| Ireland Éire Airlann | |
|---|---|
 Northwest of continental Europe with Great Britain to the east | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Western Europe |
| Area | 84,412 km² (32,591 sq mi) |
| Rank | 20th |
| Highest point | Carrauntoohil 1,038 m (3,406 ft) |
| Administration | |
 Ireland | |
| Largest city | Dublin |
 United Kingdom | |
| Constituent country | Northern Ireland |
| Largest city | Belfast |
| Demographics | |
| Population | approximately 6 million (as of 2007) |
| Indigenous people | Irish |
Ireland (pronunciation /ˈaɾlənd/ or /ˈaɪɾlənd/; Irish: Éire; Ulster Scots: Airlann) is the third largest island in Europe,[1] and the twentieth-largest island in the world. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2500 km² (970 square miles Carrauntoohil (ˌkærənˈtuːl) also spelt Carrantuohill and in various other ways is a mountain located in County Kerry, Ireland, and is the Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Éire (ˈeːrʲə) is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and of the state of the same name. This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2500 km² (970 square miles [2] It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the Continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European For human anatomy see Islets of Langerhans An islet is a small Island. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Politically, the state Ireland (described as the Republic of Ireland in cases of ambiguity) covers five-sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, covering the remainder in the north-east. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Ambiguity (Am-big-u-i-ty is the property of being ambiguous, where a Word, term notation sign Symbol, Phrase, sentence, or any Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
The population of the island is slightly over 6 million (2007), with 4. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology 4 million in the Republic of Ireland[3] (1. 7 million in Greater Dublin[4]) and an estimated 1. Introduction The term is described in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Section 21 and a number of other statutory instruments for the purposes of Planning 75 million in Northern Ireland[5] (800,000 in Greater Belfast[6]). Greater Belfast (Irish Mórcheantar Bhéal Feirste) is an area surrounding and including Belfast in Northern Ireland. This is a significant increase from a modern historical low in the 1960s, but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 million in the early 19th century, prior to the Great Hunger (1840s famine).
The name Ireland derives from the name Ériu (in modern Irish, Éire) with the addition of the Germanic word land. In Irish mythology, Ériu (/ˈeːrʲu/ daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron Goddess of Ireland Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Most other western European names for Ireland derive from the same source, such as French Irlande, Spanish, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese Irlanda, German Irland and Dutch Ierland. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname
Political geography
The island of Ireland has two distinct jurisdictions:
- Ireland (description is the Republic of Ireland),[7] a sovereign state, covers five-sixths of the island. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Its capital is Dublin. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland.
- Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, covers the remaining sixth. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Its capital is Belfast. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland.
For the political history of the island, see History of Ireland. The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental
| Province | Population | Area (km²) | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|
 Connacht | 503,083 | 17,713 | Galway |
 Leinster | 2,292,939 | 19,774 | Dublin |
 Munster | 1,172,170 | 24,608 | Cork |
 Ulster | 1,993,918[8] | 24,481 | Belfast |
Traditionally, Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster; and, in a system developed between the 13th and 17th centuries, 32 counties. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae Twenty-six of the counties are in the Republic of Ireland, and the remaining six (all in Ulster) are in Northern Ireland. Notably, based on boundaries established in the Early Modern period, Ulster and Northern Ireland are neither synonymous nor co-extensive, as three counties of Ulster (Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan) are part of the Republic. County Cavan ( Contae an Chabháin in Irish) is a County in Ireland. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. County Monaghan ('mɔnəhən Irish: Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. Nonetheless, 'Ulster' is often used colloquially as a synonym for Northern Ireland. Counties Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Tipperary have been broken up into smaller administrative areas, but are still considered by Ordnance Survey Ireland to be official counties. The counties in Northern Ireland are no longer used for local government, although their traditional boundaries are still used in sports and in some other cultural and ceremonial areas.
All-island institutions
Despite the constitutional division of Ireland, the island does operate as a single entity in a number of areas. With a few notable exceptions, the island operates as a single unit in all major religious denominations and in many economic fields despite using two different currencies. There are also significant all-island dimensions to sports such as rugby, cricket and hockey. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Field hockey is a Team sport in which players attempt to score goals by hitting the Ball across the pitch with a stick
For example most of the popular sports on the island operate on an all-Ireland basis, such as Gaelic games, rugby union and golf. Gaelic games are the traditional sports played in Ireland. The two main Gaelic games are Gaelic football and Hurling, both of which are organised by the The notable exception to this is Association football (where the previously all-island Irish Football Association following partition retained control of soccer only in Northern Ireland, with a separate Football Association of Ireland being formed for the remainder of the island) although an all-Ireland club cup competition, the Setanta Cup, was created in 2005. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Irish Football Association ( IFA) is the organising body for football in Northern Ireland, and had historically been the governing body for the whole The Football Association of Ireland ( FAI; Irish: Cumann Peile na h-Éireann) is the governing body for the sport of association football (soccer The Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of The creation of an all-island Association football league and a single international team (which is the case for rugby union) has been publicly touted by various prominent figures on the island in recent years, such as Irish government minister Dermot Ahern. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. Dermot Christopher Ahern (Diarmuid Críostóir Ó hEachthigheirn born 2 February 1955 is an Irish Politician and Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform [9] More recently, FAI chief executive John Delaney believes there will be an all-Ireland league, but not before 2012, as a contract involving the Eircom League and the FAI runs to 2011. [10] There is currently at least one player from Northern Ireland regularly appearing in the Republic of Ireland's squad, a practice that the latter's governing institution and the Irish government claim is permitted by the Belfast Agreement - although in reality there was apparently nothing to prevent the FAI from selecting players from Northern Ireland before the Agreement, since the Republic of Ireland's citizenship laws already extended north of the border. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement (Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste Belfast Greeance or the Good Friday Agreement (Comhaontú Aoine an Nonetheless, Northern Ireland's governing body, the IFA, has raised the matter with the world governing body, FIFA, which appears to have ruled in favour of the Republic (although the matter remains unclear and therefore unresolved). The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football)
All major religious bodies are organised on an all-Ireland basis, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Church of Ireland/Anglican Church and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Methodist Church in Ireland has approximately 80000 members across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (or PCI (Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Some trade unions are also organised on an all-island basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom, and some affiliate to both — although such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Great Britain. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU, formed in 1959 by the merger The Trades Union Congress (TUC is a national trade union centre, a federation of Trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) organises jointly in Northern Ireland with the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom (NUS), under the name NUS-USI. The Union of Students in Ireland (Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn is the national representative body for third-level Students' unions in Ireland. NUS-USI, the Student movement in Northern Ireland was formed in 1972 by Bilateral agreement between the National Union of Students of the
The Belfast Agreement provides for all-Ireland governance in various guises. For example, a North-South Ministerial Council was established as a forum in which ministers from the Irish government and the Northern Ireland Assembly can discuss matters of mutual concern and formulate all-Ireland policies in twelve "areas of co-operation", such as agriculture, the environment and transport. The North/South Ministerial Council ( NSMC)' ( Irish: An Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh/Theas, Ulster Scots: The Noarth-Sooth Cooncil o The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Six of these policy areas have been provided with implementation bodies, an example of which is the Food Safety Promotion Board. Tourism marketing is also managed on an all-Ireland basis, by Tourism Ireland. Tourism Ireland is the Marketing body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas
Two political parties, Sinn Féin and the Irish Green Party, contest elections and hold parliamentary seats in both jurisdictions. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 The Green Party (Comhaontas Glas lit Green Alliance) is a green Political party in Ireland. The largest party in the Republic of Ireland, Fianna Fáil, considered extending its organisation into Northern Ireland, perhaps via a merger with another political party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the The Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP; Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland [11]
A significant number of newspapers on the island are circulated in both jurisdictions, e. g. , the Irish Times, The Irish Independent, The Sunday Business Post, The Irish Star, Lá Nua etc. The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet news paper launched in the late 1850s. The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest selling daily newspaper The Sunday Business Post is an Irish national Sunday Newspaper published by Post Publications Limited. The Irish Daily Star (formerly known simply as The Star) is a Tabloid Newspaper published in Ireland by Independent Star Limited Lá Nua (meaning 'New Day' is an Irish language Daily newspaper based in Belfast. and report news on an all-Ireland basis. Others include Irish editions of tabloids such as : Ireland-based The Sunday World and the Irish editions of UK-based The News of The World. The Sunday World is an Irish Newspaper published by Sunday Newspapers Limited a division of Independent News and Media. The News of the World is a British Tabloid Newspaper published every Sunday The Irish Times includes news concerning Northern Ireland in its "Home" section, despite the fact that it is based in the Republic. Notable exceptions to this include, The Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life (although these titles are owned by Ireland-based Independent News and Media, publisher of The Irish Independent. The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News and Media. Independent News & Media plc ( INM) is a media organisation based in Dublin, Ireland with interests in 22 countries on 4 continentsworldwide ) Other Irish Newspaper publishers like Independent News and Media and Thomas Crosbie Holdings publish local titles for townlands in both parts of Ireland. Thomas Crosbie Holdings ( TCH) is a media and Publishing group based in Cork, Ireland. Furthermore, most of the television stations based on the island broadcast across the whole island, such as RTÉ, TG4 and UTV (although signals may be relatively weaker in more remote areas). TG4 ( Spoken as TG Ceathair or TG a Ceathair; tiː dʒiː kʲahəɾʲ is a Television channel in Ireland, aimed For other uses of the UTV acronym see UTV (disambiguation UTV (formerly Ulster Television) is a Television channel based
An increasingly large amount of commercial activity operates on an all-Ireland basis,[12] a development that is in part facilitated by the two jurisdictions' shared membership of the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in There have been calls for the creation of an "all-island economy" from members of the business community and policy-makers on both sides of the border, so as to benefit from economies of scale and boost competitiveness in both jurisdictions. [13] This is a stated aim of the Irish government and nationalist political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and [14] One commercial area in which the island already operates largely as a single entity is the electricity market. [15] and there are plans for the creation of an all-island gas market. [16]
17 March is celebrated throughout the island of Ireland as St. Patrick's Day. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Saint Patrick's Day (Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig) colloquially St
Physical geography
A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The geography of Ireland describes an Island in Northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. In Geography, a plain is an area of land with relatively low relief — meaning that it is flat The highest peak is Carrauntoohil (Irish: Corrán Tuathail) in County Kerry, which is 1,038 m (3,406 ft). Carrauntoohil (ˌkærənˈtuːl) also spelt Carrantuohill and in various other ways is a mountain located in County Kerry, Ireland, and is the Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. County Kerry ( Contae Chiarraí in Irish) is a southwestern county of Ireland. [17] The River Shannon, at 386 km (240 miles) is the longest river in Ireland. The River Shannon ( Sionainn or Sionna in Irish) is at 386 km (240 miles the longest river in Ireland. [18] The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". A sobriquet is a Nickname or a fancy name usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a Pseudonym assumed as a disguise but a nickname which is familiar The island's area is 84,412 km²[19] (32,591 square miles).
Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western counties. These areas are largely mountainous and rocky, with dramatic green vistas, hence the attributive name "the Emerald Isle". In its most general sense a panorama is any wide view of a physical space
Climate
Overall, Ireland has a mild, but changeable, Oceanic climate with few extremes. An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes The warmest recorded air temperature was 33. 3 °C (91. 94 °F) at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny on 26 June 1887, where as the lowest recorded temperature was −19. Kilkenny Castle ( is a Castle in Kilkenny, Ireland. It was the seat of the Butler family County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 1 °C (−2. 38 °F) at Markree Castle, County Sligo on 16 January 1881. Markree Castle, in Collooney, Co Sligo, Ireland is a small family run hotel County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [20]
Other statistics show that the greatest recorded annual rainfall was 3,964. 9 mm (156. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 1 in) in the Ballaghbeena Gap in 1960. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The driest year on record was 1887, with only 356. 6 mm (14. 0 in) of rain recorded at Glasnevin, while the longest period of absolute drought was in Limerick where there was no recorded rainfall over 38 days during April and May of 1938. Glasnevin ( Glas Naíon, Glas Na’on - Stream of the Infants; also known as Glas Naedhe - O'Naeidhe’s Stream (after an ancient Chieftain [21]
The climate is typically insular, and as a result of the moderating moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the South-Western Atlantic, it is temperate, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes.
Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is light overall, particularly in the east. The west, however, tends to be wetter on average and prone to the full force of Atlantic storms, more especially in the late autumn and winter months, which occasionally bring destructive winds and high rainfall totals to these areas, as well as snow and hail. The regions of North Galway and East Mayo have the highest incidents of recorded lightning annually (5 to 10 days per year). Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. [22] Munster in the south records the least snow with Ulster in the north more prone to snow. Some areas along the south and southwest coasts have not had any lying snow since February 1991.
