84-626: Stradbally ( Irish : An Sráidbhaile , meaning 'the (one) street town') is a town in County Laois , Ireland . It is located in the midlands of Ireland along the N80 road , about 12 km (7 mi) from Portlaoise and 70 km (43 mi) from Dublin . It is a townland , a civil parish , and historic barony . It is known for its annual Steam Rally and the Electric Picnic music festival. The history of Stradbally dates to
168-547: 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
252-463: A Mercedes. The population has risen steadily over the past few years; In 2016, the population was 97% Irish or British, 2% European and 1% non-European. Among the residents, 62% are able to speak Irish. Stradbally is known for its Steam Rally, an annual gathering of enthusiasts of steam-powered vehicles, held in the grounds of the Cosby estate at Stradbally Hall every August bank holiday weekend. It
336-717: 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
420-575: 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
504-478: 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,
588-553: 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
672-396: A different colour to its usual national colours of red, white and blue, as these had already been taken by Italy, Germany and France respectively. It also stated red as the color for American cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
756-716: A fairground and silent disco . Acii Disco DJs began the festival on the Friday at 12 p.m. in the Bodytonic Tent. Amongst others to take to the stage on Friday were Björk , Hot Chip , Scott Matthews , Manic Street Preachers and Oppenheimer whilst the unnamed band responsible for The Good, the Bad & the Queen headlined the Electric Arena tent. The Sunday night was brought to a close by Primal Scream . The festival
840-569: A few coaches. In 1969 it was replaced by a then surplus steam locomotive, part of BNM's failed experiment in Steam Traction, No2/LM44, built in 1949. The line was changed to 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge and has been steadily expanded to a balloon loop since. It has since acquired several diesel locomotives. ESB Ruston, Serial 326052, No 4, affectionately known as "Rusty" is the railway's Permanent Way locomotive and supplants No 2 from time to time and Planet, works no. 2014 "Nippy",
924-460: 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
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#17327832265751008-545: A further majority shareholding in Electric Picnic in March 2009. The festival was launched on 15 April 2009, with tickets going on sale two days later. The launch saw the announcement of forty-seven acts. Orbital , The Flaming Lips , Imelda May , Brian Wilson , Basement Jaxx , Madness , Klaxons , Bell X1 , Fleet Foxes and MGMT were some of the musical acts which appeared, whilst Tommy Tiernan headlined in
1092-411: A microcosmic cultural experience where music is just the tip of the iceberg". The 2004 festival was a one-day event, which was headlined by 2 Many DJs . Other acts included Groove Armada , Arrested Development , Jurassic5 , Grand Master Flash , Super Furry Animals , Plump DJ's , David Kitt , Soulwax and Mylo . Despite the fact that there was no organised camping, a number of groups camped in
1176-585: 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
1260-575: 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
1344-625: 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
1428-547: 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
1512-545: 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
1596-603: 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
1680-452: 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
1764-586: Is also a Steam Museum in Stradbally Town. Stradbally is steeped in steam history since the post industrial revolution. Steam traction engines were in abundance in Stradbally after the turn of the last century. Families who had threshing sets and steam engines included the Fennelly family of Market Square, Farrelly family, Cole's of Riverside, Condell's of Old Mills (Whitefields), and one family which
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#17327832265751848-675: Is an annual arts-and-music festival which has been staged since 2004 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally , County Laois , Ireland. It is organised by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic , who purchased the majority shareholding in 2009. It was voted Best Medium-Sized European Festival at the 2010 European Festival Awards, and has been voted Best Big Festival at each of the last four Irish Festival Awards since they began in 2007. The Electric Picnic won eight awards in Hot Press's 2011 Festival Awards, including 'Best Large Festival'. In 2023, it
1932-511: 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
2016-587: 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
