87-632: Tirhugh ( / t ɪ r ˈ h j uː / ; Irish : Tír Aodha ) is a barony in County Donegal , Ireland . Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . Tirhugh takes its name from the Irish Tír Aodha , meaning "Aodh's land", referring to Áed mac Ainmuirech ,
174-547: 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
261-717: 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
348-575: 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
435-478: 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,
522-553: 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
609-460: 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
696-561: A narrow channel, far below the level of either bank and a narrower single arch bridge has replaced the old one. The newly built Ballyshannon – Bundoran bypass has added a new, more modern bridge over the river. A pedestrian bridge was also constructed to mark the millennium. During the Second World War the British and Irish governments quietly reached an agreement to create an air corridor between nearby Belleek and Ballyshannon,
783-532: A numerous army, or more than twelve score axe men, for making a standing fight, and sixty horsemen, for following up the rout, and taking prisoners ), marched to Mac Eoin of the Glins, for it had been told to him Con that Mac Eoin had the finest wife, steed (Dubhacoite by name), and hound, in his neighbourhood. Con had before that time sent messengers for the steed, but was refused it, though it had been promised by Con to one of his people. Con made no delay, but surmounted
870-585: 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
957-575: 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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#17327795425371044-496: A prey in the Moy (Maghene), and in the territory of Carbury, from the sons of Donnell, son of Murtough, and from Naghtan; and Naghtan and Brian, son of Donnell, with the other sons of Donnell, in revenge of the taking of this prey, made an incursion into the Moy, and into Tirhugh, where they burned houses, and seized inanimate spoils, and numbers of small cattle. Naghtan went a second time into Tirconnell, and committed depredations on Conor,
1131-625: 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
1218-547: 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
1305-514: A semi-legendary 6th century king. The Irish name Áed (Aodh) is conventionally translated as Hugh , although the names are etymologically unrelated. Tirhugh is located in the south of County Donegal , on the River Erne and the east coast of Donegal Bay . It is the strip of land that connects Donegal to the rest of the Republic of Ireland . The territory of the O'Gallchobair (Gallagher)
1392-545: 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
1479-603: 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
1566-501: Is a town in County Donegal , Ireland . It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne . Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Ballyshannon, which means "the mouth of Seannach's ford ", after a fifth-century warrior, Seannach, who was slain there, lies at the mouth of the river Erne . Just west of
1653-458: Is a well-known figure in English and Irish folklore, and is often supposed to foretell death. William Allingham later wrote a poem about the incident. The Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway (E&BR) opened in 1868 and had a station at Ballyshannon. The Great Northern Railway (GNR) operated the E&;BR line from 1876 and absorbed the company in 1896. The partition of Ireland in 1922 turned
1740-452: 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
1827-511: 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
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#17327795425371914-593: Is now the longest running Folk and Traditional Festival in the world. It has just returned to its roots in The Marquee for its 40th Birthday. Ballyshannon & District Museum is located on the second Floor of Slevins Dept Store in Ballyshannon. The museum opened in April 2013 and has had 30,000 visitors to date. The museum has exhibitions on Rory Gallagher, the story of the Kildoney Fishermen,
2001-587: 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
2088-412: 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
2175-666: 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
2262-512: The Annals of Ulster , attacked nearby Inishmurray Island in 795. Later they used the River Erne to attack inland, burning Devenish Island Monastery in 822. The Annals also record that in 836, all the churches of Loch Erne, together with Cluain Eois ( Clones ) and Daimhinis (Devenish Island) were destroyed by the "gentiles". In 923 and 916 respectively, "a fleet of foreigners on Loch Erne plundered