Inland areas are warmer in summer, and colder in winter - there are usually around 40 days of below freezing temperatures (0 °C/32 °F) at inland weather stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently 1995, 2003, 2006. Country-by-country France In France, 14802 people&mdashmostly elderly&mdashdied from heat according to the country's largest funeral service Country-by-country Belgium Belgium experienced two heat waves in July 2006
Geology
Geologically the island consists of a number of provinces - in the far west around Galway and Donegal is a medium to high grade metamorphic and igneous complex of Caledonide (Scottish Highland) affinity. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. The Caledonian orogeny is a mountain building event recorded in the Mountains and Hills of northern Scotland, Ireland, England, Across southeast Ulster and extending southwest to Longford and south to Navan is a province of Ordovician and Silurian rocks with more affinities with the Southern Uplands province of Scotland. Longford ( An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. Navan (ˈnævən) is the largest town and County town or administrative capital of County Meath, Ireland. The Southern Uplands is the southernmost of Scotland 's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Belt and the Highlands) Further south, there is an area along the Wexford coast of granite intrusives into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks with a more Welsh affinity. Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord" – veisa meaning "mudflat stagnant pool" In Geology, an intrusion is a body of Igneous rock that has Crystallized from molten Magma below the surface of the Earth.
In the southwest, around Bantry Bay and the mountains of Macgillicuddy's Reeks, is an area of substantially deformed but only lightly metamorphosed Devonian-aged rocks. Bantry Bay ( Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe is a Bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. Macgillycuddy's Reeks ( Irish: Na Cruacha Dubha, meaning "The Black Stacks" are a Mountain range in County Kerry, Ireland Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change
This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of Carboniferous limestone over the centre of the country, giving rise to the comparatively fertile and famously "lush" landscape of the country. The west coast district of The Burren around Lisdoonvarna has well developed karst features. The Burren ( Boirinn is the modern form used by the Ordnance Survey) is a unique Karst -landscape region in northwest County Clare, Lisdoonvarna ( is a Spa town of 800 people in County Clare in Ireland. Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble Bedrock, usually Carbonate rock such as Limestone Elsewhere, significant stratiform lead-zinc mineralisation is found in the limestones (around Silvermines and Tynagh). Silvermines is a Village in the Silvermines mountain range It is named after a former silver mining site in County Tipperary in Ireland. Tynagh ( Tíne in Irish) is a village and parish in south-east County Galway in Ireland.
Hydrocarbon exploration is continuing. The first major find was the Kinsale Head gas field off Cork/Cobh by Marathon Oil in the mid-1970s. The Old Head of Kinsale is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Marathon Oil Corporation, based in Houston Texas, is a worldwide Oil and Natural gas exploration and production company More recently, in 1999, Enterprise Oil announced the discovery of the Corrib Gas Field. The Corrib gas project entails exploiting a Natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. This has increased activity off the west coast in parallel with the "West of Shetland" step-out development from the North Sea hydrocarbon province. North Sea oil refers to oil and Natural gas ( Hydrocarbons produced from Oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea. North Sea oil refers to oil and Natural gas ( Hydrocarbons produced from Oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea. Exploration continues, with a frontier well planned north of Donegal for August 2006 and continuing drilling of prospects in the Irish Sea and St Georges Channel.
Wildlife
Ireland has fewer animal and plant species than either Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island shortly after the end of the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests temperate deciduous forest) --> are a Temperate and Humid Biome. Peat is an accumulation of partially Decayed Vegetation matter. A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also According to the WWF, the territory of Ireland can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Celtic broadleaf forests and North Atlantic moist mixed forests. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "
Fauna
Only 26 land mammal species are native to Ireland, because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. There is a wide range of species to be found on the island of Ireland. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets Some species, such as the red fox, hedgehog, and badger are very common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer and pine marten are less so. The Red Fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is a Mammal of the order Carnivora. A hedgehog is any of the small spiny Mammals of the Subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. Badger is the Common name for any animal of three subfamilies which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same Mammal family as the The Mountain Hare ( Lepus timidus) is a Hare, which is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats The Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest Deer species Aquatic wild-life, such as species of turtle, shark, whale, and dolphin, are common off the coast. Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of Sharks ( Superorder Selachimorpha) are a type of Fish with a full cartilaginous Skeleton and a highly streamlined body Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. About 400 species of birds have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these are migratory, including the Barn Swallow. The Barn Swallow ( Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of Swallow in the world Most of Ireland's bird species come from Iceland, Greenland, Africa among other territories. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the There are no snakes in Ireland and only one reptile (the common lizard) is native to the country. The viviparous lizard, common lizard, common lacerta, mammal-like lizard or viviparous lacerta ( Zootoca vivipara, formerly Extinct species include the great Irish elk, the wolf, the great auk, and others. The Irish Elk or Giant Deer, Megaloceros giganteus was a species of Megaloceros and one of the largest Deer that ever lived The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, formerly of the Genus Alca, is a Bird that became extinct in the mid-19th century Some previously extinct birds, such as the Golden Eagle, have recently been reintroduced after decades of extirpation. The Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere Local extinction is where a Species (or other Taxon) ceases to exist in the chosen area of study but still exists elsewhere
Agriculture drives current land use patterns in Ireland, limiting natural habitat preserves,[23] particularly for larger wild mammals with greater territorial needs. With no top predator in Ireland, populations of animals that cannot be controlled by smaller predators (such as the fox) are controlled by annual culling, i. e. semi-wild populations of deer.
Flora
Phytogeographically, Ireland belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. This is the parent page for the list of Vascular plants of Britain and Ireland Many lists of Trees of Britain and Ireland have been written There are a number of issues surrounding the inclusion of a Species in such a list Phytogeography, also called geobotany is the branch of Biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution of Plant Species, or more generally Vaccinium vitis-idaea 20060824 003jpg|thumb|right| Vaccinium vitis-idaea ]]Alnus-viridis Rhododendron-palustreJPG|thumb|right| Rhododendron tomentosum ]]The Boreal Kingdom or Holarctic Kingdom ( Holarctis) is a Floristic kingdom Until mediæval times Ireland was heavily forested with oak, pine, beech and birch. The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. For the babyfood see Beech-Nut. Beech ( Fagus) is a genus of ten Species of Deciduous Trees in the Birch is the name of any Tree of the genus Betula ( Bé-tu-la) in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the Forests now cover about 9% (4,450 km² or one million acres) of the land. [24] Because of its mild climate, many species, including sub-tropical species such as palm trees, are grown in Ireland. The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid or commonly palm tree) the palm family is a family of Flowering Much of the land is now covered with pasture, and there are many species of wild-flower. Gorse (Ulex europaeus), a wild furze, is commonly found growing in the uplands, and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in the western parts of Ireland. Gorse ( Ulex) comprises a Genus of about 20 species of Evergreen Shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family It is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island. The country has been "invaded" by some grasses, such as Spartina anglica. Spartina anglica ( Common Cordgrass) is a species of Cordgrass that originated in southern England in about 1870. [25]
The algal and seaweed flora is that of the cold-temperate. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms The total number of species is:- Rhodophyta: 264; Heterokontophyta: 152; Chloropyta: 114; Cyanophyta: 31 giving a total of 574. The red algae (Rhodophyta ˌroʊdəˈfaɪtə roʊˈdɒfɨtə from Greek: ῥόδον (rhodon = rose + φυτόν (phyton = plant thus red plant are The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of Eukaryotes presently containing about 10500 known species The green algae (singular green alga) are the large group of Algae from which the Embryophytes (higher plants emerged Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, blue-green bacteria or Cyanophyta, is a phylum of Bacteria that obtain their energy Rarer species include: Itonoa marginifera (J. Ag. ) Masuda & Guiry); Schmitzia hiscockiana Maggs and Guiry; Gelidiella calcicola Maggs & Guiry; Gelidium maggsiae Rico & Guiry and Halymenia latifolia P. Schmitzia hiscockiana Maggs & Guiry is a small rare red Seaweed or marine Alga of the Rhodophyta or red algae Gelidiella calcicola Maggs and Guiry is a rare seaweed species in the Rhodophyta, described for the first time in 1987 Crouan & H. Crouan ex Kützing. [26] The country has been invaded by some algae, some of which are now well established: Asparagopsis armara Harvey - which originated in Australia and was first recorded by M. De Valera in 1939; Colpomenia peregrina Sauvageau - now locally abundant and first recorded in the 1930s; Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt - now well established in a number of localities on the south, west, and north-east coasts, ; Codium fragile ssp. Colpomenia peregrina (Sauvageau Hamel is a Seaweed ( Alga) not native to the British Isles but recorded in Ireland since 1934 Sargassum is a genus of generally planktonic (free-floating macroalgae ( Seaweed) in the order Fucales. fragile (formerly reported as ssp. tomentosum) - now well established. [27] Codium fragile ssp. atlanticum has recently been established to be native, although for many years it was regarded as an alien species.
The impact of agriculture
The long history of agricultural production coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods (such as pesticide and fertiliser use) has placed pressure on biodiversity in Ireland. "Runoff" of contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes impact the natural fresh-water ecosystems. A land of green fields for crop cultivation and cattle rearing limits the space available for the establishment of native wild species. Hedgerows however, traditionally used for maintaining and demarcating land boundaries, act as a refuge for native wild flora. Their ecosystems stretch across the countryside and act as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. Subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy which supported these agricultural practices are undergoing reforms. The Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP) is a system of European Union Agricultural subsidies and programmes [28] The CAP still subsidises some potentially destructive agricultural practices, however, the recent reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements. [28]
Forest covers about 10% of the country, with most designated for commercial production. [29] Forested areas typically consist of monoculture plantations of non-native species which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting a broad range of native species of invertebrates. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the country, in particular in the Killarney National Park. Killarney National Park (Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne is located beside the town of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by deer and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. This is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country. [30]
History
A long cold climatic spell prevailed until the end of the last glacial period about 9,000 years ago, and most of Ireland was covered with ice. The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental The last Ice Age came to an end in Ireland about 10000 BC. Human occupation of Ireland began about 7000 BC and the earliest humans are believed to have migrated from Prehistory Mesolithic (8000 BC - 4500 BC What little is known of pre- Christian Ireland comes from a few references in Roman writings The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental The Early Medieval era in Ireland from 800 to 1166 is characterised by Viking raids then settlement in what had become a stable and wealthy country The later medieval period in Ireland (" Norman Ireland " was dominated by the Cambro-Norman invasion of the country in 1171. Early Modern Ireland saw the first full conquest of Ireland by England and its colonization with Protestant settlers from England and Scotland This period in Ireland's history was marked by the dominance of the so-called Protestant Ascendancy. From 1801 to 1922 the whole island of Ireland formed a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK The Republic of Ireland first became an independent state on 6 December 1922 Northern Ireland was established as a distinct region of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. To 1800 The first settlers in Ireland were seafarers who survived largely by Fishing, Hunting and gathering. Carrowmore (Ceathrú Mór meaning Great Quarter is the site of a prehistoric Ritual landscape on the Knocknarea or Cúil Irra Peninsula in County County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period Sea-levels were lower then, and Ireland, as with its neighbour Britain, rather than being islands, were part of a greater continental Europe. Mesolithic stone age inhabitants arrived some time after 8000 BC. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking Agriculture arrived with the Neolithic circa 4500 to 4000 BC, when sheep, goats, cattle and cereals were imported from southwest continental Europe. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos At the Céide Fields in County Mayo, an extensive Neolithic field system - arguably the oldest in the world - has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat. The Céide Fields (Achaidh Chéide is an area situated on the north Mayo coast in the west of Ireland. Consisting of small fields separated from one another by dry-stone walls, the Céide Fields were farmed for several centuries between 3500 and 3000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principal crops. [31]
The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold as well as bronze ornaments, weapons and tools. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The Iron Age in Ireland was supposedly associated with people known as Celts. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts They are traditionally thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, with the Gaels, the last wave of Celts, conquering the island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. Many scientists and academic scholars now favour a view that emphasises cultural diffusion from overseas over significant colonisation such as what Clonycavan Man was reported to be. Clonycavan Man is the name given to a well-preserved Iron Age Bog body found in Clonycavan, County Meath, Ireland in March 2003 [32][33] The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia[34] and/or Scotia. Hibernia is the Classical Latin name for the island of Ireland. Scotia was originally the Latin name for Ireland, known to the Romans as Hibernia. [35] Ptolemy in AD 100 records Ireland's geography and tribes. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca [36] Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry, myth, and archaeology. The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages one in Irish and the other in English. The exact relationship between Rome and the tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman writings.
