113-658: Munster ( Irish : an Mhumhain [ə ˈwuːnʲ] or Cúige Mumhan [ˌkuːɟə ˈmˠuːnˠ] ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland , located in the south of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( Irish : rí ruirech ). Following the Norman invasion of Ireland , the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of
226-547: 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
339-635: A "sister" branch to the FitzGeralds of Desmond. However this technically makes them slightly closer to the FitzGeralds of Desmond than either are to the Offaly-Kildare-Leinster Geraldines, represented by the modern Dukes of Leinster , who descend from Gerald FitzMaurice, 1st Lord of Offaly , uncle of the 1st Baron Desmond. The House of Corsygedol ( Vaughans ) is a branch of the Lords of Desmond , now Earls of Desmond , and
452-717: 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
565-575: 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
678-478: 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,
791-553: 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
904-460: 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
1017-532: A half-nephew of Emperor Napoleon III , a step-grandson of Queen Hortense Bonaparte , and a great-grandson of Talleyrand , connecting the family with the Houses of Beauharnais , Talleyrand , and Bonaparte . The Treaty of Paris (1783) , that gave the independence to the United States was drafted from William's home at Lansdowne House , and Henry was made a member of the prominent Brooks's Club , alongside
1130-585: 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
1243-575: 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
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#17327660437001356-625: 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
1469-547: 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
1582-533: A toil. These three hereditary knighthoods were created for their kinsmen by the Earls of Desmond, acting as Earls Palatine . According to the 1890 Matheson report, Fitzgerald/FitzGerald was the 36th most common surname in Ireland. Fitzgerald/FitzGerald is the 692nd most frequent surname in the United Kingdom. The surname occurs most frequently in the following ten counties, in descending order, with
1695-545: 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
1808-685: Is Metropolitan Cork , where a number of multinational firms are located in the Cork city area, including at Little Island . The Shannon Free Zone , in County Clare and near Limerick city, is also a centre of employment. A number of television companies and studios have (or had) a Munster-focus. These include RTÉ Cork (RTÉ's regional studio in Cork), South Coast TV and Channel South . The latter transmitted local programming to Cork, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Waterford, Clare and Tipperary. Apart from
1921-475: Is Mug Ruith and Tlachtga is his daughter. Another legendary figure is Donn . The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe. The Corcu Loígde had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The Eóganachta had ecclesiastical ties with Germany, which show in the architecture of their ceremonial capital at
2034-603: 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
2147-532: Is a Hiberno-Norman noble and aristocratic dynasty, originally of Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the Four Masters as having become " more Irish than the Irish themselves " or Gaels , due to assimilation with the native Gaelic aristocratic and popular culture. The dynasty has also been referred to as
2260-532: Is a patronymic of the Norman form, fitz meaning "son". "Fitz Gerald" thus means in Old Norman and in Old French "son of Gerald ". Gerald itself is a Germanic compound of ger , "spear", and waltan , "rule". Variant spellings include Fitz-Gerald and the modern Fitzgerald . The name can also appear as two separate words Fitz Gerald . The earliest recorded use of the patronymic FitzGerald
2373-452: 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
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#17327660437002486-511: 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
2599-587: 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
2712-412: 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
2825-465: Is that of Raoul fitz Gerald le Chambellan, member of the Tancarville family . Raoul was a Norman baron, Chamberlain of Normandy, educator of the young William , future Conqueror of England, and father of William de Tancarville , Earl of Tankerville and chief chamberlain of Normandy and England after the Norman conquest . The eponymous ancestor of the various FitzGerald branches, as well as of
2938-553: Is the largest of Ireland's four provinces by land area, and the third largest by population. Munster has many large towns, including a number of growing satellite towns, and is the province with the most cities (three) in Ireland. The following is a list of urban areas in Munster in order of size (2022 census figures), with cities and county towns bolded: Urban areas over 10,000 inhabitants: Urban areas with 5,000–10,000 inhabitants: 2014 CSO figures indicated that GDP per capita in
3051-666: 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
