Portal:Ireland

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Welcome to the Ireland Portal!
Fáilte go dtí Tairseach na hÉireann!
Fair faa ye tae tha Airlann Inlat!

Introduction

Sister portal:

Northern Ireland

Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ ^ⓘ IRE-lənd; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ^ⓘ; Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest in the world. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), an independent state covering five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2022, the population of the entire island is just over 7 million, with 5.1 million living in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain.

The geography of Ireland comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the Middle Ages. Today, woodland makes up about 10% of the island, compared with a European average of over 33%, with most of it being non-native conifer plantations. The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate, and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century AD. The island was Christianised from the 5th century onwards. During this period Ireland was divided into many petty kingships under provincial kingships (Cúige "fifth" of the traditional provinces) vying for dominance and the title of High King of Ireland. In the late 8th century to early 11th century AD Viking raids and settlement took place culminating in the Battle of Clontarf on 23 April 1014 which resulted in the ending of Viking power in Ireland. Following the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion, England claimed sovereignty. However, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. With the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century was followed by the partition of the island, leading to the creation of the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades until it declared a republic in 1948 ( Republic of Ireland Act, 1948) and Northern Ireland, which remained a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. In 1973, both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, with Northern Ireland as part of it, joined the European Economic Community. Following a referendum vote in 2016, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland included, left the European Union (EU) in 2020. Northern Ireland was granted a limited special status and allowed to operate within the EU single market for goods without being in the European Union. (Full article...)

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Drapier's Letters is the collective name for a series of seven pamphlets written between 1724 and 1725 by Jonathan Swift to arouse public opinion in Ireland against the imposition of a privately minted copper coinage which Swift believed to be of inferior quality. William Wood was granted letters patent to mint the coin, and Swift saw the licensing of the patent as corrupt. In response, Swift represented Ireland as constitutionally and financially independent of Britain in the Drapier's Letters. Because it was a politically sensitive subject, Swift wrote under the pseudonym M. B. Drapier and the Drapier's Letters are seen as the most important of Swift's "Irish tracts."

Although the letters were condemned by the Irish government, with prompting from the British government, they inspired popular sentiment against Wood and his patent. This turned into a nationwide boycott, which forced the patent to be withdrawn; Swift was later honoured for this service to the people of Ireland. Many Irish people recognized Swift as a hero for his defiance of British control over the Irish nation. Beyond being a hero, many critics have seen Swift, through the persona of the Drapier, as the first to organize a "more universal Irish community", although it is disputed as to who constitutes that community.

The first complete collection of the Drapier's Letters appeared in the 1734 George Faulkner edition of the Works of Jonathan Swift along with an allegorical frontispiece offering praise and thanks from the Irish people. Some of Swift's other political writings are Gulliver's Travels, A Tale of a Tub, and A Modest Proposal. Read more...

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The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a number of different styles, but their music is a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. After ten years of recording and touring, they dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career. They reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and tour worldwide. Scott emphasizes a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."

The early Waterboys sound was dubbed "The Big Music" after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. This musical style was described by Scott as "a metaphor for seeing God's signature in the world." It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, In Tua Nua, Big Country, the Hothouse Flowers and World Party, the last of which was made up of former Waterboys members. In the late 1980s the band became significantly more folk influenced. The Waterboys eventually returned to rock and roll, and have released both rock and folk albums since reforming. Their songs, largely written by Scott, often contain literary references and are frequently concerned with spirituality. Both the group and its members' solo careers have received much praise from both rock and folk music critics, but The Waterboys as a band has never received the commercial success that some of its members have had independently. Read more...

