116-761: College football in Ireland ( Irish : Peil an Choláiste ) began initially in 1988 as part of a promotional campaign to mark the Dublin millennium celebrations. Dubbed the Emerald Isle Classic , it was the first NCAA -sanctioned American college football game played in Europe . The game was played at Lansdowne Road in Dublin , Ireland in the years 1988 and 1989. The event was first proposed and arranged by Aidan J. Prendergast and Jim O'Brien. Prendergast, who
232-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
348-529: A 19–18 victory over No. 9 Georgetown before 41,700 fans at sold-out Fenway Park , that was called one of the greatest games ever by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice . Going into the game, the Hoyas had 22 consecutive victories spanning three seasons. BC trailed until the third quarter, when a 43-yard touchdown pass from Charlie O'Rourke to Monk Maznicki put the Eagles ahead. With just seconds remaining, BC had
464-620: A 49–29–3 record. Holovak won Coach of the Year honors in 1954 from New England football writers. Those efforts were good enough to earn him a new four-year contract on November 22, 1955, but even after four more winning seasons - he was fired on December 3, 1959, after a year in which Eagle fans had subjected him to constant verbal abuse. Holovak would move on to coach the Boston Patriots in the upstart American Football League (AFL) from 1961 to 1968. Ernie Hefferle , an assistant coach for
580-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
696-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
812-412: A chapter of Uplifting Athletes to benefit Ewing sarcoma research. The chapter participates in an annual "Lift for Life" (where players compete in various physical challenges) to raise money. On October 3, 2009, Herzlich publicly announced on College Gameday that he was cancer-free. Herzlich completed the comeback when he took the field once again on September 4, 2010, against Weber State . In 2011,
928-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
1044-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
1160-562: A dismal 0–11 record in Chlebek's first season, BC rebounded to compile a 5–6 record in 1979 and a 7–4 record in 1980, leading to a job offer from Kent State to Chlebek, which he accepted. Chlebek's final record at BC is 12–21. Jack Bicknell was hired as BC's head coach after previously serving as head coach at Maine . The best player for the Eagles during Bicknell's tenure was quarterback Doug Flutie (of Natick, Massachusetts ), who played for Boston College from 1981 to 1984. Flutie won
1276-545: A division-clinching victory. Starting in 2008, the Boston College Gridiron Club created the O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy to honor the friendly rivalry between the Eagles and the Tigers . The trophy is named after BC's Charlie O'Rourke and Clemson 's Banks McFadden , star players of their respective teams when the Eagles and Tigers first played in the 1940 Cotton Bowl . The MVP of the game receives
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#17327733083971392-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
1508-633: A number of other nicknames over the years. The two teams battle for the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and the Ireland Trophy . The Eagles and the Fighting Irish have met once in the postseason; Notre Dame defeated Boston College in the 1983 Liberty Bowl by a score of 19–18. Boston College will host in 2025, 2030, and 2033, and Notre Dame will host in 2028 and 2035. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 18–9 as of
1624-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
1740-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
1856-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
1972-491: A replica leather helmet. Montel Harris was named the MVP of the 2010 meeting. Clemson leads the all-time series 20–9–2 as of the 2021 season. Boston College and Holy Cross have a dormant rivalry dating back to 1896, and have met 83 times on the field. The game was an annual home-and-home series until 1986. The Eagles dominated the last two decades of the annual series, winning 17 out of 19 meetings from 1967 to 1986. The rivalry
2088-492: A result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within
2204-737: A result, the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, voted on by a panel of sports writers in New York, became the de facto conference championship for those schools. In 1991, the majority of football independents in the East (including Boston College) aligned themselves together in the Big East Football Conference . The Big East first crowned an official champion in 1993. The Eagles left the Big East and joined
2320-529: A slightly smaller crowd than the first Emerald Isle Classic. Notre Dame won the game over Navy, setting the record for the longest winning streak over an annual collegiate opponent at 33 wins (Notre Dame added 10 additional wins to the streak, which remains the all-time record at 43 consecutive victories). A return trip by the teams in 2012, held at Aviva Stadium, was confirmed by the two schools and stadium management in September 2010. The Emerald Isle Classic
2436-480: A split championship with the University of Minnesota, but it's not clear whether the selectors awarded BC a title at the time of the 1940 season, or if they did so retroactively. The NCAA lists only Minnesota (who finished No. 1 the final AP Poll ) as the national champion in 1940, and does not credit Boston College with any national championships in football. In 1942, Boston College won its first 8 games of