3164-588: The 8th Duke of Devonshire of Chatsworth House , Prime Minister Lord Rosebery of Mentmore Towers , and Baron Lionel de Rothschild , grandson of Mayer Amschel , founder of the House of Rothschild . The present-day seat of the Irish Parliament Dáil Éireann is housed in Leinster House , which was first built in 1745–48 by James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster as the ducal palace for
3277-558: The Earls of Ormond remained closer to England. The O'Brien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond surrendered and regranted sovereignty to the Tudors in 1543 and 1565, joining the Kingdom of Ireland . The impactful Desmond Rebellions , led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed. The area of Munster was then colonized in the mid to late 16th century by the British plantations of Ireland during
3390-723: The Geraldines and Ireland's largest landowners. They achieved power through colonisation and the conquest of large swathes of Irish territory by the sons and grandsons of Gerald de Windsor (c. 1075 – 1135). Gerald de Windsor ( Gerald FitzWalter ) was the first Castellan of Pembroke Castle in Wales, and became the male progenitor of the FitzMaurice and FitzGerald Dynasty ("fitz", from the Anglo-Norman fils indicating "sons of" Gerald). His father, Baron Walter FitzOther ,
3503-522: The House of Gherardini of Ireland, represented by the FitzGeralds, can be traced back in the year 1413 to the accounts of Lord Antonio d'Ottaviano di Rossellino Gherardini. A priest named Maurice Fitzgerald was of passage in Florence at that time, with a Bishop of the Order of Saint Augustine , and has been able to enter in contact with one of his fellow kinsman, who then introduced him to other members of
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3616-453: The House of Plantagenet . The most renowned of Gerald's and Nest's grandchildren, Gerald of Wales , gave an account of the Norman invasion, as well as lively and invaluable descriptions of Ireland and Wales in the late 12th century. He became Archdeacon of Brecon , serving Archbishop Baldwin of Forde , a past tutor of Pope Eugene III 's nephew, and worked with him at recruiting members for
3729-656: The Kingdom of Munster , ruled by the Eóganachta dynasty. Prior to this, the area was ruled by the Dáirine and Corcu Loígde overlords. Later rulers from the Eóganachta included Cathal mac Finguine and Feidlimid mac Cremthanin . Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were Iarmuman (West Munster), Osraige (Ossory), Uí Liatháin , Uí Fidgenti , Éile , Múscraige , Ciarraige Luachra , Corcu Duibne , Corcu Baiscinn , and Déisi Muman . By
3842-735: The League of Ireland : Waterford FC in the League of Ireland Premier Division ; and Cobh Ramblers , Cork City F.C. , Treaty United F.C. and Kerry F.C. in the First Division . In Cricket, the province is represented by the Munster Reds in the Inter-Provincial Cup one-day competition and the Inter-Provincial Trophy Twenty20 competition. Munster does not currently participate in
3955-631: The MacCarthy dynasty (Eóganachta), and the short-lived Kingdom of Ormond under the O'Kennedys (another Dalcassian sept). The three crowns of the flag of Munster represent these three late kingdoms. There was Norman influence from the 14th century, including by the FitzGerald , de Clare and Butler houses, two of whom carved out earldoms within the Lordship of Ireland , the Earls of Desmond eventually becoming independent potentates, while
4068-460: The Norman invasion of Ireland . Nest's son by her second marriage, Robert FitzStephen , was another participant, as was William de Hay, husband of one of Gerald's and Nest's granddaughters. Nest's grandson (through her son by Henry I of England , son of William the Conqueror ), named Meiler FitzHenry , was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland for his cousin, King Henry II of England , member of
4181-631: 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 ")
4294-651: The Rock of Cashel . The majority of Irish ogham inscriptions are found in Munster, principally in areas occupied by the Iverni, especially the Corcu Duibne . Later, Europe's first linguistic dictionary in any non-Classical language, the Sanas Cormaic , was compiled by Munster scholars, traditionally thought to have been directed by the king-bishop Cormac mac Cuilennáin (d. 908). The School of Ross in Munster
4407-756: The Third Crusade of Richard the Lionheart against Saladin . On many attempts Gerald tried to become the Bishop of St. Davids but failed, despite having met in Rome Pope Innocent III , who would later experienced the Sack of Constantinople . More than twenty works has been produced by Gerald of Wales, and his statue can be seen today in City Hall, Cardiff , in Wales. The earliest record of
4520-721: The United Rugby Championship competition, winning in 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2023 and in the Heineken Cup , winning in 2006 and 2008. Until 2016, the Munster side was the only Irish side to have defeated the New Zealand All Blacks . Association football is also a popular game in Munster, with the Munster Football Association governing a number of aspects of the game in the province. In 2024 five Munster clubs play in