In medieval times, a monarch (also known as the High King) presided over the (then five) provinces of Ireland. A High King of Ireland ( Ard Rí na hÉireann) is a historical or legendary figure who claimed lordship over the whole of Ireland. Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland These provinces too had their own kings, who were at least nominally subject to the monarch, who resided at Tara. The term King of Tara was a title of authority in ancient Ireland The written judicial system was the Brehon Law, and it was administered by professional learned jurists who were known as the Brehons. Early Irish law refers to the statutes that governed everyday life and politics in Ireland during the Gaelic period.
According to early medieval chronicles, in 431, Bishop Palladius arrived in Ireland on a mission from Pope Celestine I to minister to the Irish "already believing in Christ. The Chronicle of Ireland is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of Ecclesiastical Annals recording events in Ireland from 432 Palladius (fl 408-431 probably died ca 457/461 was the first Bishop of the Christians of Ireland, preceding Saint Patrick. Pope " (This was to convert the Celtic Church to Roman Catholicism). The same chronicles record that Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, arrived in 432. Saint Patrick (Patricius Irish: Naomh Pádraig) was a Roman Britain -born Christian Missionary and is the Patron saint There is continued debate over the missions of Palladius and Patrick, but the general consensus is that they both existed and that 7th century annalists may have mis-attributed some of their activities to each other. Palladius most likely went to Leinster, while Patrick is believed to have gone to Ulster, where he probably spent time in captivity as a young man.
The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new religion. A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin and Greek learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin and Greek learning during the Early Middle Ages. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. The Book of Kells (Leabhar Cheanannais (Dublin Trinity College Library MS A From the 9th century, waves of Viking raiders plundered monasteries and towns, adding to a pattern of endemic raiding and warfare. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Endemic warfare is the state of continual low-threshold Warfare in a tribal Warrior society Eventually Vikings settled in Ireland, and established many towns, including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country
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From 1169, Ireland was entered by Cambro-Norman warlords, led by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (Strongbow)[37], on an invitation from the then King of Leinster. Aughnanure Castle ( Caisleán Achadh na nlubhar in Irish) is a Tower house in Oughterard, County Galway, in Ireland. O'Flaherty is a major Irish Clan, originally called the Muintir Mhurchadha of which the name Ua Flaithbertaig became the name of its ruling dynasty The Norman invasion of Ireland was a Norman military expedition to Ireland that took place on 1 May 1169 at the behest of Dermot MacMurrough Richard de Clare 2nd Earl of Pembroke Lord of Leinster Justiciar of Ireland (1130 &ndash 20 April 1176) known as Strongbow, was a In 1171, King Henry II of England came to Ireland, using the 1155 Bull Laudabiliter issued to him by then Pope Adrian IV, to claim sovereignty over the island, and forced the Cambro-Norman warlords and some of the Gaelic Irish kings to accept him as their overlord. Laudabiliter was a Papal bull issued in 1155 by the English Pope Adrian IV purporting to give the Angevin King Henry II of England History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Adrian IV (or Hadrian IV – c 1100&ndash 1 September, 1159) born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope From the 13th century, English law began to be introduced. By the late thirteenth century the Norman-Irish had established the feudal system throughout most of lowland Ireland. The term Hiberno-Norman is used of those Norman lords who settled in Ireland, admitting little if any real Fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers Their settlement was characterised by the establishment of baronies, manors, towns and large land-owning monastic communities, and the county system. The towns of Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Limerick, Galway, New Ross, Kilkenny, Carlingford, Drogheda, Sligo, Athenry, Arklow, Buttevant, Carlow, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clonmel, Dundalk, Enniscorthy, Kildare, Kinsale, Mullingar, Naas, Navan, Nenagh, Thurles, Wicklow, Trim and Youghal were all under Norman-Irish control. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord" – veisa meaning "mudflat stagnant pool" Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. New Ross ( is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. Carlingford (Cairlinn is a picturesque coastal Village in northern County Louth, Ireland. Drogheda (ˈdrɒhədə ˈdrɔːdə ( Droichead Átha in Irish, meaning "Bridge of the Ford" is an industrial and port town in County Louth on Sligo (disambiguation Sligo ( (ˈslaɪɡoʊ "sly-go" Irish ˈɕlʲɪɟəx is the County town of County Sligo in Ireland. Athenry (æθənˈraɪ Baile Átha an Rí balʲɑːˈɾiː transl Arklow ( is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Buttevant ( Cill na Mullach in Irish or Ecclesia Tumulorum in the Latin) is a medieval market town incorporated by Charter of Carlow ( is an inland Town in the south-east of Ireland in County Carlow, 84 km from Dublin. Carrick-on-Suir (Carraig na Siuire is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. Cashel (Caiseal Mumhan meaning Stone Fortress of Munster) is a Town in County Tipperary, in the southern midlands of Ireland, which is also Clonmel ( Cluain Meala in Irish) in County Tipperary is the county seat of South Tipperary County Council. Dundalk (Dún Dealgan is the County town of County Louth in Ireland, situated close to the border with Northern Ireland. Enniscorthy ( is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Ireland (town and environs population 9538) Kildare ( Cill Dara in modern Irish, originally derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish meaning "Church of the Oak" is a town in County Kinsale (Cionn tSáile is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale Mullingar ( An Muileann gCearr in Irish, meaning "the left-handed or wry mill" is the administrative centre of County Westmeath, Ireland Naas (ˈneɪs Irish: Nás na Ríogh nɑːs nə riː or An Nás nɑːs is the county town of County Kildare, Ireland. Navan (ˈnævən) is the largest town and County town or administrative capital of County Meath, Ireland. Nenagh ( An tAonach in Irish) is the county town of North Tipperary, Ireland. Thurles (pronounced /θɜɹlɛs/ or locally /tɜrləs/ Dúrlas Éile is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir, with a Wicklow ( is the County seat of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of the capital Dublin on the east coast of the island it has a population Trim ( is the traditional County town of County Meath in Ireland, although the county town is now Navan. Youghal (ˈjɔːl yawl or /ˈjɒhəl/ Irish Eochaill ˈɔxəʎ meaning 'yew wood' is a Seaport in County Cork, Ireland The term Hiberno-Norman is used of those Norman lords who settled in Ireland, admitting little if any real Fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers
In the 14th century the English settlement went into a period of decline and large areas, for example Sligo, were re-occupied by Gaelic septs. The later medieval period in Ireland (" Norman Ireland " was dominated by the Cambro-Norman invasion of the country in 1171. A sept is an English word for a division of a Family, especially a division of a clan. The medieval English presence in Ireland was deeply shaken by Black Death, which arrived in Ireland in 1348. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia [38] From the late 15th century English rule was once again expanded, first through the efforts of the Earls of Kildare and Ormond then through the activities of the Tudor State under Henry VIII and Mary and Elizabeth. Earl of Kildare is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. John FitzThomas FitzGerald the eldest son of Thomas Lord Offaly, was created Earl of Kildare The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of This resulted in the complete conquest of Ireland by 1603 and the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of English and Scottish Protestant colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Williamite War in Ireland. Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were established throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Nations) formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, The Williamite War in Ireland, also known as the Jacobite War in Ireland and in Ireland as Cogadh an Dá Rí or The War of the Two Kings Approximately 600,000 people, nearly half the Irish population, died during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649-53 refers to the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell [39]
After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics and nonconforming Protestants were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted Coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry but developed into inter communal violence between native The Parliament of Ireland (Irish Parlaimint na hEireann) was a Legislature that existed from mediæval times until 1800. The new English Protestant ruling class was known as the Protestant Ascendancy. The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great Towards the end of the 18th century the entirely Anglican Irish Parliament attained a greater degree of independence from the British Parliament than it had previously held. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Under the penal laws no Irish Catholic could sit in the Parliament of Ireland, even though some 90% of Ireland's population was native Irish Catholic when the first of these bans was introduced in 1691. The Penal Laws in Ireland (Na Péindlíthe refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour The Parliament of Ireland (Irish Parlaimint na hEireann) was a Legislature that existed from mediæval times until 1800. This ban was followed by others in 1703 and 1709 as part of a comprehensive system disadvantaging the Catholic community, and to a lesser extent Protestant dissenters. [40] In 1798, many members of this dissenter tradition made common cause with Catholics in a rebellion inspired and led by the Society of United Irishmen. The Society of United Irishmen was founded as a Liberal political organisation in eighteenth century Ireland that sought Parliamentary reform It was staged with the aim of creating a fully independent Ireland as a state with a republican constitution. Despite assistance from France the Irish Rebellion of 1798 was put down by British forces. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the
In 1800, the British and subsequently the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union which, in 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was achieved with substantial majorities, in part (according to contemporary documents) through bribery, namely the awarding of peerages and honours to critics to get their votes. Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person The Peerage is a system of Titles of Nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. Honor or Honour (see spelling differences) (the latter directly from the Latin word honos honoris) is the evaluation of a person's [41] Thus, Ireland became part of an extended United Kingdom, ruled directly by the UK Parliament in London. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
The Great Famine, which began in the 1840s, caused the deaths of one million Irish people, and caused over a million to emigrate. [42] By the late 1840s, as a result of the famine, half of all immigrants to the United States originated from Ireland. American immigration ( emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A total of 35 million Americans (12% of total population) reported Irish ancestry in the 2005 American Community Survey. The ancestry of the people of the United States is widely varied and includes descendants of Populations from around the World, some presumably extinct The Irish diaspora (Diaspóra na nGael consists of Irish Emigrants and their descendants in countries such as Great Britain, the United States The American Community Survey (ACS is a project of the US Census Bureau that replaces the long form in the decennial Census. [43] Mass emigration became entrenched as a result of the famine and the population continued to decline until late in the 20th century. The pre-famine peak was over 8 million recorded in the 1841 census. The population has never returned to this level. [44]
The 19th and early 20th century saw the rise of Irish nationalism among the Roman Catholic population. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Daniel O'Connell led a successful campaign for Catholic Emancipation, which was passed by the United Kingdom parliament. Daniel O'Connell ( 6 August 1775 &ndash 15 May 1847) ( Dónal Ó Conaill) known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th A subsequent campaign for repeal of the Act of Union failed. Later in the century Charles Stewart Parnell and others campaigned for self-government within the Union or "home rule". Charles Stewart Parnell ( 27 June 1846 &ndash 6 October 1891) was an Irish Protestant landowner nationalist Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government Protestants, largely concentrated in Ulster, who considered themselves to be British as well as Irish, were strongly opposed to home rule, under which they would be dominated by Catholic and Southern interests. To prevent home rule the Ulster Volunteers were formed in 1913 under the leadership of Lord Carson, and to impose home rule the Irish Volunteers were formed in the South in 1914 under John Redmond. The Ulster Volunteers were a unionist militia founded in 1912 to block Home Rule for Ireland. Edward Henry Carson Baron Carson, PC, Kt, KC (often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson) ( The Irish Volunteers ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP Armed rebellions, such as the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish War of Independence of 1919, occurred in this period. The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week, 1916 The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla In 1921, a treaty was concluded between the British Government and the leaders of the Irish Republic. The Irish Republic ( Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann or Saorstát Éireann) was a unilaterally declared independent state of Ireland proclaimed The Treaty recognised the two-state solution created in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act 1920, (and sometimes called the Fourth Home Rule Act) was an Act Northern Ireland was presumed to form a home rule state within the new Irish Free State unless it opted out. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by Northern Ireland had a majority Protestant population and opted out as expected, choosing to remain part of the United Kingdom, incorporating, however, within its border a significant Catholic and nationalist minority. A Boundary Commission was set up to decide on the boundaries between the two Irish states, though it was subsequently abandoned after it recommended only minor adjustments to the border. Disagreements over some provisions of the treaty led to a split in the nationalist movement and subsequently to the Irish Civil War. The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents The Civil War ended in 1923 with the defeat of the anti-treaty forces.
History since partition
Irish Independence: The Irish Free State, Éire, Ireland
The Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified by the Dáil in January 1922 by a vote of 64 - 57. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament The minority refused to accept the result and this resulted in the Irish Civil War, which lasted until 1923. The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents On 6th December 1922, in the middle of the Civil War, the Irish Free State came into being. The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by During its early years the new state was governed by the victors of the Civil War. However, in the 1930s Fianna Fáil, the party of the opponents of the treaty, was elected into government. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the The party proposed, and the electorate accepted in a referendum in 1937, a new constitution which renamed the state "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (article 4 of the Constitution). Éire (ˈeːrʲə) is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and of the state of the same name.