2100-666: Is still keeping the tradition going are the Deegan's of Kylebeg and now Brockley whom to this day perform the annual threshing at the Steam Rally. Close to the area where the annual rally is held is a Steam railway which is operated by volunteers of the Irish Steam Preservation Society. It began with the acquisition, in 1966, of one of the Guinness company's steam engines, No 15 built in 1895 along with
2184-412: 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
2268-427: Is the oldest steam rally in Ireland and is supported by the Irish Steam Preservation Society. Traction engines and other steam-powered vehicles are brought to the rally and displayed and demonstrated, and a steam railway offers rides along a short track. Harold Condell and several others co-founded the Irish Steam Preservation Society. It also operates narrow gauge steam railway in the grounds of Stradbally Hall. There
2352-666: 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
2436-631: 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 ")
2520-564: The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia , is located on the Abbeyleix Road, approximately one mile outside Stradbally. Local sports clubs include Stradbally GAA club (the local GAA club), and Stradbally Town A.F.C. (an association football (soccer) club). a. According to Leinster Leader , Saturday, 11 April 1903 Archived 6 January 2017 at archive.today , Britain had to choose
2604-634: 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
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2688-789: 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
2772-486: The 2007 festival went on sale between Monday 11 December 2006, and Saturday 24 February 2007, costing €199, taking into account the VAT that must now be paid on all outdoor events. Full price tickets went on sale on Tuesday 3 April at a price of €220. The first acts were officially announced on Monday 2 April. Besides the music other attractions included an inflatable church offering mock weddings, luxury tents, massage chambers,
2856-700: The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a singalong of " Happy Birthday " on the Sunday night. Main Stage: Main Stage: Main Stage: Electric Arena: Electric Arena: Electric Arena: Electric Picnic 2009 took place at Stradbally from 4–6 September. The British promoter Festival Republic bought out the share of Aiken Promotions as well as
2940-403: 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
3024-410: The 6th century. The area was called "Mon-au-Bealing" and Colman Mac ua Laoise, a disciple of St. Columba , established a monastery at Oughaval , close to the town and within the present-day parish. In 1447 Franciscans came to Mon-au-Bealing and by 1550 a small village had developed. The name Stradbally (Sraidbhaile Laoise) was in use at least from the 16th century as it is referred to by that name in
3108-571: 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
3192-584: The Annals of the Four Masters. Samuel Lewis 's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (published in 1837) records that the parish at that time contained "2392 inhabitants, of which number, 1799 are in the town". On 2 July 1903 the Gordon Bennett Cup ran through Stradbally. It was the first international motor race to be held in Ireland. Kildare was chosen at least partly on the grounds that
3276-569: The Bad Seeds , Kraftwerk , The Flaming Lips , Röyksopp , Mercury Rev and The Human League . The premiere of "Electric Picnic: The Documentary" took place at the Irish Film Institute on Tuesday 4 July 2006 at 19:00. The critically acclaimed documentary directed by Nick Ryan , was filmed by a small camera crew who recorded the events of Electric Picnic 2005. Narrated by musician Nick Seymour and economist David McWilliams ,
3360-493: The Comedy Tent (curated by Gerry Mallon) and a silent disco . In 2008, Amnesty International attended the festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , whilst renowned American Burning Man artist, David Best constructed a Temple of Truth on site. Electric Picnic has been described as an "enormously successful, award-winning, established brand" which "attempts to bring to life
3444-471: 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
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3528-906: The Irish Festival Awards, winning seven gongs, including Best Large Festival, Best Line up and Best Toilets. Artists who performed at the 2012 festival included The Cure , The Killers , Elbow , Sigur Rós , Christy Moore , Orbital , Hot Chip , The xx , Wild Beasts , Of Monsters and Men , Patti Smith , The Roots , Crystal Castles , Grandaddy , SBTRKT , Mmoths , Metronomy , Bat for Lashes , The Maccabees , The Horrors , Richard Hawley , Azealia Banks , Ed Sheeran , The Jezabels , Michael Kiwanuka , Gavin Friday , Ryan Sheridan , Róisín O , Van Dyke Parks , Roots Manuva , Bell X1 , Dublin Gospel Choir , Glen Hansard , Grizzly Bear , Willis Earl Beal , Alabama Shakes , Tindersticks , Fatoumata Diawara , Land Lovers, Eagle and
3612-549: 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