2349-513: The Bronze Age (2500–500 BC), to a possible brushwood trackway thought to date to an earlier Neolithic period, through an early find of a pair of gold sun-discs from c. 2500 –2150 BCE to the recent discovery of a previously unknown medieval church and cemetery containing hundreds of skeletons thought to date from between 1100 and 1400. This site yielded numerous artefacts including silver long cross pennies and halfpennies dating from
2436-576: 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 ")
2523-591: The " Donegal Corridor ", which was used by British Royal Air Force flights from Northern Ireland into the Atlantic Ocean. This was used by the aircraft which located the German battleship Bismarck . The Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival takes place in Ballyshannon on June Bank Holiday weekend. Ballyshannon Folk Festival takes place every year on the August bank holiday weekend. This Festival
2610-634: 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
2697-734: 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
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2784-403: 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
2871-571: 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
2958-782: The Battle of Ballyshannon (1598), the Mysterious Leprechaun and Devil Stones, the Great Famine, the workhouse, the building of the power station, fishing industries, people from Ballyshannon, sport, World Wars I and II, and the Donegal Railway. Bus Éireann offers routes to cities and major towns in Ireland including Cavan , Dublin , Sligo and Galway. Ulsterbus offers services to cities and major towns in Northern Ireland including Belfast and Derry . Feda ODonnell offers routes to and from Gweedore to
3045-481: The English and Irish of Connaught, the O'Briens, the O'Kennedys, and the O'Carrolls, joined and leagued with O'Neill against O'Donnell in that war. The following are the chiefs who came from the west with their combined forces on this expedition: Mac William of Clanrickard (Ulick, the son of Ulick of the Wine); and a party of the chiefs of the O'Briens namely, Donough and Teige, the sons of Turlough, son of Teige O'Brien; and
3132-471: 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
3219-578: The Irish sidh ) in Mullgoose means 'fairies'. Popular belief assigned the interior of hills to fairies' dwelling places and local tradition has handed down accounts of the exploits of the fairy folk, especially among the Finner sand-hills and in the Wardtown district of Ballyshannon. In 1906, the hill-top at Mullgoose was excavated and found to contain subterranean chambers. The Vikings , according to
3306-549: 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
3393-568: The Republic no practical alternative but to allow the closure of the line through Ballyshannon between the border and Bundoran . Thereafter the nearest railheads for Ballyshannon were Sligo in the Republic and Omagh in Northern Ireland, until in 1965 the Ulster Transport Authority closed the line through Omagh as well. A hydroelectric power station was built in the town in the 1950s. The project, or 'Scheme' as it
3480-564: 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 ,
3567-746: 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
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3654-516: The boundary with County Fermanagh into an international frontier. Henceforth Ballyshannon's only railway link with the rest of the Irish Free State was via Northern Ireland , and as such was subject to delays for customs inspections. The Government of Northern Ireland closed much of the GNR network on its side of the border in 1957, including the E&BR as far as the border. This gave
3741-453: The difficulties of every passage, until he arrived at night with his "great little" band at the house of Mac Eoin, without having given him any previous notice or intelligence of his designs, and immediately took Mac Eoin prisoner, and made himself master of his wife, his steed, and his hound, together with all his other wealth, for he found the famous steed, and sixteen others with it, in the house on that occasion. The Glins were all plundered on
3828-718: 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
3915-474: 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
4002-494: 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
4089-509: The following day by Con's people; but he afterwards made full restitution to Mac Eoin's wife of all such property as was hers; and as soon as he had crossed the Bann, on his return westwards, he set her husband at liberty for her, but he carried the steed, with vast preys and spoils, with him into Tirhugh, and ordered the cattle-spoils to be left upon its grassy fields. 1522. A great war arose between O'Donnell and O'Neill. Mac William of Clanrickard,
4176-414: The islands of the lake", as well as the surrounding territories. In March 1613, Ballyshannon was incorporated as a borough by James I . In 1775 the salmon-leap of Assaroe at Ballyshannon was praised by the traveller Richard Twiss in A Tour in Ireland : The Giants Causeway is an object which is scarcely worthy of going so far to see; however that is to be determined by the degree of curiosity of which