The state was neutral during World War II, which was known internally as The Emergency. Irish neutrality has been a policy of the Irish Free State and its successor Ireland, since independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Emergency (Ré na Práinne was an official Euphemism used by the Irish Government during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II. It offered some assistance to the Allies, especially in Northern Ireland. It is estimated[45] that around 50,000 volunteers from Éire/Ireland joined the British armed forces during the Second World War. In 1949, Ireland declared itself to be a republic.
Ireland experienced large-scale emigration in the 1950s and again in the 1980s. From 1987 the economy improved and the 1990s saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger". Celtic Tiger (Tíogar Ceilteach is a name for the period of rapid Economic growth in the Republic of Ireland that began in the 1990s and slowed in 2001 By 2007 it had become the fifth richest country (in terms of GDP per capita) in the world, and the second richest in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient of the budget to becoming a net contributor during the next budget round (2007-13), and from a country of net emigration to one of net immigration. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Union (EU is an association of 27 independent member states In October 2006, there were talks between Ireland and the U. S. to negotiate a new immigration policy between the two countries, in response to the growth of the Irish economy and desire of many U. S. citizens who sought to move to Ireland for work. [46]
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland was created as an administrative division of the United Kingdom by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Northern Ireland was established as a distinct region of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act 1920, (and sometimes called the Fourth Home Rule Act) was an Act From 1921 until 1972, Northern Ireland enjoyed limited self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and prime minister.
In the first half of the 20th century, Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the Civil War, but there were sporadic episodes of inter-communal violence between nationalists and unionists during the decades that followed partition. The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents Although the Irish Free State was neutral during World War II, Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom was not, and became involved in the British war effort (albeit without military conscription as it was introduced in Great Britain). The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Belfast suffered a bombing raid from the German Luftwaffe in 1941. The Belfast Blitz was an event that occurred on the night of Easter Tuesday 15 April 1941. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force.
In elections to the 1921-1972 regional government, the Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland each voted largely along sectarian lines, meaning that the Government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past the post" from 1929) was controlled by the Ulster Unionist Party. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Sectarianism is Bigotry, Discrimination, Prejudice or Hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party Over time, the minority Catholic community felt increasingly alienated by the regional government, with further disaffection fuelled by practices such as gerrymandering of the local council in Londonderry, and alleged discrimination against Catholics in housing and employment. Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage Derry City Council (Comhairle Cathrach Dhoire is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is [47]
In the late 1960s nationalist grievances were aired publicly in mass civil rights protests, which were often confronted by loyalist counter-protests. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Ulster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. The Government's reaction to confrontations was seen to be one-sided and heavy-handed, and law and order broke down as unrest and inter-communal violence increased. In August 1969, the regional government requested that the British Army be deployed to aid the police, who were exhausted after several nights of serious rioting. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. In 1970, the paramilitary Provisional IRA, which favoured the creation of a united Ireland, was formed and began a campaign against what it called the "British occupation of the six counties". A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force but which are not regarded as having the same status A United Ireland is the term used to refer to a sovereign state encompassing the whole of the island of Ireland. Other groups, on both the unionist side and the nationalist side, participated in the violence and the period known as "The Troubles" began, resulting in over 3600[48] deaths over the subsequent three decades. Owing to the civil unrest during "The Troubles", the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed "direct rule" from Westminster. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories
There were several (ultimately unsuccessful) political attempts to end "The Troubles", such as the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973 and the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985. The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to end " The Troubles " in Northern Ireland by forcing unionists to share power with nationalists The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to bring an end to The Troubles in Northern Ireland In 1998, following a Provisional IRA ceasefire and multi-party talks, the Belfast Agreement was concluded and ratified by referendum. The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement (Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste Belfast Greeance or the Good Friday Agreement (Comhaontú Aoine an This agreement attempted to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power-sharing between the two communities. Violence decreased greatly after the signing of the accord, and on 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign and international weapons inspectors supervised what they currently regard as the full decommissioning of the Provisional IRA's weapons. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD was established to oversee the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons in Ireland, as part of the peace [49] The power-sharing assembly was suspended several times but restored from 8 May 2007. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
From 2 August 2007, Britain officially ended its military support of the police in Northern Ireland, and began withdrawing troops. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the (In 1972, British troops numbered more than 25,000 in Northern Ireland. After the withdrawal, a garrison of approximately 5,000 is all that remains. )
Science
Ireland has a rich history in science and is known for its excellence in scientific research conducted at its many universities and institutions. Noted particularly is Ireland's contributions to fiber optics technology and related technologies. An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length
Founder of modern chemistry Robert Boyle was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early gentleman scientist, noted for his work in physics and chemistry. Robert Boyle was a Natural philosopher, chemist physicist inventor and early Gentleman scientist, noted for his work in Physics and Chemistry He is best known for the formulation of Boyle's law. Boyle's law (sometimes referred to as the Boyle-Mariotte law) is one of several Gas laws and a special case of the Ideal gas law.
Other notable Irish Physicists include Ernest Walton (winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics with Sir John Douglas Cockcroft for splitting the nucleus of the atom by artificial means and contributions in the development of a new theory of wave equation), George Johnstone Stoney (famous for introducing the term electron in 1874 and as the uncle of the physicist George FitzGerald and distant relative of mathematician Alan Turing), Joseph Larmor (who predicted the phenomenon of time dilation [for orbiting electrons] and published a paper describing FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction some two years before Hendrik Lorentz and some eight years before Albert Einstein), John Stewart Bell (famous as the originator of Bell's Theorem and his paper concerning the discovery of the Bell-Jackiw-Adler anomaly - Bell was nominated for a Nobel prize), George Francis FitzGerald, sir George Gabriel Stokes and many others. Below is a list of famous Physicists Many of these from the 20th and 21st centuries are found on the list of recipients of the Nobel Prize in physics. Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (6 October 1903 &ndash 25 June 1995 was an Irish physicist and Nobel laureate for his work with John Cockcroft with The Nobel Prize in Physics (Nobelpriset i fysik is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Sir John Douglas Cockcroft OM KCB CBE ( May 27, 1897 &ndash September 18, 1967) was a British physicist. The wave equation is an important second-order linear Partial differential equation that describes the propagation of a variety of Waves such as Sound waves George Johnstone Stoney ( February 15, 1826 &ndash July 5, 1911) was an Anglo-Irish Physicist most famous for introducing The electron is a fundamental Subatomic particle that was identified and assigned the negative charge in 1897 by J George Francis FitzGerald ( 3 August 1851 &ndash 21 February 1901) was an Irish professor of "natural and experimental philosophy" Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS (ˈt(jʊ(ərɪŋ (23 June 1912 &ndash 7 June 1954 was an English Mathematician Sir Joseph Larmor ( 11 July 1857 Magheragall, County Antrim, Northern Ireland – 19 May 1942 Holywood This article discusses a concept in physics For the concept in sociology see Time displacement. Length contraction, according to Hendrik Lorentz, is the physical phenomenon of a decrease in Length detected by an observer in objects that travel at any non-zero Hendrik Antoon Lorentz ( July 18, 1853 &ndash February 4, 1928) was a Dutch Physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical John Stewart Bell ( June 28 1928 &ndash October 1 1990) was a Physicist, and the originator of Bell's Theorem, one of the Bell's theorem is a theorem that shows that the predictions of Quantum mechanics (QM are not intuitive and touches upon fundamental philosophical issues that relate to modern A chiral anomaly is the anomalous Nonconservation of a chiral current George Francis FitzGerald ( 3 August 1851 &ndash 21 February 1901) was an Irish professor of "natural and experimental philosophy" Sir George Gabriel Stokes 1st Baronet FRS ( 13 August 1819 &ndash 1 February 1903) was a mathematician and physicist
Notable mathematicians include Sir William Rowan Hamilton (mathematician, physicist, astronomer and discoverer of quaternions), Francis Ysidro Edgeworth (influential in the development of neo-classical economics, including the Edgeworth box), John B. Cosgrave (specialist in number theory, former head of the mathematics department of St. Patrick's College and discoverer of a new 2000-digit prime number in 1999 and a record composite Fermat number in 2003) and John Lighton Synge (who made progress in different fields of science, including mechanics and geometrical methods in general relativity and who had mathematician John Nash as one of his students). Sir William Rowan Hamilton (4 August 1805 &ndash 2 September 1865 was an Irish Mathematician, Physicist, and Astronomer who Quaternions, in Mathematics, are a non-commutative extension of Complex numbers They were first described by the Irish Mathematician Francis Ysidro Edgeworth (8 February 1845 &ndash 13 February 1926 made significant contributions to the methods of statistics during the 1880s In Economics, an Edgeworth box, named after Francis Ysidro Edgeworth, is a way of representing various distributions of resources. Dr John B Cosgrave (January 5 1946 is the head of the mathematics department of St Number theory is the branch of Pure mathematics concerned with the properties of Numbers in general and Integers in particular as well as the wider classes St Patrick's College of Education ( is a linked college of Dublin City University since 1993 located in Drumcondra, Dublin City, Ireland. In Mathematics, a prime number (or a prime) is a Natural number which has exactly two distinct natural number Divisors 1 In Mathematics, a Fermat number, named after Pierre de Fermat who first studied them is a positive integer of the form F_{n} = 2^{2^{ John Lighton Synge ( March 23, 1897 &ndash March 30, 1995) was an Irish Mathematician and Physicist. John Nash may refer to John Forbes Nash (born 1928 American mathematician Nobel laureate subject of the book and film titled A Beautiful Mind
The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies ( DIAS) (Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath Dublin, Ireland was established The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Éamon de Valera (ˈeɪmən dɛvəˈlɛrə (born Edward George de Valera) (14 October 1882 &ndash 29 August 1975 was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century In 1940, physicist Erwin Schrödinger received an invitation to help establish the Institute. He became the Director of the School for Theoretical Physics and remained there for 17 years, during which time he became a naturalized Irish citizen.
Culture
| Arts in Ireland |
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 The Book of Kells. The culture of the people living on the island of Ireland is far from monolithic The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Book of Kells (Leabhar Cheanannais (Dublin Trinity College Library MS A |
 Newgrange —5000 year old burial site. Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous |
Literature and the arts
For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. For a comparatively small island Ireland has made a disproportionate contribution to World literature in all its branches The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze Age artifacts Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century; Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, and he remains so in modern times. Vernacular literature is Literature written in the Vernacular - the speech of the "common people" Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Gulliver's Travels (1726 amended 1735 officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World in Four Parts A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public, More recently, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century; Samuel Beckett himself refused to attend his own Nobel award ceremony, in protest of Joyce not having received the award. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature, and his life is celebrated annually on June 16 in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations. Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920 Modernist literature is the literary form of Modernism and especially High modernism; it should not be confused with modern literature, which is the history Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish Writer James Joyce [50]
The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange. Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous It is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy. John Butler Yeats (Born in Lawrencetown, townland of Tullylish, County Down, 16 March 1839, died 3 February 1922 Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, KBE (27 November 1878 &ndash 29 September 1931 was an Irish portrait painter Jack Butler Yeats (29 August 1871 &ndash 28 March 1957 was an Irish Artist. Louis le Brocquy (born 10 November 1916 is an Irish painter Born in Dublin, Louis le Brocquy's work has received much international attention and many accolades in a career
Modern Irish literature is still often connected with its rural heritage, though writers like John McGahern and poets like Seamus Heaney. John McGahern (12 November 1934 – 30 March 2006 was an Irish author There is a thriving performing arts culture in many Irish centres, most particularly in Galway. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland.
