of Felim Fin OGallagher, as the English attacked one was killed instantly so they killed Cahir, the son of Tuathal on the spot. The castle was surrendered to O’Donnell to spare the life of Turlough. The Battle of Lifford was fought in 1600 during Tyrones Rebellion, following the defeat of ODohertys Rebellion at the Battle of Kilmacrennan in 1608, a number of captured rebels were brought to Lifford where they were tried by Irish civilian courts and executed. The most notable rebel to be executed was Phelim Reagh MacDavitt, in 1611 Lifford came into the possession of Sir Richard Hansard during the Plantation of Ulster. One of the conditions of his grant was that a ferry crossing be provided over the River Finn and this service continued until 1730 when the first bridge linking Lifford and Strabane was built. In some of the cases of counties Donegal and Tyrone this would have been the middle of Lifford Bridge, the present bridge was constructed by engineering company McAlpines in 1964, jointly funded by Donegal County Council and the old Tyrone County Council. During The Troubles in 1968, an attempt was made to blow the bridge up, However, it was only closed for a short time and today remains an important road link. Lifford achieved national recognition in the 2008 Tidy Towns Awards as the best newcomer to the competition in Category C, Lifford was once a constituency that elected two M. P. s from the area to the Irish House of Commons from the years 1692 until 1800. More information on who represented the area can be here at Lifford
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Ballybofey
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Ballybofey is a town located on the south bank of the River Finn, County Donegal, Ireland. Along with the town of Stranorlar on the north side of the River Finn. The town grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, Ballybofey also plays host to the Twin Towns Festival which takes place annually. The centrepiece of the festival is a parade on the Sunday, the last of these took place on 19 August 2007. There are no schools or churches in the town of Ballybofey itself, just a few miles west of Ballybofey, on the main road to Fintown, is the Glenmore Estate, located at Welchtown. The estate formerly included Glenmore Lodge, a house that stood on the opposite, southern bank of the River Finn. The house was built in the Georgian-style in the mid-to-late-18th-century. It was re-worked for Sir William Styles in the neo-Tudor-style in the early 20th-century, the house was demolished in the 1990s. The private estate is now famous for its fishing and hunting, the Balor Arts Centre is a state of the art theatre complex, based in the heart of Ballybofey. The main auditorium holds 300 seats, incorporating 56 seats in the balcony, the Butt Drama Circle celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, having started out in the Butt Hall in 1959. The BDC is basically a drama club which has expanded its remit considerably. Apart from its own amateur drama productions, and participating in regional and national drama festivals, Ballybofey is home to Finn Park where League of Ireland side Finn Harps play their home games. Seán MacCumhail Park is also located in Ballybofey, where the Donegal senior football team play most of their home games, the Isaac Butt Memorial Hall is named after him. Ballybofey railway station opened on 3 June 1895, but finally closed on 15 December 1947, list of populated places in Ireland Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland Ballybofey/Stranorlar Fiach Arts Twin Town Oils
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Ballyshannon
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Ballyshannon is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the end of the county where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne. Ballyshannon, which means The Mouth of Seannachs Ford, after a warrior, Seannach. Just west of the town, the Erne widens and its waters meander over a long sandy estuary, the northern bank of the river rises steeply away from the riverbank, while the southern bank is flat with a small cliff that runs parallel to the river. From its idyllic setting, the town looks out over the estuary and has views of mountains, lakes. This site yielded numerous artefacts including silver long cross pennies and halfpennies dating from the reign of Henry III, other finds included bone beads, shroud pins, and pieces of quartz which were found placed in the hands of many of the skeletons. Nothing remains to mark either tomb, the last vestige of the mound on Mullaghnashee having been obliterated in 1798 when a fort was constructed on the hill-top. The 18th-century churchyard and the burial ground were both referred to as Sidh Aedh Ruaidh, the Fairy Mound of Red Hugh. The sheeman in Mullgoose means fairies, the Vikings, according to the Annals of Ulster, attacked nearby Inishmurray Island in 795. Later they used the River Erne to attack inland, burning Devenish Island Monastery in 822, the Annals also record that in 836, all the churches of Loch Erne, together with Cluain Eois and Daimhinis were destroyed by the gentiles. In 923 and 916 respectively, a fleet of foreigners on Loch Erne plundered the islands of the lake, as well as the surrounding territories. But the salmon-leap at Ballyshannon is a scene of such a nature, as is not to be found elsewhere. It was in Ballyshannon, around 1793, that Viscount Castlereagh, known at the time as The Hon. Robert Stewart, he was serving as a young Army officer and M. P. for Down in the Irish Parliament at the time. Lodging in the old Military Barracks in the town, Stewart retired for the night, looking into the fire he saw the form of a boy emerge from the flames, grow larger and larger and vanish. The radiant boy is a figure in English and Irish folklore. William Allingham later wrote a poem about the incident, the Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway opened in 1868 and had a station at Ballyshannon. The Great Northern Railway operated the E&BR line from 1876 and absorbed the company in 1896, the partition of Ireland in 1922 turned the boundary with County Fermanagh into an international frontier. Henceforth Ballyshannons only railway link with the rest of the Irish Free State was via Northern Ireland, the Government of Northern Ireland closed much of the GNR network on its side of the border in 1957, including the E&BR as far as the border
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Buncrana
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Buncrana is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula,23 kilometres northwest of Derry and 43 kilometres north of Letterkenny. In the 2011 census, the population was 6,839 making it the second most populous town in County Donegal, after Letterkenny, and the largest in Inishowen. Buncrana is the home of the ODoherty clan and originally developed around the defensive tower known as ODohertys Keep at the mouth of the River Crana. The town moved to its present location just south of the River Crana when George Vaughan built the street in 1718. The town was a centre for the textile industry in County Donegal from the 19th century until the mid-2000s. On the northern bank of the River Crana as it enters Lough Swilly sits the three-story ODohertys Keep, the first two levels of the keep were built after 1333. In 1601 the ODohertys Keep was described as being a small, two-story castle, in 1602 the third level was added and it was upgraded by Hugh Boy ODoherty as an intended base for Spanish military aid that hoped to land at Inch. The keep was burned by Crown forces in 1608 in reprisal for the rebellion of Sir Cahir ODoherty, after Sir Cahir ODoherty was killed at the Battle of Kilmacrennan, he was attaindered and his land seized. The keep was granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, who leased it to Englishman Henry Vaughan. It was erected on the site of Buncrana, which had grown up in the shadow of the keep. Vaughan moved the town to its present location, where he founded the current main street and his nephews inherited the castles, and they later became known as the Thornton-Todds. The castle remains as a home today. In the forecourt there is a rock in honour of Sir Cahir ODoherty. When John Newton and his shipmates on The Greyhound found a haven in Lough Swilly on 8 April 1748 after a devastating Atlantic storm, he saw his survival as divine intervention, the refuge of the Swilly and Buncrana area laid a spiritual foundation for a reformed later life. In 1764 he became a Church of England clergyman and subsequently, as curate at Olney in Buckinghamshire, one of the oldest remaining inhabited residences in Buncrana is a Georgian property called Westbrook House, situated at the entrance to Swan Park just north of the town center of Buncrana. The house was built in 1807 by Judge Wilson, who built the single-arch stone bridge leading to the house. In October 1905, Buncrana was the first town in County Donegal to receive electricity and it was generated at Swan Mill which continued to provide electricity for the town until September 1954 when Buncrana was brought under the ESB Rural Electrification Scheme