4633-818: The War of the League of Cognac . Another notable rebel was Commander James FitzMaurice FitzGerald , who led the Desmond Rebellions against the Tudors, and negotiated with Catherine de' Medici with the ambition of making her son, Henry III of France , the new King of Ireland. Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond led the Second Desmond Rebellion with the help of the King of Spain, Philip of Habsburg , and Pope Gregory XIII , in an attempt to put on
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4746-416: The de Barry and FitzMaurice families, was Gerald FitzWalter of Windsor . Gerald was a Norman adventurer who took part in the 1093 invasion of South Wales upon the death in battle of Rhys ap Tewdwr , last king of South Wales. Gerald was the youngest son of another Norman adventurer, Walter fitz Otho , William the Conqueror 's Constable for the strategic military fortress of Windsor Castle , as well as
4859-645: The first-class inter-provincial tournament, though Cricket Ireland does have plans to include Munster in the format. The Irish language , or more specifically Munster Irish , is spoken as a first language in Gaeltachtaí (Irish speaking areas) in a number of areas in the province. This includes West Kerry ( Corca Dhuibhne ), South Kerry ( Uíbh Ráthach ), West Cork ( Múscraí ), south-west Cork ( Oileán Cléire ), and parts of Waterford ( Gaeltacht na Rinne or Gaeltacht na nDéise ). There are about 35,000 Irish language speakers in Munster, with 9,737 native speakers in
4972-683: The "Wizard Earl", went into exile in Italy, joined the Geraldine League , and became a member of the household of the Duke of Mantua, of the Gonzaga family , and Master of Horse to Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany . In Irish history, an example of the FitzGerald dynasty becoming " more Irish than the Irish themselves " is Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond (1335–1398), who
5085-400: 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
5198-404: The 18th century, their Corsygedol estates were inherited by the Mostyn baronets family through marriage. Its cadet branches are the House of Yale (Yale family) of Plas-yn- Yale , and the Hughes of Gwerclas of Gwerclas , native royal families of the Mathrafal dynasty . Their coat of arms are those of Osborn Fitzgerald ; viz. erm. on saltire gu. a crescent or. Crest is a wild boar in
5311-604: 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
5424-403: 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
5537-401: The 9th century, the Gaels had been joined by Norse Vikings who founded towns such as Cork , Waterford and Limerick , for the most part, incorporated into a maritime empire by the Dynasty of Ivar , who periodically would threaten Munster with conquest in the next century. Around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The Eóganachta dominated Munster until the 10th century, which saw
5650-466: 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
5763-405: The Conqueror. His wife's maternal grandfather was the High King of Ireland, Muirchertach Ua Briain (see Arnulf de Montgomery ) which may have influenced the important role Maurice played the 1169 Norman invasion of Ireland . The FitzGeralds claim kinship with the Tudors who descended from the same Welsh royal line as Princess Nest's father, Rhys ap Tewdwr , King of Deheubarth. Consequently,
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#17327660437005876-401: The Dukes of Leinster. The White House in the United States, seat of the U.S. President , was based on Leinster House, and was designed by Irish architect James Hoban for George Washington , who also supervised the U.S. Capitol 's construction for Thomas Jefferson . The Dukes were related to the Royal houses of Bourbon , Medici , and Habsburg , among others, as the first Duke married
5989-532: The Earls of Desmond has been extinct since the 17th century. Their branch of the dynasty continues only in their distant collateral kinsmen, Ireland's hereditary knights (for whom see section below). The closely related FitzMaurice Barons and later Earls of Kerry continue in the male line with the current Petty-FitzMaurice Marquesses of Lansdowne , but they descend from John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond 's nephew, Thomas FitzMaurice, 1st Baron of Kerry, son of his brother Maurice FitzThomas. Thus in fact they represent
6102-404: 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
6215-442: The FitzGerald Family as well as with the Kennedy family . According to the magazine, the three families have maintained relationship among them even in recent times or in the past (for example with American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy ). The link with the Kennedy family came from the Earl of Desmond branch, and can be seen on the coat of arms granted to John FitzGerald Kennedy by the Chief Herald of Ireland . The line of
6328-539: The FitzMaurices and FitzGeralds are cousins to the Tudors (Tewdwrs in Welsh) through Princess Nest and her Welsh family. In his poetry, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey , a cousin of Anne Boleyn , also referred to Countess Elizabeth FitzGerald , (1527–89) as "Fair Geraldine", alluding to her family's Italian ancestry through the Gherardinis of Florence. The FitzGerald dynasty has played a major role in Irish history. Gearóid Mór, 8th Earl of Kildare and his son Gearóid Óg, 9th Earl of Kildare , were Lord Deputy of Ireland in