Music and dance
The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the entire island of Ireland, North and South of the border Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, The Wolfe Tones, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men, and individuals like Seán Ó Riada and Christy Moore. The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962. Formation and history The Dubliners formed in 1962 The Chieftains are a Grammy -winning Irish musical group founded in 1962 best known for being the first band to make Irish traditional music popular The Clancy Brothers were an Irish Folk music singing group most popular in the 1960s who are often credited with popularizing Irish traditional music Sweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band They were a part of the late 1960s Irish Roots revival, along with groups like The Dubliners and the Seán Ó Riada ( August 1, 1931 - October 3, 1971) born John Reidy, was a composer and bandleader and perhaps the single most Christopher Andrew 'Christy' Moore (born 7 May 1945 in Newbridge County Kildare, Ireland is a popular Irish Folk singer, songwriter and Guitarist. Irish and Scottish traditional music share some similar characteristics. Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to Pop music
Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound. Horslips were a 1970s Irish rock band that composed arranged and performed their music based on traditional Irish Jigs and reels. George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born 31 August 1945 is a Grammy Award -winning Northern Irish Singer, Thin Lizzy are an Irish Hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969 During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like U2, Enya, Flogging Molly, Moya Brennan, The Saw Doctors, Bell X1, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Aslan, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher, Westlife, B*witched, BoyZone, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Black 47, VNV Nation, Wolfe Tones, Ash, The Thrills, Stars of Heaven, Something Happens, A House, Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Declan O' Rourke, The Frames and The Pogues. Enya (born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on May 17 1961, Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, Ireland, sometimes presented in Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Irish American Celtic punk band that formed in Los Angeles California and is currently signed to SideOneDummy Máire Ní Bhraonáin, mˠaːrʲə nʲiː vɾˠiːn̪ˠaːn better known as Máire Brennan or Moya Brennan (born August 4, 1952, Gweedore The Saw Doctors are a Folk-rock band from Tuam, County Galway in the west of Ireland. Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from North County Kildare in Ireland. Damien Aonghus Rice (born December 7, 1973) is an Irish folk Singer. The Corrs are a Celtic Folk rock group from Dundalk, County Louth Ireland. Aslan are an Irish rock band from Dublin, well-known for their rock melodies and introspective lyrics Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (ʃɪˈneɪd oʊˈkɒnɚ (born 8 December 1966 is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter Clannad are a Grammy Award -winning Irish musical group, from Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair) County Donegal. The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1990 Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948&ndash14 June 1995 was an Irish Blues / rock Guitarist Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal Westlife is an Irish pop band that was formed on 3 July 1998 They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. B*Witched was an Irish Girl group who enjoyed success in both Europe and North America between 1998 and 2000 releasing two albums and eight singles all of which Boyzone are an Irish boy band who had popular mainstream success during the 1990s Raymond Edward O'Sullivan (born 1 December 1946, Waterford, County Waterford, Ireland) known professionally as Gilbert O'Sullivan Based in New York City Black 47 is a Celtic rock band made up of Irish expatriates formed in The Bronx by Larry Kirwan and Chris VNV Nation are an Electronic music band originally from Wexford and London, now based in Hamburg, that combines elements of trance Ash are an Alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992 The Frames are an influential Irish band based mainly in Dublin. The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background playing Traditional Irish music with influences from Punk rock, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane
During the 1990s, a subgenre of folk metal emerged in Ireland that fused heavy metal music with Irish and Celtic music. Folk metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s The pioneers of this subgenre were Cruachan, Primordial and Waylander. Cruachan is a Celtic metal band from Dublin Ireland formed in 1992 and reformed in 1999 accredited with being one of the founders of the genre - Folk Metal Primordial is a Blackened Doom Metal band formed in 1991 in Skerries, Ireland, by Pól MacAmlaigh (bass and Ciáran MacUiliam (guitars Waylander is a Northern Irish band influential in the realms of Celtic Folk metal.
Irish music has shown an immense increase in popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Some contemporary music groups stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Teada, Danú, Dervish, Lúnasa, and Solas. Altan are an Irish Folk and traditional music group who originated in Gweedore, County Donegal. Téada is a traditional Irish music group from Ireland. The band comprises five members Danú are an Irish traditional music band Danú were formed in Waterford in Southeastern Ireland in 1996. Darvesh or Dervish ( Arabic and Persian: درویش) as it is known in European languages refers to members of Sufi Lúnasa is a traditional Irish music group History Named after Lughnasadh, an ancient Irish harvest festival Lúnasa was started when Seán Smyth Solas is an Irish-American musical group formed in 1994, playing Irish traditional music as well as original compositions in the style Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of styles, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Kíla. The Afro Celt Sound System is a musical group which fuses modern dance rhythms ( Trip-hop, techno, etc Kíla are an Irish folk music / World music group The original lineup for the band
The Republic of Ireland has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition, with seven wins in 1970 with Dana, 1980 and 1987 with Johnny Logan, 1992 with Linda Martin, 1993 with Niamh Kavanagh, 1994 with Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan and in 1996 with Eimear Quinn. Dana Rosemary Scallon (born Rosemary Brown on 30 August 1951 is better known simply as Dana, an Irish singer and former politician Johnny Logan (born on 13 May 1954 in Frankston near Melbourne, Australia, real name Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard Niamh Kavanagh (born 1968 Dublin) is an Irish Singer. Singing " In Your Eyes " ( words and Music by Jimmy Walsh Paul Harrington is an Irish Musician, who with Charlie McGettigan, won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland in 1994 Charlie McGettigan is an Irish singer from Donegal, but he lives today in Drumshanbo, Co [51]
Sport
The most popular sports in Ireland are Gaelic Football and Association Football. Sport on the island of Ireland is popular and widespread Levels of participation and spectating are high but as in other western regions participation Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Together with Hurling and Rugby, they make up the four biggest team sports in Ireland. Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Gaelic Football is the most popular in terms of match attendance and community involvement [52], and the All-Ireland Football Final is the biggest day in Ireland's sporting calendar. Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland. Association football, meanwhile, is the most commonly played team sport in Ireland and the most popular sport in which Ireland fields international teams[1]Furthermore, there is a large measure of Irish interest in the English and (to a lesser extent) Scottish soccer leagues. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Many other sports are also played and followed, particularly golf and horse racing but also show jumping, greyhound racing, swimming, boxing, basketball, cricket, fishing, handball, motorsport, tennis and hockey. This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping" or "jumpers" is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes Greyhound racing is the Sport of Racing Greyhounds The Dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial Hare or Rabbit Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a Team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck
Hurling and Gaelic football, along with camogie, ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic games. Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Camogie (in Irish, camógaíocht) is a Celtic team Sport, organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland, the women's variant of Ladies' Gaelic Football is the most prominent amateur team sport for women in Ireland. For more information on this topic see Senior Hardball Singles or Senior Softball Singles. Rounders ( Irish: cluiche corr) is a Sport played between two teams each alternating between batting and fielding Gaelic games are the traditional sports played in Ireland. The two main Gaelic games are Gaelic football and Hurling, both of which are organised by the All Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of ladies' Gaelic football and Camogie, which are governed by separate organisations. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh The GAA is organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 82,500[53] capacity Croke Park in north Dublin. Croke Park (Páirc an Chrócaigh in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports Stadium in Ireland (fifth largest in Europe) and the principal stadium Major GAA games are played there, including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland. The GAA All-Ireland Hurling Senior Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in Ireland. During the redevelopment of the Lansdowne Road stadium, international rugby and soccer are also being played there. Location The stadium is situated in the neighbourhood of Ballsbridge in the city's Dublin 4 area All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs, receiving no wages (although they are allowed to receive a certain amount of income from sources such as sponsorship, grants or scholarships).
The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for Association football throughout the island. The Irish Football Association ( IFA) is the organising body for football in Northern Ireland, and had historically been the governing body for the whole Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The game has been played in Ireland since the 1860s (Cliftonville F.C. of Belfast being Ireland's oldest club, but remained a minority sport outside of Ulster until the 1880s. Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club ( the Reds) is an Irish League football team playing in the IFA Premiership. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. However, some clubs based outside Belfast felt that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based, Protestant clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. Following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA, for security reasons, moved an Irish Cup final replay from Dublin to Belfast, the clubs based in what would soon become the Free State set up a new Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) - now known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) - in 1921. The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by The Football Association of Ireland ( FAI; Irish: Cumann Peile na h-Éireann) is the governing body for the sport of association football (soccer
Despite being initially blacklisted by the Home Nations' associations, the FAI was recognised by FIFA in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against Italy. "Home nation" (common noun redirects here home nation is also used to refer to the host country of Multi-sport events (eg The Italian national football team is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC and represents Italy in international football competition However, both the IFA and FAI continued to select their teams from the whole of Ireland, with some players earning international caps for matches with both teams. Both also referred to their respective teams as "Ireland". In 1950, FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories, and in 1953 FIFA further clarified that the FAI's team was to be known only as "Republic of Ireland", and the IFA's team only as "Northern Ireland" (with certain exceptions). The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in international football. The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international football.
Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup finals in 1958 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The Republic qualified for the World Cup in 1990 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1994, 2002 and the European Championships in 1988. The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in international football. The IFA still retains all-Ireland cups and trophies at its Belfast HQ.
The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides of the border. The Ireland rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in Rugby union, which is a popular sport throughout both the Republic of Ireland and The Irish Rugby Football Union ( IRFU) (Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann is the body managing Rugby union in Ireland. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team represents the whole island. The Irish rugby team have played in every Rugby World Cup, making the quarter-finals at four of them. The Rugby World Cup is the premier international Rugby union competition Ireland also hosted games during the 1991 Rugby World Cup and the 1999 Rugby World Cup (including a quarter-final). The 1991 Rugby World Cup was jointly hosted by England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France. The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup and the first to be held in Rugby union 's professional era. There are also four professional provincial sides that contest the Magners League and European Heineken Cup. The European Rugby Cup (known as the Heineken Cup because of the tournament's sponsorship by Heineken) is an annual Rugby union competition involving leading Irish rugby has become increasingly competitive at both the international and provincial levels since the sport went professional in 1994. During that time, Ulster (1999) and Munster (2006) have both won the European Cup.
As with rugby and Gaelic games, cricket, golf, tennis, rowing, hockey and most other sports are organised on an all-island basis. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck
Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland: greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. Greyhound racing is the Sport of Racing Greyhounds The Dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial Hare or Rabbit This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. The Republic is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the central east of the Republic.
Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, The Irish Amateur Boxing Association ( Irish: Cumann Dornálaíochta Amaitéaraí na hÉireann) is the governing body of Amateur boxing in In 1992 Michael Carruth won a gold medal for boxing in the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Irish athletics has seen some development in recent times, with Sonia O' Sullivan winning Gold at the World Championships in 1995 in the 5,000 metres and Silver in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney at the same distance. Gillian O'Sullivan winning silver in the 20k walk at the World Championship's in 2003 and sprint hurdler Derval O'Rourke taking gold at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow in 2006. Gillian O'Sullivan (born 21 August 1976 in Killarney) is an Irish race walker. Derval O'Rourke (born 28 May 1981 in Cork, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish sprint Hurdles athlete.
Golf is a popular sport in Ireland and golf tourism is a major industry. The 2006 Ryder Cup was held at The K Club in County Kildare. The Ryder Cup is a Golf trophy donated by Samuel Ryder, which is awarded Biennially in an event called the "Ryder Cup Matches" between teams from The Kildare Hotel and Golf Club (abbreviated The K Club) is a golf and leisure complex located at Straffan, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland County Kildare (Contae Chill Dara is an Irish County located to the southwest of Dublin in the province of Leinster. [54] Padraig Harrington became the first Irishman since Fred Daly in 1947 to win the British Open at Carnoustie in July 2007. [55]
In 2007, the Irish cricket team was among the associate nations which qualified for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was a Men 's Cricket Tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007 using the sport's The Irish team defeated Pakistan and finished second in its pool, earning a place in the Super 8 section of the competition. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and
The west coast of Ireland, Lahinch and Donegal Bay in particular, have popular surfing beaches; being fully exposed to the fury of the Atlantic Ocean. Lahinch or Lehinch ( is a Village on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, in northern Munster, Ireland Donegal Bay ( Bá Dhún na nGall in Irish) is an Inlet (or Bay) in the northwest of Ireland. Surfing in Ireland attracts surfers aiming to catch Europe's largest waves. Donegal Bay is shaped like a funnel and catches West/South-West Atlantic winds, creating good surf - especially in winter. In recent years, Bundoran has hosted European championship surfing. Bundoran ( Bun Dobhráin in Irish) is a town on the coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The south-west of Ireland, such as the Dingle Peninsula and Lahinch also have surf beaches. The Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne - sometimes anglicized as Corkaguiney) is located in County Kerry and is the most Westerly point of Lahinch or Lehinch ( is a Village on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, in northern Munster, Ireland
Scuba diving is increasingly popular in Ireland with clear waters and large populations of sea life, particularly along the western seaboard. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. There are also many shipwrecks along the coast of Ireland, with some of the best wreck dives being in Malin Head and off the County Cork coast. Wreck diving is a type of Recreational diving where Shipwrecks are explored Malin Head ( Irish: Cionn Mhálanna) is the most northerly headland of the mainland of Ireland (and of Ulster. County Cork (Contae Chorcaí is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Ireland.