3696-723: The Maytals , Lykke Li , Midlake , The Rubberbandits , Death in Vegas , The Go! Team , Big Audio Dynamite , Boys Noize, Paul Kalkbrenner , Dave Clarke , Twin Shadow , Willy Mason , Trentemøller , Killing Joke , Health , Mundy , Gavin Friday , The Walkmen , Adam Beyer , Sharon Shannon , Ivan St. John, The Cast of Cheers , Micah P. Hinson , Caitlin Rose , The Potbelleez , Adebisi Shank , The Danger Is, Codes , And So I Watch You From Afar , and O Emperor . The festival triumphed at
3780-620: 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 ,
3864-624: The Worm, Solar Bears , Staff Benda Bilili , Little Roy , Lanterns on the Lake , Jonathan Wilson , Baxter Dury , Cranes , Milagres , In Tua Nua , Codes, Conor Linnie, Ocho and more to be announced. The announcement of the 2013 festival was delayed significantly owing to a legal dispute regarding ownership of the festival between the festival's founder POD Concerts and its majority shareholder Festival Republic Dublin (FRD) . Despite fears that Electric Picnic would not return in 2013, Electric Picnic
3948-746: 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
4032-847: The comedy tent. Early bird tickets for Electric Picnic 2010 went on sale on 4 December 2009. The festival was launched on 24 March 2010, with Leftfield , Roxy Music , Public Image Ltd. , LCD Soundsystem , Massive Attack , Modest Mouse , Mumford & Sons , Jón Þór Birgisson , Paul Brady , Imelda May and The Frames among the first acts to be confirmed. Artists who played in 2011 included Arcade Fire , Pulp , The Chemical Brothers , Interpol , PJ Harvey , Beirut , Blonde Redhead , Zola Jesus , The Drums , Santigold , The Family Stone , Joan As Policewoman , Best Coast , 3epkano , Power of Dreams , Yuck , Foster The People , Alexandra Stan , The Undertones , Public Enemy , Jimmy Cliff , DJ Shadow , Flying Lotus , The Charlatans , Mogwai , Sinéad O'Connor , White Lies , OMD , Toots &
4116-588: The documentary includes footage from Kraftwerk's first recorded live performance in twelve years plus interviews with the performing bands and comedians, with a few festival-goers and with the locals of Stradbally Village, who claimed: "We get more trouble at the Vintage Steam Rally". In 2006 the festival gained momentum, with all 30,000 tickets (each costing €175 including camping) selling out more than seven weeks in advance. Presale tickets went on sale on Monday 28 November 2005. The event took place on
4200-718: 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
4284-474: 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
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#17327832265754368-447: The field designated as the car park overnight and stayed up talking and exploring the (then pristine and nettle-free) woods. Thus, the relaxed and friendly vibe of the earlier Electric Picnic festivals was established. The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire 's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success. Headlining acts included Nick Cave and
4452-560: 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
4536-716: 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
4620-410: 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
4704-476: 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 ,
4788-582: 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
4872-497: 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
4956-409: 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
5040-522: 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
5124-554: The oldest operational Diesel locomotive in Ireland. The railway also showcases a 1949-built Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT No 2/LM44, nicknamed "Róisín". The railway runs every bank holiday weekend throughout the year. The Electric Picnic is an annual arts-and-music festival which has been staged in late August / early September since 2004 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally. It is organised by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic . The Electric Picnic won eight awards in Hot Press's 2011 Festival Awards, including 'Best Large Festival'. In 2023, it
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#17327832265755208-448: 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
5292-415: 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
5376-436: 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 )
5460-432: 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
5544-452: 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
5628-436: The straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland, the British team chose to race in Shamrock green which thus became known as British racing green . The route consisted of several loops of a route which included Kilcullen , Kildare , Monasterevin , Stradbally, Athy , Castledermot , and Carlow . The 520 kilometres (323 mi) race was won by the Belgian racer Camille Jenatzy , driving
5712-536: 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