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#17327733083972552-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
2668-603: Is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as
2784-580: Is a joint venture between Corporate.ie and Anthony Travel, announced that American college football would return to Ireland in 2016 with a match-up between Boston College and Georgia Tech . The game was played at Aviva Stadium on 3 September 2016, and billed as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic . The announcement was made at the reception in Dublin attended by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, which
2900-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
3016-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
3132-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
3248-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
3364-666: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
3480-658: The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2005. † Co-champions Divisional play began in the Atlantic Coast Conference at the start of the 2005 football season following BC's inclusion in the conference. BC earned a share of the ACC Atlantic Division title in 2005 and in 2008. Florida State represented the division in the inaugural ACC Championship Game by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker in 2005, while BC represented
3596-536: The Cocoanut Grove fire that occurred that night. Finishing No. 8 in the final AP rankings, the Eagles received an invitation to play in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day. All-American fullback Mike Holovak scored three rushing touchdowns, but Boston College ultimately lost to No. 10 Alabama , 21–37. Mike Holovak was named head coach of BC in 1951. During his tenure as head coach, the Eagles compiled
College football in Ireland - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-676: The College Football Hall of Fame , and two inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame : Art Donovan and Ernie Stautner . Boston College is one of only two Catholic universities that field a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the other being Notre Dame . In addition to success on the gridiron, Boston College football teams are consistently ranked among the nation's best for academic achievement and graduation. In 2005, 2006, and 2007,
3828-518: The Fighting Irish would return to Dublin to face Navy Midshipmen at Aviva Stadium on 29 August 2020. On 2 June 2020, it was announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the game would not be played in Dublin and would instead be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland . The game would eventually not be played after Notre Dame elected to play an all- ACC schedule for
3944-676: The Heisman Trophy in his senior year. He left school as the NCAA's all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a unanimous All-American . Bicknell's final record at Boston College was 59–55–1, took the Eagles to four bowl games, and won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (awarded to the 'Eastern champion' in Division I FBS) twice: 1983 and 1984 . He was fired after the 1990 season. The Eagles completed
4060-597: The NFL 's Washington Redskins , was hired as head coach of the Eagles following Holovak's firing. Hefferle's Eagles compiled a record of 7–12–1 in two seasons. However, mounting pressure to win from the alumni and administration led to Hefferle's resignation after the 1961 season. BC hired Jim Miller away from Detroit as its head coach in January 1962. Under Miller, the Eagles compiled a record of 34–24 that included four winning seasons in those six years. Miller resigned after
4176-591: The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions remained independent ) as well as one co– Big East championship in 2004. BC claims one national championship in 1940, though the NCAA doesn't recognize it. The program has amassed 700 wins, and has a 15–13 record in postseason bowl games , most notably the 1941 Sugar Bowl and 1985 Cotton Bowl . Boston College has produced a Heisman Trophy winner ( Doug Flutie in 1984), 13 consensus All-Americans , and over 200 NFL players. Boston College has had 8 members inducted into
4292-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
4408-533: The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where they beat No. 4 Tennessee 19–13. Trailing 7–13 in the fourth quarter, Tennessee's Bob Foxx missed a short field goal attempt with three minutes remaining, and Boston College took over on its own 20–yard line. Quarterback Charlie O'Rourke led the Eagles on an eighty-yard drive, capped with his 24-yard touchdown run to seal the victory. A banner on campus commemorating
4524-634: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
4640-496: The 1967 season. New Hampshire head coach Joe Yukica was hired to replace Miller at BC. Yukica's Eagles compiled a 68–37 record, which included eight winning seasons. Yukica left BC after the 1977 season to accept the head football coach position at Dartmouth . One of the highlights during Yukica 's tenure was an upset win over No. 7 Texas to open the 1976 season. The Eagles hired Ed Chlebek away from Eastern Michigan to lead its football program in January 1978. Despite
4756-610: The 1984 season with a 10–2 record, finishing at No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 4 in the Coaches' Poll . They defeated the SWC champion Houston Cougars in the 1985 Cotton Bowl , 45–28. Fullback Steve Strachan (of Burlington, Massachusetts ) was named the game's MVP . He had 23 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Troy Stradford rushed for 196 yards, and sealed the game with an 18-yard touchdown run with 1:06 left in