With thousands of lakes, over 14,000 kilometres (8,700 mi) of fish bearing rivers, and over 3,700 kilometres (2,300 mi) of coastline, Ireland is a popular angling destination. Angling is a method of Fishing by means of an "angle" ( hook) The temperate Irish climate is suited to sport angling. While salmon and trout fishing remain popular with anglers, salmon fishing in particular received a boost in 2006 with the closing of the salmon driftnet fishery. Coarse fishing continues to increase its profile. Coarse fishing is an angling method mostly popular throughout the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. Sea angling is developed with many beaches mapped and signposted, and in recent times the range of sea angling species has increased. [56]
- See also: List of Irish sports people
Places of interest
Some interesting places to visit on the island of Ireland include the following:
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- The Aran Islands, Co. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate Blarney Castle is a Medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. The Giant's Causeway (or Clochán na bhFómharach is an area of about 40000 interlocking Basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic eruption Killarney National Park (Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne is located beside the town of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. The Aran Islands ( Irish: Oileáin Árann, Aran Islands Dialect: ˈɑːrənʲ ˈhɑːrənʲəxə are a group of three Islands located Galway
- Blarney Castle, Co. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Blarney Castle is a Medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Cork
- Bunratty Castle, Co. Bunratty Castle ( is a large tower house in County Clare, Ireland. Clare
- The Burren, Co. The Burren ( Boirinn is the modern form used by the Ordnance Survey) is a unique Karst -landscape region in northwest County Clare, Clare
- Cahir Castle near Cahir, Co Tipperary
- Carrickfergus Castle, Co. Antrim
- Clonmacnoise Co. Cahir Castle (Caisleán na Cathrach one of the largest Castles in Ireland, was built in County Tipperary in 1142 by Conor O'Brien, Prince of Cahir (pronounced /keɪr/ Cathair Dhún Iascaigh meaning the stonefort of the fishing often spelled Caher in older accounts is a town in South Tipperary County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman Castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the shore County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties The Monastery of Clonmacnoise ( Cluain Mhic Nóis in Irish, meaning "Meadow of the Sons of Nós" is situated in County Offaly, Offaly
- Croagh Patrick, Co. Croagh Patrick ( Irish: Cruach Phádraig) is a Mountain in the West of Ireland and an important site of Pilgrimage. Mayo
- Cliffs of Moher, Co. The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair lit cliffs of the ruin, also known as the Cliffs of Coher from the Mhothair are located in the Parish of Clare
- Walled City of Derry
- Dingle Peninsula, Co. The Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne - sometimes anglicized as Corkaguiney) is located in County Kerry and is the most Westerly point of Kerry
- The Giant's Causeway, Co. The Giant's Causeway (or Clochán na bhFómharach is an area of about 40000 interlocking Basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic eruption Antrim
- Glendalough, Co. Glendalough ( is a glacial valley located in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded Wicklow
- The Glens of Antrim, Co. The Glens of Antrim ( Gleannta Aontroma) or simply the Glens, or Antrim Mountains is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Antrim
- Glenveagh National Park, Co. Glenveagh ( Gleann Bheatha, "glen of life" in Irish) &mdash covering 110 square kilometres of hillside above Glenveagh Castle on the Donegal
- Grianan of Aileach, Co. The Grianan of Aileach (also spelled Ailech Irish: Grianán Ailigh) is a group of historic monuments in County Donegal, Ireland built on the Donegal
- Hill of Tara, Co. The Hill of Tara ( Irish Teamhair na Rí, "Hill of the Kings" located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs Meath
- Killarney National Park, Co. Killarney National Park (Páirc Náisiúnta Chill Airne is located beside the town of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. Kerry
- Kilkenny Castle, Co. Kilkenny Castle ( is a Castle in Kilkenny, Ireland. It was the seat of the Butler family Kilkenny
- King John's Castle (Limerick)
- Knock Shrine, Co. See also King John's Castle for other castles of this name King John's Castle is a castle located on King's Island in Knock Shrine is a major pilgrimage site in the village of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland, where Catholics believe that in 1879 there was an Mayo
- Kylemore Abbey, Co. Kylemore Abbey (Mainistir na Coille Móire is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle in Connemara, County Galway Galway
- The Mourne Mountains, Co. The Mourne Mountains or Mournes (Na Beanna Boirche a granite mountain range located in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland, are among the Down
- Newgrange, Co. Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous Meath
- Phoenix Park, Co. The Phoenix Park (Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce is the largest enclosed urban public Park in Europe located 3 km to the north west of Dublin city centre in Ireland Dublin, the largest enclosed urban public park in Europe. [57]
- The Rock of Cashel, Co. The Rock of Cashel ( Irish: Carraig Phadraig) also known as Cashel of the Kings and St Tipperary
- Skellig Michael, Co. Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichíl in the Irish language, meaning Michael's rock) also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about Kerry
- Tory Island, Co. Tory Island (official name Toraigh and also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh or previously Oileán Thúr Rí) is an island in Ireland Donegal
- Trim Castle, Co. Trim Castle (Caisleán Bhaile Atha Troim Trim County Meath, Ireland, on the shores of the Boyne has an area of 30000 m² Meath
- Trinity College, Dublin, Co. Trinity College Dublin ( TCD; Irish Coláiste na Tríonóide Baile Átha Cliath; Latin: Collegium Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Dublin. Houses the Book of Kells
- The Wicklow Way, Co. The Book of Kells (Leabhar Cheanannais (Dublin Trinity College Library MS A The Wicklow Way (Slí Cualann is a waymarked long distance walking trail in Ireland. Wicklow
Modern architecture
In the 20th century, Irish architecture followed the international trend towards modern, sleek and often radical building styles, particularly after independence in the first half of the century. The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside - with remains from all eras since the Stone age abounding New building materials and old were utilised in new ways to maximise style, space, light and energy efficiency. 1928 saw the construction of Ireland's first all concrete Art Deco church in Turners Cross, Cork. [58] The building was designed by Chicago architect Barry Byrne[59] and met with a cool reception among those more accustomed to traditional designs. Barry Byrne ( 19 December 1883 &ndash 18 December 1967) was initially a member of the group of Architects known as the Prairie
In 1953, one of Ireland's most radical buildings, Bus Éireann's main Dublin terminal building, better known as Busáras, was completed. Bus Éireann ( Irish for Irish Bus) provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which Busáras is the central bus station and hub for intercity and regional bus services operated by Bus Éireann in Dublin, Ireland. It was built despite huge public opposition and excessive costs of over £1 million. [60] Michael Scott, its architect is now considered one of the most important architects of the twentieth century in Ireland. [61]
A significant change in Ireland's architecture has taken place over the last few years, with a major shift towards the European continental ethos of architecture and urbanity. There are currently four buildings in planning that would eclipse the country's current tallest building record - currently held by Cork County Hall in Cork. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast These projects include the Elysian Building in Cork and the U2 Building, Players Mill and The Tall Building in Dublin. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. One of the most symbolic structures of modern Irish architecture is the Spire of Dublin. The Spire of Dublin, officially titled the Monument of Light (An Túr Solais is a large stainless steel pin-like Monument in height located on the site of the Completed in January 2003, the structure was nominated in 2004 for the prestigious Stirling Prize. The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in Architecture.
Demographics
Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the paleolithic and neolithic inhabitants of the island (other than by inference from genetic research in 2004 that challenges the idea of migration from central Europe and proposes a flow along the Atlantic coast from Spain). The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos [62][63] Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens of different peoples that may or may not be "mythological" (Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few). Attacotti (variously spelled refers to a people who despoiled Roman Britain between 364 and 368 along with Scotti, Picts, Saxons, Roman military The Conmaicne or Conmhaicne (descendants of Con Mhac were an ancient tribal grouping that were divided into a number of distinct branches that were found scattered around Ireland The Eóganachta (or Eoghanachta) by tradition founded by Eógan, king of Munster, the firstborn son of the semi-mythological third-century king Oilill The Iverni or Hiberni (Ἰουερνοι Iouernoi) were an ancient Celtic people of Ireland mentioned in Ptolemy 's 2nd century The Soghain were a people of ancient Ireland Their main homeland was in Tir Soghain later annexed into the kingdom of Uí Maine in what is now County Galway.
During the past 1,000 years or so, Vikings, Normans, Scots and English have all added to the indigenous gene pool. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English
Ireland's largest religious group is the Catholic Church (over 73% for the entire island, and about 86. 8%[64] for the Republic), and most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. The Irish Muslim community is growing, mostly through increased immigration (see Islam in Ireland). A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The documented history of Islam in Ireland dates to the 1950s The island also has a small Jewish community (see History of the Jews in Ireland), although this has declined somewhat in recent years. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The history of the Jews in Ireland extends back nearly a thousand years Over 4% of the Republic's population describe themselves as of no religion[64].
Ireland has for centuries been a place of emigration, particularly to England, Scotland, the United States, Canada, and Australia, see Irish diaspora. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Irish diaspora (Diaspóra na nGael consists of Irish Emigrants and their descendants in countries such as Great Britain, the United States With growing prosperity, Ireland has become a place of immigration instead. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the largest source of immigrants (over 150,000) from Central Europe, followed by other immigrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Latvia. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region.
Ireland's high standard of living, high wage economy and EU membership attract many migrants from the newest of the European Union countries: Ireland has had a significant number of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania In recent years, mainland Chinese have been migrating to Ireland in significant numbers. Nigerians, along with people from other African countries have accounted for a large proportion of the non-European Union migrants to Ireland. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in
Ireland is multilingual but predominantly English-speaking, with Irish, the first official language of the Republic, the second most commonly spoken language. Hiberno-English also known as Anglo-Irish and Irish English is English as spoken in Ireland, partly the result of the interaction of the English Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. [65] In the North, English is the de facto official language, but official recognition is afforded to both Irish and Ulster-Scots language. Ulster Scots, also known as Ullans, Hiberno-Scots, or Scots-Irish, refers to the variety of Scots (sometimes referred to as All three languages are spoken on both sides of the border. In recent decades, with the increase of immigration on an all-Ireland basis, many more languages have been introdced, particularly deriving from Asia and Eastern Europe, such as Chinese, Polish, Rusian, Turkish and Latvian.
Cities
After Dublin (1. There are officially eleven cities in Ireland between the two jurisdictions in Ireland, five of these in Northern Ireland and six of them in the Republic of Ireland 7m in Greater Dublin), Ireland's largest cities are Belfast (800,000) in Greater Belfast), Cork (380,000 in Greater Cork), Derry (94,329 in Derry Urban Area), Limerick (93,321 incl. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Greater Cork (Irish Mórcheantar Chorcaí has a total population of 380000 (2006 The Derry Urban Area (Limistéar Uirbeach Dhoire is the Urban area that includes and surrounds the city of Derry in Northern Ireland, and is part of the Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster suburbs Limerick urban area), Galway (71,983), Lisburn (71,465), Waterford (49,240 including suburbs), Newry (27,433), Kilkenny (23,967 incl. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Lisburn (Lios na gCearrbhach meaning fort of the gamblers) is a predominantly Unionist city in Northern Ireland, south-west of and adjoining Belfast Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country Newry ( short form An tIúr, "The Yew" is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. suburbs) and Armagh (14,590). The City of Armagh ( is an ancient religious site of worship of both celtic paganism and Christianity and the oldest of the five cities in Northern Ireland,
Transport
Air
There are five main international airports in Ireland: Dublin Airport, Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove), Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and Ireland West Airport (Knock) . Most of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands either side of the Irish border. Aer Lingus is the Flag carrier airline of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 41 Airbus aircraft serving Europe Africa and North WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Cork Airport, ( Irish: Aerfort Chorcaí is one of the three principal International airports in the Republic of Ireland (along with Shannon International Airport, or Aerfort na Sionnainne in Irish is one of Ireland's primary three airports (along with Dublin Airport and Cork Airport Ireland West Airport Knock (Aerfort Chonnachta, is an airport located 3 Nautical miles (5 Dublin Airport is the busiest airport in Ireland, carrying over 22 million passengers per year; a new terminal and runway is now under construction, costing over €2 billion. All provide services to Great Britain and continental Europe, while Belfast International, Dublin, Shannon and Ireland West (Knock) also offer a range of transatlantic services. Shannon was once an important stopover on the trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations and, with Dublin, is still one of the Ireland's two designated transatlantic gateway airports.
There are several smaller regional airports: George Best Belfast City Airport, City of Derry Airport (Eglinton), Galway Airport, Kerry Airport (Farranfore), (Knock), Sligo Airport (Strandhill), Waterford Airport, and Donegal Airport (Carrickfinn). George Best Belfast City Airport is an Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. City of Derry Airport (Aerfort Chathair Dhoire is an airport in Derry, Northern Ireland. “GWY” redirects here You may have been looking for the Cherokee language, written in Cherokee ᏣᎳᎩ. Kerry Airport, or Aerphort Chiarraí in Irish, often called Farranfore Airport, is an airport in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland Knock (An Cnoc meaning The Hill – but now more generally known in Irish as Cnoc Mhuire, "Hill of (the Virgin Mary" is a small town in Sligo Airport (Aerfort Shligigh is located in Strandhill, County Sligo, about 8 kilometres (5 miles from Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. Waterford Airport, or Aerphort Phort Láirge in Irish, also known as the South East Regional Airport, is located near Waterford, and Wexford Donegal Airport or Aerfort Dhún na nGall in Irish, is located 2 Nautical miles southwest of An Bun Beag, near Carrickfinn on the west coast Scheduled services from these regional points are mostly limited to the rest of Ireland and Great Britain.