5796-812: The various sites opening at 9 a.m. on Friday 29 August. Tickets had sold out by 17 June. Sigur Rós , George Clinton and Sex Pistols headlined. Other musicians appearing included Franz Ferdinand , My Bloody Valentine , German rockers Faust , Tindersticks , The Breeders , Grinderman , Goldfrapp , Gossip , CSS , Duffy , Foals , Hadouken! , Wilco , The Roots , Turin Brakes , Carbon/Silicon , Conor Oberst and New Young Pony Club . Irish acts to appear included Kíla , The Stunning , Sinéad O'Connor , Christy Moore , Liam Ó Maonlaí , Boss Volenti , The Waterboys , The Flaws , Ham Sandwich , Fred , Super Extra Bonus Party , Jape , Lisa Hannigan , Le Galaxie, Cathy Davey , Gemma Hayes and Mark Geary . Also attending were Amnesty International , which celebrated
5880-400: The weekend of 1–3 September 2006, with the line-up being revealed on Friday 24 March. Artists who performed across the seven stages included Sparks , New Order , Pet Shop Boys , Basement Jaxx , Rufus Wainwright , Bloc Party , Yeah Yeah Yeahs , Gary Numan , François Kevorkian , Groove Armada , Damien Rice and The Frames . The Blue Nile 's appearance was their only live performance of
5964-594: 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
6048-414: The year. The festival's biggest casualty was Gnarls Barkley who had to cancel their appearance after rapper/singer Cee-Lo strained his vocal cords. David McWilliams made an appearance as a celebrity. RTÉ Two televised the festival, with a special RTÉ Two Green Room being set up at Stradbally Hall Estate for presenters Tom Dunne and Jenny Huston . Journalist and television presenter Joe O'Shea
6132-531: 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
6216-426: Was arrested for driving in an intoxicated state on his way home from the event. The Comedy Tent in 2006 featured PJ Gallagher , Des Bishop , Neil Delamere , and Eric Lalor. Electric Picnic 2007 was once again a three-day event and ran from 31 August until 2 September. The festival maintained its current size of 32,500 festival goers and kept all the same elements plus some new additions. "Early-bird" tickets for
6300-563: Was awarded 'Festival of the Year' in the Ticketmaster Awards. The Picnic has been described as "Ireland's version of Glastonbury " and "a great inspiration to Latitude " by one of its business partners, Laois. US magazine Billboard called it "a magnificent rock n roll circus, a textbook example of everything a festival should be" and Rolling Stone described it as "one of the best festivals we've ever been to". The 2008 event
6384-505: Was awarded 'Festival of the Year' in the Ticketmaster Awards. The Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart is a Gothic Revival church which was completed in 1896 to a cruciform plan. It was designed by William Hague. Saint Patrick's Church of Ireland Church, also a Gothic Revival church, built in 1764, with one tower. During renovations around 1880 a projecting porch, chancel and vestry were added. Saint Colman's Orthodox Church, of
6468-466: Was described by The Irish Times as "the best Electric Picnic yet". There is also an emphasis on eco-friendly initiatives. Electric Picnic began as a one-day event in 2004, before growing to a weekend-long festival within a year. The festival incorporates attractions such as the 24-hour cinema tent, the Body and Soul arena (offering an ambient lounge with beanbags, massages and tarot card readings) and
6552-668: 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
6636-506: 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. Electric Picnic Electric Picnic
6720-666: Was marred by the death of a 23-year-old fan. The incident occurred as The Chemical Brothers came to a climax at 2 a.m. early on the Sunday morning. Organiser John Reynolds extended his sympathies and said: "A young man took ill at the festival, was treated at the medical centre, removed to Portlaoise Hospital and was later pronounced dead." Gardaí said they were not treating the death as suspicious. Electric Picnic 2008 took place at Stradbally from 29 to 31 August, attended by 35,000 people. Presale tickets went on sale on 9 November 2007 and full price tickets went on sale on Friday 28 March at 9 p.m., costing €240 including camping, with
6804-474: 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
6888-693: 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
6972-890: Was subsequently scheduled to take place between 30 August and 1 September. The initial line-up for the festival was announced on 25 April 2013 to much fanfare. The line-up included Björk , Fatboy Slim , Robert Plant , My Bloody Valentine , Arctic Monkeys , Franz Ferdinand , Wu-Tang Clan , David Byrne & St Vincent , Eels , Noah & The Whale , Johnny Marr , Disclosure , Ocean Colour Scene , Hurts , Mick Flannery , The Walkmen , Baauer , Tiga , Warpaint , Savages , The Strypes , Poliça, Chvrches, Parquet Courts , Clinic , Deap Vally and Soak. Electric Picnic 2014 took place at Stradbally from 29 to 31 August, attended by 41,000 people. Early bird tickets went on sale on 19 March 2014. A Full weekend ticket cost €154.50 for purchasers who could prove they had been to three or more picnics, €174.50 for those who could prove they had been to
7056-442: 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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