College football in Ireland - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-789: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
4988-489: The 2019 season was running-back A. J. Dillon achieving a school record for career rushing yards at 4,382 in just three seasons. On December 13, 2019, Jeff Hafley was hired to be the head coach at Boston College. During his four years with the team, Hafley led the Eagles to a 22–26 overall record and three bowl game appearances. On February 9, 2024, BC hired Andover, Massachusetts native Bill O'Brien , who formerly served as offensive coordinator at Alabama as well as
5104-580: The 2020 season, and the conference disallowed most games outside the conference to maintain the same screening standards for each game. University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced on 14 October 2019, that the Nebraska Cornhuskers would travel to Dublin to face the Illinois Fighting Illini at Aviva Stadium on 28 August 2021. On 17 February 2021, it was announced that the game would once again not be played in Dublin due to
5220-474: The 2024 college football season on 24 August 2024. Georgia Tech upset the tenth-ranked Seminoles 24–21 with a walkoff, game-winning field goal. For the first time in the history of ESPN’s flagship college football pregame show, College Gameday aired outside of the United States in Dublin to kick off the 2024 college football season. TG4 broadcast this year's edition of the Football Classic live from
5336-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
5452-571: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
5568-666: The Atlantic in 2008. † Co-champions Boston College has been to 27 bowl games, holding a 14–12 record (the 2018 First Responder Bowl started but was delayed in the first quarter and ultimately canceled). Additionally, they accepted an invitation to the 2021 Military Bowl, however it was cancelled the day before it was set to be played due to COVID-19 cases in the Boston College program. The Eagles posted an 8-game bowl winning streak from 2000 to 2007 and went to 12 consecutive bowl games from 1999 to 2010. BC's 8-game bowl win streak
5684-507: The Aviva Stadium marking the first time ever that the match was to be broadcast live on free-to-air television in Ireland. Won (3): Penn State , Pittsburgh , Northwestern Lost (5): Army , Florida State , Nebraska , Rutgers , UCF Up to date as of 24 August 2024 Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
5800-612: The BC football museum on the first floor of the center. The Eagles and Clemson Tigers first played each other in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1939 season, a game won by the Tigers . The schools played 11 more times until 1960. When BC joined the ACC in 2005, the games between the Eagles and the Tigers were especially memorable. Both the 2005 and 2006 games went to overtime and the 2007 game featured late-game heroics from Matt Ryan in
5916-438: The Boston College football team adopted the nickname 'Eagles.' The season was capped by a stirring 14–0 victory over Holy Cross before 40,000 fans at Braves Field. The win gave the team a perfect 8–0 season and the school's first 'Eastern Championship.' The 1939 team finished the regular season with a 9–1 record, and the Eagles were ranked in the final AP Poll for the first time in school history, at No. 11. They were invited to
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#17327733083976032-839: The COVID-19 pandemic, and instead be played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois , on 28 August 2021. The game was ultimately postponed to the 2022 season, where it was played on 27 August 2022 against the Northwestern Wildcats instead of Illinois where Northwestern won the game 31–28 against Nebraska. The University of Notre Dame announced on 24 October 2022, that the Fighting Irish would return to Dublin to face Navy Midshipmen at Aviva Stadium on 26 August 2023. Notre Dame won 42–3. Georgia Tech faced off against Florida State in Aviva Stadium to kick off
6148-669: The Eagles finished 4–8 and failed to qualify for a bowl for the first time in 12 years. Following the 2011 season, junior LB Luke Kuechly won the Butkus Award , the Lombardi Award , the Lott Trophy , and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy ; the first Eagle to win these awards. Spaziani was fired on November 25, 2012, following a season in which Boston College went 2–10, the worst record since 1978. Spaziani
6264-434: The Eagles to victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game in the Orange Bowl . The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving , and had a huge audience. Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45–41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at their own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only six seconds remained on
6380-399: The Eagles. Located on BC's lower campus, the stadium has a capacity of 44,500. Prior to 1957, the Eagles played home games at Boston's Fenway Park and Braves Field . In 2005, the Yawkey Athletics Center was constructed at the north end-zone side of the stadium. The Yawkey Center houses the football offices and weight room. A replica of Doug Flutie 's 1984 Heisman Trophy is on display in
6496-404: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
6612-437: The Heisman voting was already complete by the day of the game. It has been called "the greatest moment in college football." In November 2008, Doug Flutie was honored by Boston College with a statue of his famous " Hail Mary " pass. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 45–10 victory over rival Holy Cross . Tom Coughlin , wide receivers coach for the NFL 's New York Giants and former BC quarterbacks coach (1981–83),