Airlines in Ireland include: Aer Lingus (the national airline of Ireland), Ryanair (Europe's largest low cost airline), Aer Arann and CityJet. Aer Lingus is the Flag carrier airline of Ireland. Based at Dublin Airport, it operates 41 Airbus aircraft serving Europe Africa and North Ryanair (,) is an Irish Airline with headquarters in Dublin and its biggest operational base at London Stansted Airport in the UK Aer Arann is a Regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. They operate scheduled service on 40 different routes between Ireland, France CityJet Limited is an Airline based in Dublin, Ireland. It is an Air France subsidiary operating franchise services in Europe
Rail
The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received (British) Government funding in the late 19th century. This article is part of the History of rail transport by country series The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. The broad gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were also hundreds of kilometres of 914 mm (3 ft) narrow gauge railways. Broad gauge Railways use a Rail gauge (distance between the rails greater than the Standard gauge of. A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways
Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and connect most major towns and cities across the country. rail transport in Ireland Iarnród Éireann ( IÉ;; in English, Irish Rail) is the national Railway system operator of the Republic
In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation in the city and its immediate vicinity. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) links the city centre with coastal suburbs, while a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers to the central and western suburbs. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit ( DART) is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. Luas /ɫ̪uəsˠ/ ( Irish for 'speed' also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, is a Light rail or Tram Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to metro. The Dublin Metro (Metro Baile Átha Cliath is a planned metro system for the city of Dublin. The DART is run by Iarnród Éireann while the Luas is being run by Veolia under franchise from the Railway Procurement Agency (R. Veolia Environnement SA () is a multinational French company with activities in four main areas - Water, Waste management, Energy and Railway Procurement Agency ( An Ghníomhaireacht um Fháil Iarnród) is a State Agency of the Department of Transport in the Republic of Ireland charged P. A. ).
Under the Irish government's Transport 21 plan, reopening the Navan-Clonsilla rail link, the Cork-Midleton rail link and the Western Rail Corridor are amongst plans for Ireland's railways. Transport 21 is an Irish Infrastructure plan announced on 1 November 2005 in Dublin Castle by the then Irish Minister for Navan (ˈnævən) is the largest town and County town or administrative capital of County Meath, Ireland. Clonsilla ( Cluain Saileach in Irish, meaning meadow of the Willow or Sallows) is a village and district northwest of Dublin, Midleton ( Mainistir na Corann in Irish) is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland Railways (N. NI Railways also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time Ulster Transport Railways (UTR is the Railway operator in I. R. ), part of Translink. Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the Public Services in Northern Ireland are sparse in comparison to the rest of Ireland or Britain. A large railway network was severely curtailed in the 1950s and 1960s (in particular by the Ulster Transport Authority). The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966 The current situation includes suburban services to Larne, Newry and Bangor, as well as services to Derry. Larne (&mdashthe domain of a Viking chieftain is a substantial seaport and industrial Town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland Newry ( short form An tIúr, "The Yew" is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. Bangor (Beannchor is a large Town in County Down, Northern Ireland, with a population of 76403 people in the 2001 Census, making it the There is also a branch from Coleraine to Portrush. Coleraine ( is a large Town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland near to the mouth of the River Bann. Portrush ( is a Seaside resort Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the County Londonderry border Waterside Station in Derry is the main railway station for County Londonderry as well as County Donegal in Ireland. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall.
Ireland also has one of the largest dedicated freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna. Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Bord na Móna ( lit Peat Board is a semi-state company in the Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946 This company has narrow gauge railways totalling 1,930 kilometres (1,200 miles). A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways
Roads
Motorists must drive on the left in Ireland, as in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Japan, and a number of other countries. Ireland, both north and south of the border, has an extensive network of roads Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the Road. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. [66] The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, with a (developing) motorway network fanning out from Belfast, Cork and Dublin. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collected tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 16,100 km (10,000 mi) road network. Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by Act of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways [67]
The year 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horsecar service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick run by Charles Bianconi. A horsecar was an animal-powered Streetcar or Tram. The first passenger services in the world were started by the Oystermouth Railway in Charles Bianconi (1786-1875 was born Carlo Bianconi in Costa Masnaga ( Italy) on September 24 1786. Now, the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the Republic and Ulsterbus, a division of Translink, in Northern Ireland, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. Bus Éireann ( Irish for Irish Bus) provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which Ulsterbus is a Public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside of Belfast. Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo a public corporation in Northern Ireland which provides the Public Dublin Bus specifically serves the greater Dublin area, and a further division of Translink called Metro, operates services within the greater Belfast area. Dublin Bus (Bus Átha Cliath ˈaːhə ˈclʲiə is a Public transport operator in the Republic of Ireland. Metro is the trading name for Bus company Citybus in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Translink also operate Ulsterbus Foyle in the Derry Urban Area. The Derry Urban Area (Limistéar Uirbeach Dhoire is the Urban area that includes and surrounds the city of Derry in Northern Ireland, and is part of the
All speed limit signs in the Republic changed to the metric system in 2005. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Some direction signs still show distance in miles[68]. Use of imperial measurements are usually limited to pints of beer in pubs, and informal measurement of human height (feet and inches) and weight (usually stones, but pounds and ounces for infants). The pint is an English unit of Volume or capacity in the imperial system and United States customary units. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass However, younger generations tend to use metric units more so than the older generations.
Energy network
For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Electricity distribution is the penultimate stage in the delivery (before retail) of Electricity to end users Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected through Britain to mainland Europe. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB (Bord Soláthair an Leictreachais (sometimes called ESB Ireland to differentiate it from US utilities is a semi-state electricity
Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous power at peak load. The situation in the North is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the South, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe.
The natural gas network is also now all-Ireland, with an interconnector from Antrim to Scotland, and a further two interconnectors from Dublin to Britain. Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Most of Ireland's gas now comes through the interconnectors with a decreasing supply from the Kinsale field. Kinsale (Cionn tSáile is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale The Corrib Gas Field off the coast of County Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore. The Corrib gas project entails exploiting a Natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland.
There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Wind Power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form such as electricity using Wind turbines At the end of 2007 worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. What will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is currently being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. County Wicklow (Contae Chill Mhantáin is a county on the east coast of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. It is predicted to generate 10% of Ireland's energy needs when it is complete. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. Achill Island (ˈækəl Acaill Oileán Acla in County Mayo is the largest island of Ireland, and is situated off the west coast A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the aging network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The ESB's Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in Ireland. Turlough Hill is Ireland 's only Pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant it is located in the mountains of County Wicklow off the R756 road at [69]
Economy
In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Republic of Ireland pursued a low-tax, low-spending, non-interventionist approach under the government of W. T. Cosgrave and Cumann na nGaedhael, focused mainly on agriculture, with livestock farming of primary importance. The economy of the Republic of Ireland is modern and trade-dependent with growth averaging a 7% per annum in 1995&ndash2007 The economy of Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four Home nations ' economies of the United Kingdom. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W Cumann na nGaedhael (ˈkʊmən nə ˈŋɰeːɫ "Society of the Gaels" sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given The only notable expense the government went to during this time was for the rural electrification scheme, which saw £5,000,000 spent in constructing the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station on the river Shannon (also known as the Shannon Scheme). Ardnacrusha power station ( originally referred to as The Shannon Scheme, is Ireland 's largest river Hydroelectric scheme and is operated on a purpose During this period, 97% of trade was done with Britain. This government favoured free-trade. However many saw this as inadequate after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the ’29 Crash, the Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of October 1929
In 1932, Eamonn De Valera's Fianna Fáil party defeated Cosgrave's party with a solid majority. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the De Valera's policy was of economic nationalism, a belief in self-sufficiency, and attempted industrialization. Fianna Fáil abandoned free trade and put up protective tariffs on almost all manufactured products. In June, 1932 De Valera withheld land annuities, which dated back to the land acts of the 18th and early 19th century, which were until then paid to the British Government. Britain responded by placing tariffs on Irish exports of livestock and by-products. In turn De Valera imposed duties on British coal. This developed into an 'economic war' known as the Anglo-Irish Trade War. The Anglo-Irish Trade War (also called the " Economic War " was a retaliatory Trade war between the Irish Free State and the United Kingdom The economic war resulted in widespread hardship for Irish farming, which was the backbone of the economy, and which relied on exports to English cities for a market. The tariffs resulted in price increases for many essential manufactured goods, and an increase in the cost of living. High unemployment in richer English speaking countries made emigration from Ireland less of an option, decreasing wages. At this time many Irish industries were established, based of low wages, and protectionist barriers. With the British anticipating war, and the Irish in a dire financial situation, the trade war ended in 1938, with the British agreeing to discontinue land annuity payments from Irish farmers. Fianna Fáil established many semi-state organizations for the purposes of utilizing national resources, and marshalling larger scale industries. At this time the Irish economy enjoyed a stable period.
Fianna Fáil remained in power until 1948, when the first coalition government ousted them. To the present day, the two largest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have dominated the scene, Fine Gael traditionally being seen as less interventionist in economic matters. Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Fianna Fáil have become less interventionist and more market driven in the early 1990s, especially when in alliance with the small pro-business party, the Progressive Democrats. The Progressive Democrats (An Páirtí Daonlathach lit The Democratic Party) commonly called The PDs, are a Free market liberal party in
Northern Ireland experienced a boom during World War II, as a result of demand for its principal industries, shipbuilding and linen making, and got a lot of support from the British government thereafter. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Irish Linen is the tenth of the Nuala Anne McGrail series of mystery novels by Roman Catholic Priest and Author Father In comparison, Ireland did not experience a WWII boom and its situation declined relative to Northern Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. In the 1950s there was a dramatic decrease in the population of working age, as workers picked up better paid jobs in Britain and North America. This was a period of great concern, with considerable social heamorrhaging taking place in rural Ireland in particular. In the early 1960s, the new Fianna Fáil leader Seán Lemass abandoned its previous protectionist policies, and embarked on a programme of economic reform. Seán Francis Lemass (15 July 1899 &ndash 11 May 1971 was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and third Taoiseach of Ireland from 1959 until 1966 Serious efforts were made to attract inward investment from the United States in particular, and to a lesser extent West Germany, and Japan. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Purpose built industrial estates were developed in most large towns. Rural Electrification, the division of large estates, and agricultural scientific education resulted in dramatic increases in agricultural output in the 1960s. In 1972, second level education was made free and compulsory. Ireland applied to join the European Economic Community, gaining entry in 1973 along with Britain. The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992
From 1973 to 1983, the island of Ireland was hit by two oil crises, a series of bank strikes that paralysed business activity for 18 months, poor industrial relations, public pay rises, and runaway inflation. However, poor management of the state finances was being addressed with repeated increases in taxation of all beneficial activity, until employment became less attractive than welfare. At the same time it was found that Irish industry was completely unprepared for competition that arose as a result of free trade with continental Europe. Ireland's heavy industries, located primarily in Cork, almost disappeared between 1982 and 1984. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Agriculture, the only sector of the economy which was competitive at this stage, was constrained by production quotas, and prevented from taking up the slack in the economy. At the same time Ireland was producing its first generation where university education was widely attained. There was mass unemployment, with many people with tertiary education working minimum wage jobs or being out of work. Emigration returned to 50,000 per year. From 1982 to 1986 the national debt had doubled, mostly due to stabilisation policies like welfare, gigantic subsidies to semistate organisations and public utilities, and an effort to reduce inflation and stabilise the currency.
This situation changed dramatically in the mid 1990s as the result of a prodigious economic boom, known as the "Celtic Tiger" (as in "tiger economy"). Celtic Tiger (Tíogar Ceilteach is a name for the period of rapid Economic growth in the Republic of Ireland that began in the 1990s and slowed in 2001 A tiger economy is the economy of a country which undergoes rapid Economic growth, usually accompanied by an increase in standard of living This was led by a surge in inward investment in high end industries in services, and lower taxation levels. From 2002, this was augmented by low interest rates set by the European Central Bank which encourage private sector consumption. The European Central Bank (ECB is one of the world's most important Central banks responsible for Monetary policy covering the 15 member countries of the In July 2006, a survey undertaken by Bank of Ireland Private Banking showed that, of the top 8 leading OECD nations, the Republic of Ireland was ranked the second wealthiest per capita country in the world, showing an average wealth per head of nearly €150,000 (~ $190,000). [70] This is behind Japan, and ahead of other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
Education in Ireland is free at all levels, including college (university).