6441-423: The Geraldines of Ireland, the Earls of Kildare . Confirmed as well in 1507 by the Viceroy of Ireland , Gerald Fitzgerald , to Giovanni Manni, a Florentine merchant in passage to Ireland. Gerald Fitzgerald's letters were signed as "Gerald, Chief in Ireland of the family of the Gherardini". His son, the 9th Earl of Kildare , was also known as Lord Garrett, which translates as Signore Gherardini in Italian, and
6554-430: The Gherardinis. As being part of the Gherardini family that dwelt in the island of Ireland, further exchanges were eventually done by the family to meet again. A letter written in 1440 by the Chancellor of Florence , Leonardo Bruni , one of the associates of Cosimo de' Medici , stipulated that Giovanni Betti di Gherardini, a representative of the family, was sent to Ireland to become acquainted with his other kinsmen from
6667-425: 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
6780-408: The Irish language. Many members of the Fitzmaurices also became notable over the centuries, such as William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne , the Prime Minister of Britain who negotiated with Benjamin Franklin and secured peace with America at the end of the American War of Independence , or Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne , Viceroy of Canada and India, who became
6893-402: The King's Keeper of the Forests of Berkshire. Domesday Book records Walter fitz Otho as tenant-in-chief of lands formerly held by conquered Englishmen in Berkshire , Buckinghamshire, Hampshire , and Middlesex . Walter's positions and most of his lands were inherited by Gerald's older brothers, Robert, Maurice, and William, the oldest, ancestor of the earls of Plymouth , while Gerald inherited
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#17327660437007006-463: The Munster Gaeltacht areas of Cork, Kerry and Waterford. There are also 12,219 pupils attending 45 Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and 15 Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) in the province. As of the Census of Ireland 2011 there were 13,193 daily speakers outside the education system in Munster. The province is divided into six traditional counties : Clare , Cork , Kerry , Limerick , Tipperary and Waterford . Munster
7119-424: 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 ,
7232-409: The Tudor conquest of Ireland, a group known as the West Country Men played a role in the colonization of Munster, attempts to settle a joint stock colony at Kerrycurrihy in 1568 was made and Richard Grenville also seized lands for colonization at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour. The Munster plantation was the largest colonial venture of the English at the time. By the mid-19th century much of
7345-416: The ancestral seat of the Geraldines in Florence in his poem Description and praise of his love . Since the 15th century, the FitzGeralds and the Gherardinis are known to be in touch and to acknowledge their kinship. A 2014 cover story published by "Sette", the Italian weekly magazine of Corriere della Sera , was an article dedicated to the Gherardini family of Montagliari and their relationship with
7458-455: The area was hit hard in the Great Famine , especially the west. The province was affected by events in the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century, and there was a brief Munster Republic during the Irish Civil War . The Irish leaders Michael Collins and earlier Daniel O'Connell came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry. Noted for its traditions in Irish folk music , and with many ancient castles and monasteries in
7571-577: 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
7684-667: The dairy cows of the region, and Glanbia is a food producer which operates an "innovation centre" in the region. Dawn Meats also operate from County Waterford. Irish-owned retailer Dunnes Stores was founded in Cork, and Ireland's largest supermarket group, the Musgrave Group , is also based in Munster. Large employers in the region include AOL , Bausch & Lomb , Dairygold, Dell , Amazon , Motorola , Amgen, Pfizer , Analog Devices, Fexco Financial Services, Vistakon, Waterford Crystal, Apple Computer , Intel , Novartis, O2, Lufthansa Technik, Kerry Group, Siemens , Sony and Blizzard Entertainment . The largest employment hub in Munster
7797-403: The dominant teams in Munster football are Kerry GAA and Cork GAA , although Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA have also won All-Ireland Senior Football Championships . Kerry in particular are the most successful county in the history of football. Rugby is a popular game in the cities of Limerick and Cork. Munster Rugby is an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in
7910-664: 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
8023-414: 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