4263-716: 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
4350-410: 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
4437-476: 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 ,
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#17327795425374524-582: 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
4611-425: The monastery of all its riches, and all Tirhugh. A party of O'Donnell's people gave them battle; and Hugh, son of Farrell O'Rourke, was taken prisoner on this occasion. O'Neill returned in safety to Tyrone. [...] Murtough O'Conor of Sligo went to Tirhugh, and returned to Assaroe, without gaining much booty by the incursion. Hugh O'Duirnin came up with him there, and routed him and his people at Ballyshannon; Hugh's horse
4698-804: 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
4785-566: The neighbouring parts of Kinel-Owen; he also slew and destroyed many persons, and then returned in triumph. The name "Tirhugh" is used today for the Tirhugh Resource Centre, Ballyshannon , for the local unemployed. Below is a list of settlements in Tirhugh: Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
4872-469: 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
4959-655: 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
5046-448: 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
5133-421: The people of O'Neill, i.e. of Hugh Ballagh, the son of Donnell. A great war broke out between O'Neill and O'Donnell; and the sons of Hugh Boy O'Neill and the O'Neill marched with an army into Tirconnell, and burned Tirhugh, and then returned home again unharmed. 1477. Feuds and dissensions arose between O'Donnell and the sons of Naghtan O'Donnell; and on this occasion Niall, the son of Donnell O'Donnell, and Felim,
5220-415: 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
5307-407: The reign of Henry III (1251–1276) and Edward I ( c. 1280 –1302). Other finds included bone beads, shroud pins, and pieces of quartz which were found placed in the hands of many of the skeletons. Numerous other sites from various periods are thought to exist, including a neolithic tomb, and the grave of Aed Ruad , High King of Ireland, upon which St. Anne's church ( Church of Ireland )
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#17327795425375394-436: 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 )
5481-432: 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
5568-452: 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
5655-402: The son of O'Donnell; and Conor in return made an incursion into Carbury, and plundered the whole territory. 1435. The son of Brian Oge, son of Henry O'Neill, made a predatory incursion into Tirhugh; but some of the household of O'Donnell (Niall) overtook him, despoiled him of the prey, took himself prisoner, and slew a great number of his people. 1436. The Crannog of Loch-Laoghaire was taken by
5742-415: The son of Turlough O'Donnell, were slain by the sons of Naghtan; and much injury was done between them. O'Neill went upon an expedition into Tirhugh, at the instance of the sons of Naghtan, and ravaged and burned Tirhugh, and returned to his house in victory and triumph. 1495. Con, son of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, with his great little army (Con's army being so called because he was never in the habit of assembling
5829-590: The sons of Brian O'Neill. O'Neill and Henry came to the Lough, and sent messengers to Maguire, Thomas Oge, on whose arrival they set about constructing vessels, to land on the Crannog, in which the sons of Brian Oge then were; but these on perceiving their intentions came to the resolution of giving up the Crannog to O'Neill, and made peace with him. O'Neill and Maguire then made an incursion into Tirhugh, where they committed many depredations, obtained great spoils, and killed many persons; after which they returned home. 1474. Great depredations were committed by O'Donnell upon
5916-401: The time as The Hon. Robert Stewart (he became Lord Castlereagh in 1796), he was serving as a young Army officer and MP for County Down in the Irish Parliament at the time. Lodging in the old Military Barracks in the town, Stewart (as he then was) retired for the night. Looking into the fire he saw the form of a boy emerge from the flames, grow larger and larger and vanish. The radiant boy
6003-646: The town, the Erne widens and its waters meander over a long sandy estuary. The northern bank of the river rises steeply away from the riverbank, while the southern bank is flat with a small cliff that runs parallel to the river. From its idyllic setting, the town looks out over the estuary and has panoramic views of mountains, lakes and forests. Archaeological sites dating as far back as the Neolithic period (4000 BC – 2500 BC) have been excavated in Ballyshannon and surrounding areas, representing settlement and ritual activity from early periods of human settlement. Finds have ranged from fulachta fiadh (burnt mounds) dating from