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General images

The following are images from various Ireland-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Kevin's monastery at Glendalough, County Wicklow (from History of Ireland)
Image 2A plaster cast of a traditional Samhain turnip lantern (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 3The 'Land of the Ever Young', an illustration of the Celtic Otherworld by Arthur Rackham (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 4Ulster Museum, Belfast. (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 5Bacon and cabbage (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 6Champ (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 7The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin. (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 8Cork Opera House. (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 9Gaelic football (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 10Irish traditional music sessions often take place in public houses (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 11Buí Bolg at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 12Institute of Education and Celtic Culture, Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 13Irish family evicted at Moyasta, County Clare during Land War, c.1879 (from History of Ireland)
Image 14Three men digging for potatoes in Ahascragh, County Galway (Circa 1900) (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 15The extent of Norman control of Ireland in 1300 (from History of Ireland)
Image 16A typical Irish pub in County Donegal (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 17Beef and mushroom boxty (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 18Celtic cross in the Irish National Heritage Park (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 19Irish stew (Stobhach) (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 20President John F. Kennedy in motorcade in Cork on 27 June 1963 (from History of Ireland)
Image 21Barmbrack (Bairín breac) (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 22An Irish coffee. (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 23A 16th century perception of Irish women and girls, illustrated in the manuscript "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by Lucas d'Heere in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library. (from History of Ireland)
Image 24Ireland during the Ice Age (from History of Ireland)
Image 25A tower house near Quin, County Clare. The Normans consolidated their presence in Ireland by building hundreds of castles and towers such as this. (from History of Ireland)
Image 26Daniel O'Connell (from History of Ireland)
Image 27Map showing the Viking settlements in Ireland (from History of Ireland)
Image 28The Easter Proclamation, issued by Leaders of the Easter Rising (from History of Ireland)
Image 29Ireland in 1014: a patchwork of rival kingdoms (from History of Ireland)
Image 30Handcrafted bowl and pitchers by Nicholas Mosse Pottery, founded in 1976 (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 31Bloomsday celebrations in Dublin (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 3211th century cumdach of the Stowe Missal (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 33Great Hall Kitchen in the Carraig Phádraig (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 34A page from the Book of Kells that opens the Gospel of John (from History of Ireland)
Image 35Irish Soda bread (áran sóide) served with Irish butter (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 36Coddle (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 37Political map of Ireland (from History of Ireland)
Image 38Seafood chowder (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 39Irish dancers in Irish dancing costumes, which often feature lace or an embroidered pattern copied from the medieval Irish Book of Kells. (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 40Newgrange, built c. 3200 BCE, is an Irish passage tomb located at Brú na Bóinne. (from History of Ireland)
Image 41Irish cream cheesecake (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 42Colcannon (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 43Irish travellers en route to the Cahirmee Horse Fair (1954) (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 44Hurling ball (sliotar) and hurley (camán) (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 45Traditional Irish cottage in County Antrim (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 46After an unusually bitter Irish Catholic rebellion and civil war, Oliver Cromwell, on behalf of the English Commonwealth, re-conquered Ireland by invasion which lasted from 1649 to 1651. Under Cromwell's government, landownership in Ireland was transferred overwhelmingly to Puritan soldiery and commercial undertakers to pay for the war. (from History of Ireland)
Image 47The Irish tricolour (from History of Ireland)
Image 48Irish soldiers, 1521 – by Albrecht Dürer. (from History of Ireland)
Image 49An Irish-language information sign in the Donegal Gaeltacht (from Culture of Ireland)
Image 50Portrait of James II of England by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
Forty years later, Irish Catholics, known as "Jacobites", fought for James from 1688 to 1691, but failed to restore James to the throne of Ireland, England and Scotland. (from History of Ireland)

Selected picture

Image 1An anti-Irish cartoon from 1871
Image 2Newgrange, Co. Meath
Image 3A memorial to the first non-stop transatlantic flight
Image 4Carlingford Lough
Image 5The Chicago River, Saint Patrick's Day 2009
Image 6The woolsack, the Irish House of Lords.
Image 7St. Patrick's Street, Cork circa. 1890-1900
Image 8Scotch Quay, Waterford
Image 9The Cross of Cong
Image 10Hurling
Image 11A back road in Co. Mayo
Image 12Athenry, Co. Galway
Image 13St. Stephen's Green, Dublin
Image 14File File:Image:Muse_@_Oxegen_07.jpg does not exist.
Image 15Doolin, Co. Clare
Image 16St Eunan's College, Letterkenny
Image 17Arthur Guinness, founder of the Guinness
Image 18Clew Bay, Co. Mayo
Image 19Yeats' grave, Co. Sligo
Image 20A horse drinking near Downpatrick
Image 21Snap-Apple Night (Halloween) by Daniel Maclise
Image 22A Galway Hooker.
Image 23Leamaneh Castle, Co. Clare
Image 24Limerick on the Shannon River (1840)
Image 25The Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim
Image 26Slieve League, Co. Donegal
Image 27Gaelic Irish soldiers
Image 28The Gap of Dunloe, Co. Kerry
Image 29The Foyle at night.
Image 3019th century Irish crochet
Image 31Famine sculpture at the IFSC
Image 32Cathedral of St. Eunan and St Columba
Image 33City Hall, Belfast
Image 34Wind-surfing on Lough Lene, Co. Westmeath
Image 35Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim, Cavan
Image 36The Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry
Image 37Jerpoint Abbey, Co. Kilkenny
Image 38Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Dublin
Image 39Dervish at Eurovision 2007
Image 40The Leviathan of Parsonstown
Image 41City Hall, Cork
Image 42Iron cross, Malin Head, Co. Donegal
Image 43Theatre Royal, Wexford
Image 44William Butler Yeats, by John Butler Yeats
Image 45Lighthouse at Hook Head
Image 46Christmas shoppers in Dublin
Image 47Redwood Castle, Co. Tipperary
Image 48Selskar Abbey, Wexford

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Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh [ˌciːl̠ʲ ˈxan̠ʲəj], meaning 'church of Cainnech') is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2022 census gave the population of Kilkenny as 27,184, the thirteenth-largest urban center in Ireland.

Kilkenny is a tourist destination, and its environs include historic buildings such as Kilkenny Castle, St Canice's Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House, Shee Alms House, Black Abbey, St. Mary's Cathedral, The Tholsel, St. Francis Abbey, Grace's Castle, and St. John's Priory. Kilkenny is also known for its craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Cat Laughs comedy festival and music at the Kilkenny Roots Festival. (Full article...)

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Dublin Cork (city) Galway Limerick Waterford Belfast Armagh Derry Lisburn Newry

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...that the River Foyle is the fastest flowing river in Europe and is crossed by Europe's only double-decker bridge?
...that Paul McGrath, growing up in orphanages, was known as Paul Nwobilo until eventually tracked down by his mother, Betty McGrath?
...that Cork Harbour is one of several harbours that lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area".
...that Robert the Bruce, the 14th century king of Scotland, popularised a "pan-Gaelic Greater Scotia" and his brother Edward Bruce was the last High King of Ireland?

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Portal:Ireland

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