8136-484: The estate of Moulsford , now in Oxfordshire , near to Wallingford , where his father owned a fortified house adjacent to those of other powerful Norman authorities. Nest ferch Rhys ap Tewdwr was the daughter of the last king of South Wales by his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of Powys . Their grandchildren, Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan , Raymond le Gros and Philip de Barry were leaders in
8249-616: The famous poet Dante Alighieri , that the descendants of Tommaso, Gherardo, and Maurizio Gherardini were the ancestors of the Earls of Kildare and Earls of Desmonds , and went on to Conquer Ireland with the King of England . The Divine Comedy was first launch at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The English poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey , user of the sonnet form that would later be used by William Shakespeare , also referred to
8362-560: 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
8475-649: The four most successful teams in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship are from Munster; Cork GAA , Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA . The final of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship is one of the most important days in the Irish GAA calendar. Munster is Ireland's only province whose every single county has won at least one All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship . Traditionally,
8588-657: The great-granddaughter of King Charles II of the Royal House of Stuart . Charles's mother, Queen Henrietta Maria de Bourbon , was the aunt of Louis XIV of Versailles , while his grandmother and great-grandmother were the Queens Marie de' Medici and Joanna of Habsburg . The current Duke is Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster , who is also the 9th Marquess of Kildare , 28th Earl of Kildare , 9th Earl of Offaly , 9th Viscount Leinster of Taplow, 14th Baron Offaly , 6th Baron Kildare . The surname FitzGerald
8701-534: The historic counties. Munster has no official function for local government purposes. For the purposes of the ISO , the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State ( ISO 3166-2:IE ) and coded as "IE-M". Geographically, Munster covers a total area of 24,675 km (9,527 sq mi) and has a population of 1,373,346, with the most populated city being Cork . Other significant urban centres in
8814-716: 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
8927-410: 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
9040-476: 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 ,
9153-651: The late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries respectively. Both married to cousins of Henry Tudor , first monarch of the House of Tudor . During the Italian War of 1521–1526 , James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond , conspired with the Venetians and King Francis I of France , of Château de Chambord , against the Habsburgs , Tudors and Medicis . After the war, he sided once again against England, and allied himself with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor during
9266-622: The local city or regional newspapers, a number of print outlets focus or market themselves on a provincial basis. These include the Avondhu (covering parts of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary), the Nationalist & Munster Advertiser , the Munster Express , and others. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
9379-582: 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
9492-804: 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
9605-471: The nationalist Young Ireland movement. The ill-fated romance of Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond with Catherine MacCormac was the subject of the air "Desmond's Song" by the Irish poet Thomas Moore . Saint Patrick's Saltire , sometimes used to represent Ireland in modern flags, may have derived from the arms of the Geraldines. The Arleigh Burke -class destroyer USS Fitzgerald in
9718-469: 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
9831-655: 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
9944-463: The number of occurrences in parentheses: "1. Greater London, (500), Greater Manchester (191), West Midlands (176), Lancashire (130), Kent (118), Essex (117), West Yorkshire (113), Merseyside (108), Hampshire (84), and Surrey (76)." "Fitzgerald" (including "FitzGerald," as the survey was not case-sensitive), was the 390th most common surname in the 2000 United States census . 73,522 Fitzgeralds were counted, with 27.25 Fitzgeralds per 100,000 members of
10057-503: 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
10170-557: 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
10283-424: The population. Respondents surnamed Fitzgerald had self-reported ethnicities of 88.03% non-Hispanic white only, 8.44% non-Hispanic black only, 0.32% non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander only, 1.28% non-Hispanic Asian only, 1.43% of two or more non-Hispanic races, and 1.43% Hispanic. The FitzGerald dynasty was the subject of a poem called "The Geraldines" by Thomas Osborne Davis , the chief organizer and poet of
10396-589: The province include Limerick and Waterford . In the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the Iverni peoples and the Clanna Dedad familial line, led by Cú Roí and to whom the king Conaire Mór also belonged. In the 5th century, Saint Patrick spent several years in the area and founded Christian churches and ordained priests. During the Early Middle Ages , most of the area was part of