6728-425: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
6844-495: The NFL draft. In both 2007 and 2008, the Eagles lost the ACC Championship Game to Virginia Tech . Following the 2008 season, Jagodzinski interviewed for the vacant New York Jets head coaching job, despite being warned not to do so by athletic director Gene DeFilippo . He interviewed for the position, and was fired the next day. He only completed two years of his five-year contract with Boston College. The Jets ultimately hired Rex Ryan . Defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani
6960-479: The NFL's New England Patriots . Perhaps the best football team in Boston College history, the undefeated 1940 Eagles (11–0) won the 1941 Sugar Bowl over previously unbeaten No. 4 Tennessee. The school claims this year as a national championship . However, the team was not chosen by any NCAA-designated "major selectors" of national championships and does not appear in the NCAA records book. For much of its history, Boston College played as an independent , as did
7076-438: The NFL's New England Patriots . In 1892, Boston College President Edward Ignatius Devitt, S.J. , grudgingly agreed to the requests of two undergraduates, Joseph F. O'Connell of the class of 1893 and Joseph Drum of the class of 1894, to start a varsity football team. Drum would become the first head coach , albeit an unpaid position and O'Connell was captain . On October 26, 1893, BC played its first official game against
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#17327733083977192-478: The New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls: XLII , XLVI (both against the New England Patriots ). BC hired Dan Henning , formerly offensive coordinator for the NFL 's Detroit Lions , as its head coach in March 1994. Henning's tenure is remembered for a scandal that occurred during the 1996 season. On October 26, 1996, the Eagles were routed 45–17 by Syracuse . Following the game, Henning heard that some players might have bet against their own team. He informed
7308-424: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
7424-416: The St. John's Literary Institute of Cambridge followed by its first intercollegiate game against MIT . BC won the first game 4–0, but lost 6–0 to MIT. Some of the original team's alumni had particularly significant careers: Joseph F. O'Connell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts , and running back James Carlin became president of the College of the Holy Cross . In 1920,
7540-441: The U.S. The game provided a huge boost to the Irish economy, estimated to be approximately €100 million. A total of six players who featured in the Emerald Isle Classic for Notre Dame went on to be selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. Most notably, Tyler Eifert was selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals. In June 2013, Penn State and UCF were reportedly in negotiations to play their 2014 season opener at Aviva, and
7656-500: The appropriate university officials. As a result, 13 players were suspended for the rest of the season and six were banned permanently. As a result of the scandal and a mediocre 16–19–1 record as coach, Henning resigned at the end of the 1996 season. In December 1996, BC hired Virginia offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien . With good recruiting skills and a strong coaching staff around him, notably offensive coordinator Dana Bible and defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani , O'Brien turned
7772-468: The ball on their own nine, fourth down and 18 to go. Georgetown set up to return the Eagles' punt. Instead of punting, O'Rourke scrambled in his own end zone for 45 seconds then took a safety. BC used the free kick to boot the ball far downfield and dashed the Hoyas' three-season unbeaten record. Legendary Coach Frank Leahy , who would go on to cement his legendary status during an eleven-year stint as head coach at Notre Dame , took his undefeated Eagles on to
7888-577: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
8004-400: The clock. On the last play of the game, Flutie rolled out right away from the defense and threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by senior wide receiver Gerard Phelan , giving BC a miraculous 47–45 win. A persistent urban legend holds that this play essentially clinched the Heisman Trophy, the award given to the best player in college football that year, for Flutie; in fact,
8120-664: The education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
8236-414: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
8352-560: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
8468-613: The football team's Academic Progress Rate was the highest of any school that finished the season ranked in the AP or ESPN/ USA Today Coaches' polls. Boston College is the only FBS school in New England (as well as Massachusetts ) to compete in one of the Power Four conferences . The Eagles are currently coached by Bill O'Brien , who formerly served as head coach for Penn State and as offensive coordinator at Alabama as well as
8584-480: The fourth quarter as the Eagles clinched their first major bowl victory since the 1941 Sugar Bowl. Boston College began the 1984 season with a 7–2 record, posting victories over No. 9 Alabama 38–31 and North Carolina 52–20. Heading into the November 23, 1984 matchup against defending national champion No. 12 Miami (led by star QB Bernie Kosar ), quarterback Doug Flutie gained national attention when he led