In 2005, Ireland was ranked the best place to live in the world, according to a "quality of life" assessment by Economist magazine. Quality of life is the degree of well-being felt by an individual or group of people The country's combination of increasing wealth and traditional values gives it the conditions most likely to make its people happy, the survey found. These conditions include health, freedom, unemployment, family life, climate, political stability and security, gender equality and family and community life. The Economist said: "Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new, such as low unemployment and political liberties, with the preservation of certain cosy elements of the old, such as stable family and community life. The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London "
The rosy reports and GDP figures mask several underlying imbalances. The construction sector, which is inherently cyclical in nature, now accounts for a significant component of Ireland's GDP. This was being driven by low interest-rates and the fact that Ireland is one of the few countries in the OECD not to have residential housing or water rates. A recent downturn in residential property market sentiment has highlighted the over-exposure of the Irish economy to construction, which now presents a threat to economic growth. [71][72] Several successive years of unbalanced economic growth have also led to huge inequality between the strata of Irish society (see Economy of the Republic of Ireland - Recent developments), as well as significant environmental degradation, including rapid loss of biodiversity and erosion of natural and cultural heritage[73] [74], and the highest per-capita rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union since the Kyoto Protocol came into effect[75] [76]. The economy of the Republic of Ireland is modern and trade-dependent with growth averaging a 7% per annum in 1995&ndash2007 Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort
Gallery of images
 The Aran Islands, Co. The Aran Islands ( Irish: Oileáin Árann, Aran Islands Dialect: ˈɑːrənʲ ˈhɑːrənʲəxə are a group of three Islands located Galway |  Blarney Castle, Co. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Blarney Castle is a Medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Cork |  Clonmacnoise Co. The Monastery of Clonmacnoise ( Cluain Mhic Nóis in Irish, meaning "Meadow of the Sons of Nós" is situated in County Offaly, Offaly |  Cliffs of Moher, Co. The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair lit cliffs of the ruin, also known as the Cliffs of Coher from the Mhothair are located in the Parish of Clare |
 The Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin |  The Giant's Causeway, Co. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The Giant's Causeway (or Clochán na bhFómharach is an area of about 40000 interlocking Basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic eruption Antrim |  The Mourne Mountains, Co. The Mourne Mountains or Mournes (Na Beanna Boirche a granite mountain range located in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland, are among the Down | |
 The Rock of Cashel, Co. The Rock of Cashel ( Irish: Carraig Phadraig) also known as Cashel of the Kings and St Tipperary |  Christ's Saddle, Skellig Michael, Co. Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichíl in the Irish language, meaning Michael's rock) also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about Kerry |  Slieve League cliffs, Co. Located on the Coast of County Donegal, Ireland, Slieve League ( Irish: Sliabh Liag) at 601 Metres has Donegal |  Trim Castle, Co. Trim Castle (Caisleán Bhaile Atha Troim Trim County Meath, Ireland, on the shores of the Boyne has an area of 30000 m² Meath |
See also
Notes
- ^ Great Britain being the largest and Iceland being the second largest. This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data This page aims to list articles related to the island of Ireland. This page aims to list articles related to Northern Ireland. For a list of topics related to the island of Ireland, see the List of Ireland-related topics; for Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. The Ireland Funds is a global Fundraising organization for people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Lordship of Ireland ( 1171 - 1541) was the nominally all-island Irish state created in the wake of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169-71 Clonycavan Man is the name given to a well-preserved Iron Age Bog body found in Clonycavan, County Meath, Ireland in March 2003 See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (
- ^ See List of islands by area. This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2500 km² (970 square miles
- ^ CSO: Central Statistics Office Ireland
- ^ Population of the Greater Dublin Area to reach 2 million by 2021, Central Statistics Office Ireland
- ^ BreakingNews.ie - 'Migration pushes population in the North up to 1.75 million' Demography and Methodology Branch, NISRA - Excel file
- ^ "Background Information on Northern Ireland Society: Population and Vital Statistics" from CAIN Web Service. The Central Statistics Office ( CSO) or in Irish An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh ( POS) is the Statistical agency responsible for the gathering of Combined population of Belfast, Castlereagh, Carrickfergus and Lisburn. Accessed 6 February 2007
- ^ Article 2, Republic of Ireland Act 1948, Government of Ireland
- ^ Indicates that the population for Ulster is the sum of the 2006 census results for counties of Ulster in Republic of Ireland and the 2006 Northern Ireland estimated population for Northern Ireland. Population for other provinces is all 2006 census results. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 is an Act of the Oireachtas whose primary provisions were to declare that the state Ireland, is a Republic and that the President
- ^ BBC News, "Call for all-Ireland soccer team", 19 January 2007
- ^ BBC Sport, "All-Ireland warning from Delaney", 17 January 2008
- ^ World Socialist Web Site, "Ireland: Fianna Fail and SDLP float unity pact", 1 February 2003
- ^ Northern Ireland Assembly minutes, December 2002
- ^ Forfás report
- ^ Agreement Reached in the Multi-party Negotiations - Northern Ireland Assembly
- ^ SEMO - about SEMO
- ^ DUP minister expresses support for single gas market at Belfast Telegraph
- ^ Highest Mountains in Ireland. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Ordnance Survey Ireland. Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi Irish: Suirbhéireacht Ordanáis Éireann) is the mapping agency in the Republic of Ireland and together with the Ordnance Retrieved on 2007-08-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine
- ^ River Shannon - Shannon Development Website www. shannonregiontourism. ie
- ^ Land and People www. irlgov. ie
- ^ Website of Met Éireann - Temperature in Ireland www. met. ie
- ^ Met Éireann (Irish National Meteorological Service) Historical rainfall statistics
- ^ Website of Met Éireann - Rainfall in Ireland www. met. ie
- ^ "Land cover and land use", Environmental Protection Agency', 2000. Accessed July 30, 2007
- ^ National forestation statistics, Jan 2007 - Coillte Teoranta
- ^ H. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Coillte Teoranta (from Irish language, meaning Forestry Limited) is a state-sponsored company in Ireland. & J. Groves
- ^ Guiry, M. D. and Nic Dhonncha, E. N. 2001. The marine macroalgae of Ireland : biodiversity and distribution. in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001. Ulster Museum publication no. 8
- ^ Minchin, D. 2001. Biodiversity and Marine Invaders. (Appendix) in Maine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26 - 27 April 2001. Ulster Museum publication no. 8
- ^ a b CAP reform - a long-term perspective for sustainable agriculture, European Commission, <http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/index_en.htm>. Retrieved on 30 July 2007
- ^ "Land cover and land use", Environmental Protection Agency', 2000. Accessed July 30, 2007
- ^ Roche, Dick (2006-11-08), National Parks, vol. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 185, Seanad Éireann, <http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html>. Retrieved on 30 July 2007 Seanad Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government
- ^ The Neolithic, or New Stone Age: Farming
- ^ Prospect-magazine.co.uk - Genetic heritage
- ^ Royal Society - Genes
- ^ Hibernia unrv. Seanad Éireann (ɕan̪ˠad̪ˠ erʲan̪ˠ English Senate of Ireland) also known unofficially as the Senate, is the Upper house of the Oireachtas com
- ^ http://www.bartleby.com/65/sc/Scotia.html The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05
- ^ The Geography of Ptolemy www. Roman-Britain. org
- ^ Scion of traitors and warlords: why Bush is coy about his Irish links
- ^ The spread of the Plague: Ireland
- ^ BBC The curse of Cromwell
- ^ Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery at University of Minnesota Law School
- ^ Alan J. Ward, The Irish Constitutional Tradition p. 28.
- ^ The Irish Potato Famine
- ^ Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick's Day (March 17) 2007, US government census
- ^ Ireland Learns to Adapt to a Population Growth Spurt New York Times
- ^ BBC History of Northern Ireland
- ^ Ireland considering immigration deal with U.S., Reuters, October 25, 2006
- ^ Professor John H. Whyte paper on discrimination in Northern Ireland
- ^ Religion, Identity & Politics – Northern Ireland Conflict & Resolution, 1969-2005 - NYU department of history
- ^ http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/decommission/iicd190106.pdf
- ^ The James Joyce Centre - Bloomsday in Dublin www. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. jamesjoyce. ie
- ^ Ireland in shock Eurovision exit. BBC Online (2005-05-19). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war.
- ^ Irish Government Website Culture and Sport Information http://www.irlgov.ie
- ^ Croke Park Stadium. Retrieved on 2007-10-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's
- ^ 2006 Ryder Cup Official Site http://www.pga.com
- ^ British Open Golf Official Site - News
- ^ Fishing in Ireland- Central Fisheries Board www.cfb.ie
- ^ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-60381/Dublin#147523.hook
- ^ TurnersCross.Com
- ^ Barry Byrne, Biography & Buildings
- ^ Busáras at archiseek.com
- ^ Michael Scott Architect (1905-1989) [Archeire, Irish Architecture Online]
- ^ BreakingNews.ie: Archives :2004-09-09
- ^ Special report: 'Myths of British ancestry' by Stephen Oppenheimer | Prospect Magazine October 2006 issue 127
- ^ a b Census 2006 Volume 13 Religion (pdf). Central Statistics Office. Retrieved on 2008-01-29. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher.
- ^ CSO.ie - Census 2006 (37.6% of workforce (>15 years) classified as "Irish speakers")
- ^ U.S. Department of State, Consular Information Sheet Ireland, TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS travel. state. gov
- ^ THE HISTORY OF TRANSPORT IN IRELAND PART 1 www. cie. ie
- ^ Lost: Dublin signpost with distances in miles. at ErasmusPC.com
- ^ Options For Future Renewable Energy Policy, Targets And Programmes Issued By Department Of Communications, Marine And Natural Resources www. hibernianwindpower. ie (27 February 2004)
- ^ RTÉ News: Ireland ranked second in global wealth table
- ^ Economic Survey of Ireland 2006: Keeping public finances on track, OECD, 2006, <http://www.oecd.org/document/50/0,3343,en_33873108_33873500_36173106_1_1_1_1,00.html>. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Retrieved on 30 July 2007
- ^ House slowdown sharper than expected, RTÉ, 2007-08-03, <http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0803/economy1.html>. Retrieved on 6 August 2007
- ^ Notice Nature - Home
- ^ Heritage @ Risk: Ireland
- ^ http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/cli_cou_372.pdf
- ^ Ireland faces Kyoto fine for CO2 emissions - Ireland - Breaking News - Belfast Telegraph
References
- Fairley, J. S. 1975. An Irish Beast Book. A Natural History of Ireland's Furred Wildlife. Blackstaff Press, Belfast. ISBN 85640 090 4
- Hardy, F. G. & Guiry, M. D. 2006. A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. Revised Edition pp. x + 435. London: British Phycological Society. Available from Koeltz Books, Germany. ISBN 3-906166-35-X
- Knowles, M. C. 1929. The Lichens of Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Vol. 38 :179 - 434.
- Morton, O. 1994. Marine Algae of Northern Ireland. Ulster Museum. ISBN 0 900761 28 8
- Morton, O. 2003. The marine algae macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland. Bull. Ir. biogeog. Soc. 27:3 - 164.
- Seaward, M. R. D. 1984. Census Catalogue of Irish Lichens. Glasra 8: 1 - 32.
- Cullinane, J. P. 1973. Phycology of the south coast of Ireland. University College Cork.
- Herm, Gerhard (2002), The Celts, Ireland: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312313438
- O'Rahilly, T. F. (1947), Early Irish History and Mythology, US: Medieval Academy of America
Further reading
Wildlife
- Nunn, J. Thomas Francis O'Rahilly, Irish name Tomás Proinsias Ó Rathaile (1883–1953 was an influential scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the D. (ed. ) 2002. Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters. Proceedings of a Conference 26 - 27 April 2001. Ulster Museum publication no. 8.
- Hackney, P. Ed. 1992. Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University, Belfast. ISBN 0 85 389 4469.
- Haigh, A. and Lawton, C. 2007. Wild mammals of an Irish urban forest. Ir Nat. J. 28: 395 - 403.
- Scannell, M. J. P. and Synnott, D. M. 1972. Census Catalogue of the Flora of Ireland. Dublin.
- Chara curta in Ireland [2]
External links
- Wikitravel has Republic of Ireland guide to the Republic of Ireland
- Wikitravel has Northern Ireland guide to Northern Ireland
- History of Ireland: Primary Documents
- Encyclopaedia Britannica's Ireland country page
- Ireland Facts Photo and information gallery from AOL Research & Learn
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