6090-401: The traveller is possessed. But the salmon-leap at Ballyshannon is a scene of such a singular nature, as is not to be found elsewhere, and is as peculiar to Ireland as the bullfights are to Spain... It was in Ballyshannon, around 1793, that Viscount Castlereagh , the future Chief Secretary for Ireland and, later, British Foreign Secretary , had his famous vision of the radiant boy. Known at
6177-413: The turbines. The new plant was named Cathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station . Before the station was built, the river was wide, and the water level much higher than it is today. A long bridge spanned from the northern shore to the 'port' on the southern bank. The waters spilled over a number of waterfalls, among them Assaroe Falls , before meandering out to sea. Today, however, the river runs through
6264-726: 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
6351-543: The west of Ireland, including Sligo and Galway , via Ballyshannon. The nearest railway to Ballyshannon is Sligo station which is served by trains to Dublin Connolly and is operated by Iarnród Éireann . Commercial broadband is available in Ballyshannon, installed by Donegal County Council and provided by all major broadband providers. The local Gaelic games club is Aodh Ruadh . Other local sports clubs include Ballyshannon RFC (rugby), Erne Wanderers (soccer) and
6438-594: 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
6525-524: The young Bishop O'Brien; O'Carroll (Mulrony, the son of John), and the O'Kennedys; and not they alone, but such of the Connacians as had been until that time under his tribute, and had been obedient to him O'Donnell, namely, O'Conor Roe, O'Conor Don, Mac William Burke, Mac Dermot of Moylurg, and all that were amongst them in Connaught. All these forces were in readiness to march against O'Donnell, and it
6612-531: 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
6699-530: Was centered here from the Middle Ages onward. The Mac Raith, O'Haedha (O'Hugh or Hayes), MacDonlevy, MacNulty, O'Clery, MacWard, O'Lynch and O'Mullhollan were other local septs. The Annals of the Four Masters mention Tirhugh several times: 1398. A great army was led by Niall Oge O'Neill, King of Kinel-Owen and the sons of Henry O'Neill, against O'Donnell, and arrived at Assaroe; and they plundered
6786-668: 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
6873-575: 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. Ballyshannon Ballyshannon ( Irish : Béal Átha Seanaidh , meaning 'the mouth of Seannach's ford')
6960-553: Was on Lady-day in Harvest they appointed to join O'Neill in Tirhugh. […] When O'Donnell heard that O'Neill had done these deeds, he ordered his son, Manus O'Donnell, to proceed into Tyrone with a detachment of his army, and to plunder and burn that country; and he himself, with the number of forces he had kept with him, directed his course over Bearnas, in pursuit of O'Neill, and to defend Tirhugh. As to Manus, he plundered and burned all
7047-474: 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
7134-693: 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
7221-469: Was supposedly built, occupying the highest of the town's vantage points—Mullgoose. Nothing remains to mark either tomb, the last vestige of the mound on Mullaghnashee having been obliterated in 1798 when a fort was constructed on the hill-top. The 18th-century churchyard and the paupers' burial ground were both referred to as Sidh Aedh Ruaidh , the Fairy Mound of Red Hugh. The 'sheeman' (Anglicisation of
7308-403: Was then referred to, brought engineers, electricians, and specialists in hydroelectricity from many parts of the country and abroad to the town, which experienced a boom during the decade-long construction period. The scheme involved building a dam upriver from the town and digging out a deep channel or tailrace to lower the riverbed through the town to increase the head of water at the dam to drive
7395-442: 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,
7482-489: Was with his forces in Tyrone. Brian, the son of Donnell, son of Murtough, and his forces, then returned to their homes. 1434. A war arose between O'Donnell (i.e. Niall) and his brother Naghtan, in consequence of the death of Egneaghan O'Donnell. Many depredations were committed, and many lives were lost in the contests between them; and Naghtan went over to the sons of Donnell, the son of Murtough O'Conor of Sligo. O'Donnell took
7569-586: Was wounded, and he himself thrown off, and afterwards killed. 1412. An army was led by Brian O'Conor into Tirhugh; and he burned the country as far as Murvagh, and slew Coilin Mac Coilin at Ballyshannon. 1419. A great army was led by Brian O'Conor and all the people of Lower Connaught, with many of the English, at the request and solicitation of O'Neill; and they spoiled all Tirhugh, from Ath na-n-Gall to Ballyshannon, including its grass, corn, and buildings; and burned Murvagh, O'Donnell's fortress, while O'Donnell
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