8700-551: The games. The inaugural Emerald Isle Classic was held at Lansdowne Road with a crowd of 42,524 in attendance. It featured a 2–7 Boston College team led by Mark Kamphaus that beat the 8–1 Army Black Knights 38–24. In 1996, Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy began a second American football event in Ireland called the Shamrock Classic . The event, played at Croke Park , drew
8816-716: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
8932-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
9048-476: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
9164-440: The league after losing the home finale to Syracuse (thus costing the Eagles a coveted berth in a BCS bowl) — a year in which they closed the season ranked No. 21 in both major polls. O'Brien was replaced by then Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski . He inherited a talent laden BC team, which he led to an 11–3 record, a No. 10 finish in the polls and an ACC Atlantic Division Championship. At one point in
9280-518: The majority of what are now labeled as Division I FBS football-playing schools located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. During this time, Eastern Championships were named by independent third-party selectors and awarded of various trophies. The process of picking an Eastern Champion eventually came to be symbolized by the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy awarded by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority beginning in 1936. As
9396-582: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
9512-804: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
9628-469: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
9744-655: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
9860-503: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
9976-557: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
10092-489: The program into a consistent top-25 team. The team was also helped by increased exposure on the national stage due to the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and, later, improved facilities in the form of the Yawkey Center . BC won eight straight postseason bowl games, the first six under O'Brien, between 2000 and 2008. The 2001 season was a satisfying one for O'Brien as the Eagles finished 8–4 and ranked in
10208-492: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
10324-488: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
10440-647: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
10556-720: The school's first bowl game , the 1940 Cotton Bowl , where they were defeated by Clemson 3–6. The 1940 season can arguably be called the greatest year in the history of Boston College football. BC's undefeated (11–0) and untied team, captured the 1941 Sugar Bowl championship and earned the nickname "Team of Destiny". Five members of that storied team have been inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame : receiver Gene Goodreault (50); guard George Kerr (47); center Chet Gladchuk (45); fullback Mike Holovak (12); and halfback / quarterback Charlie O'Rourke (13). It included
10672-557: The season, climbing to No. 1 in the AP Poll . All the Eagles needed to do to secure its first ever AP national championship was to beat rival Holy Cross (4–4–1) in the final game of the regular season. The result, however, was a stunning rout loss, 12–55. The Eagles team canceled their planned post-game celebration at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, which inadvertently saved the team from perishing along with 492 others in
10788-457: The season, the Eagles were ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and BCS standings. Along with Steve Logan , Jagodzinski brought a high flying offensive attack which was very different from Tom O'Brien's short passing game style. He has been nicknamed "Jags" by BC fans and the media. After his first season at BC, Tom O'Brien protegees Matt Ryan and Gosder Cherilus were selected in the first round of
10904-696: The sport of American football . The Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Eagles home games are played at Alumni Stadium on the university's campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts . Formed in 1892, Boston College has won four Eastern championships in 1940, 1942, 1983, and 1984 (when most Division I FBS schools in
11020-688: The stadium was also seen as a potential venue for a proposed bowl game that would begin that season. The Orlando Sentinel , located in UCF 's home city, reported in July 2013 that the teams would play the game at Croke Park instead of Aviva. That month the game, to be called the Croke Park Classic , was confirmed. The Croke Park Classic saw the University of Central Florida (UCF) host Penn State in their 2014 Season Opener in GAA HQ on 30 August 2014. This
11136-549: The team uses the phrase "national champions", but Boston College was not awarded a national championship by any of the national polls at the time of the 1940 season. Although BC's claim to a title is not recognized by the NCAA or college football historians in general, one website, the College Football Data Warehouse , claims that selectors named Cliff Morgan and Ray Bryne rated BC No. 1 in 1940. This web site states that BC's historic 1940 run resulted in
11252-601: The top 25 in both major polls, capped by a 20–16 win over SEC powerhouse Georgia in the Music City Bowl . A 21–17 victory over Notre Dame gave the Eagles two wins in three years against their archrivals. Boston College gave eventual national champion (No. 1) Miami by far its biggest scare of the entire season at Alumni Stadium as the Hurricanes were able to pull out a victory only in the final seconds 18–7. Running back William Green rushed for 1,559 yards and