10509-767: The province ranged from €28,094 in the South Tipperary/Waterford (South-East) region, to €50,544 in Cork and Kerry (South-West). Disposable income in the province was approximately €22,000 per person in 2008 - behind the Eastern and Dublin region (€25,000 per person) and ahead of the Border, Midland and Western regions (€20,000 per person). Munster's agricultural industry centres around the Golden Vale pasturelands which cover counties Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. Kerry Group manufactures dairy products from
10622-448: The province, Munster is a tourist destination. During the fifth century, St. Patrick spent seven years founding churches and ordaining priests in Munster, but a fifth-century bishop named Ailbe is the patron saint of Munster. In Irish mythology , a number of ancient goddesses are associated with the province including Anann , Áine , Grian , Clíodhna , Aimend , Mór Muman , Bébinn , Aibell and Mongfind . The druid-god of Munster
10735-492: 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 )
10848-488: 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
10961-647: 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
11074-530: The rise of the Dalcassian clan, who had earlier annexed Thomond , north of the River Shannon to Munster. Their leaders were the ancestors of the O'Brien dynasty and spawned Brian Boru , perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland , and several of whose descendants were also high kings. By 1118, Munster had fractured into the Kingdom of Thomond under the O'Briens, the Kingdom of Desmond under
11187-414: The throne Duke Giacomo Boncompagni . Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare (died 1537), known as "Silken Thomas," also led an unsuccessful insurrection in Ireland, while Lord Edward FitzGerald (1763–1798), the fifth son of the first duke of Leinster, was a leading figure in the 1798 Irish Rebellion against King George III of the House of Hanover . Thomas's half-brother, the 11th Earl , nicknamed
11300-726: 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
11413-594: 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
11526-525: Was a Cambro-Norman Marcher Lord named Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan , son of Gerald de Windsor and Princess Nest ferch Rhys , of the Welsh royal House of Dinefwr . Maurice married a daughter of the Norman magnate Arnulf de Montgomery : the Montgomeries , lords of 150 manors and 30 castles, were the most powerful magnates in both England and Normandy , and were of the same family as William
11639-622: Was also known by the Irish Gaelic Gearóid Iarla (Earl Gerald). Although made Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1367, Gerald wrote poetry in the Irish language , most famously the poem Mairg adeir olc ris na mnáibh ("Speak not ill of womenkind"). Indeed, although an accomplished poet in Norman French, Gerald was instrumental in the move by the Fitzmaurices and Fitzgeralds of Desmond toward greater use of
11752-531: 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
11865-668: 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
11978-508: 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. FitzGerald The FitzGerald dynasty
12091-689: Was founded by Osborn Wyddel (Fitzgerald-Osbourne), a descendant of Gerald de Windsor . Wyddel, c. 13th century arrived in Wales ( Kingdom of Gwynedd ) from Ireland with Prince Llywelyn the Great and was granted estates and arms, he married a ward of Llywelyn, who was also an heiress of the Corsygedol and Plas Hen estates in Gwynedd . They flourished in North Wales for centuries, by
12204-590: Was married to Elizabeth Grey of the Royal House of Grey , a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth Woodville . A letter written in 1566 by Girolamo Fortini, who was married to a daughter of Antonio Gherardini from Florence, to his brother in London, also stated that the Earl of Kildare was of the same family. Cristoforo Landino , tutor of Lorenzo de' Medici , stated in his preface of the Divine Comedy (Comedia) of
12317-512: Was one of Europe's leading centres of learning in the Early Middle Ages. Several sports in Munster are organised on a provincial basis, or operate competitions along provincial lines. This includes traditionally popular sports such as hurling , Gaelic football , rugby union and soccer, as well as cricket ( Munster Cricket Union ), hockey ( Munster Hockey Union ), and others. Munster is noted for its tradition of hurling . Three of
12430-523: 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
12543-693: 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
12656-634: Was the first Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle for William the Conqueror , and was the Lord of 38 manors in England, making the FitzGeralds one of the "service families" on whom the King relied for his survival. Some of its members became the Black Knights , Green Knights and White Knights . The main branches of the family are: The progenitor of the Irish FitzGerald dynasty
12769-495: 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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