11368-671: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
11484-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
11600-482: The year. The mark earned him a top-10 spot on the all-time NCAA record list for most rushing yards in a season, and the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country. Williams finished 4th place in the Heisman Trophy voting and was also a Walter Camp Award finalist. Boston College fired Addazio on December 1, 2019, after a 6–6 season and a 44–44 record over 7 seasons. The lone highlight of
11716-588: Was a former president of the Irish American Football Association conceived the idea of bringing a major NCAA game to Ireland in the mid-1980s and started pitching the idea on both sides of the Atlantic. Prendergast promoted both the 1988 and 1989 games. The game was intended as an annual event to attract some of the 40 million Americans of Irish descent back to Ireland. College teams with particularly Irish or Catholic background were chosen in an effort to attract Irish nationals to
11832-531: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
11948-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
12064-577: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team represents Boston College in
12180-480: Was followed by a reception in Boston College in the U.S. attended by the mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh. Aer Lingus was announced as the title sponsor for the game, with Tourism Ireland, Failte Ireland and the Dublin City Council also lending support. The game attracted 40,562 spectators and resulted in a 17–14 victory for Georgia Tech . University of Notre Dame announced on 25 October 2018, that
12296-517: Was hired as BC's head coach after Bicknell was fired. Coughlin's Eagles compiled a record of 21–13–1. The highlight of Coughlin's tenure was a 41–39 Eagles victory over No. 1 Notre Dame in 1993, the first time the Eagles had ever defeated the Fighting Irish and the first and only time in program history that the Eagles had defeated a No. 1 team. Coughlin, who left BC for the NFL 's Jacksonville Jaguars , would go on to become head coach of
12412-630: Was hired as BC's head coach in January 2009. Prior to the 2009 season, linebacker and reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma , a rare form of bone cancer. Herzlich was forced to miss the entirety of the 2009 season. Herzlich became an inspirational figure as he battled his way back, earning the Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award , an award presented annually to college football's most inspirational player or team. Boston College created
12528-474: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
12644-413: Was recently renewed in 2018 as the Eagles handily won a 62–14 victory at Chestnut Hill; a 2020 matchup was scheduled to take place but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In recent years, Notre Dame has become one of BC's football rivals. Today, ND is the only other Catholic university playing NCAA Division I FBS football. The match up was dubbed the " Holy War " in 1975, and has acquired
12760-502: Was replaced by Temple head coach Steve Addazio . Following a dismal 2–10 season under Spaziani, Addazio made an immediate impact in his first year as head coach. The team improved to 7–6 and secured a bowl appearance in the Independence Bowl ; the program's first since 2010. The feature component of Addazio's run-heavy offense, senior running back Andre Williams emerged as a standout player and rushed for 2,177 yards on
12876-693: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
12992-594: Was the first time UCF and Penn State had played outside the United States and Penn State took the Dan Rooney Trophy in a competitively fought game. 53,304 fans attended the thrilling encounter in which Penn State defeated UCF with a Sam Ficken field goal in the dying seconds, by a final score of 26 to 24. The Irish American Football Association was one of the official partners in the game and provided both promotional and technical assistance to Croke Park. On 4 June 2015, Irish American Events Limited (IAEL), which
13108-406: Was the nation's longest active streak before it was snapped in 2008. The 12-year streak was tied with Oklahoma for the 6th longest active streak in country. The Eagles recently broke their 5 bowl-game losing streak in 2016 with a 36–30 victory over former ACC foe Maryland . List of Boston College head coaches. Since 1957, Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts has been the home of
13224-413: Was the second-leading rusher in the country and a consensus first-team All-America pick. Green (16th, Cleveland Browns ) and offensive tackle Marc Colombo (29th, Chicago Bears ) were selected in the first round of the NFL draft , the first time two BC players were picked in the first round. 2004 would be Boston College's final campaign in the Big East, and it finished the season in a four-way tie atop
13340-418: Was tied to the Irish tourism initiative The Gathering, which sought to encourage members of the Irish diaspora (especially in the U.S.) to visit their ancestral home in 2013. The first advance sellout for a sporting event in the two-year history of Aviva Stadium, 15,000 tickets sold in less than two hours, and about 35,000 Americans travelled to Dublin. The 2012 game also aired live in parts of Europe as well as
13456-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
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