Achill Island in Ireland

23 September 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  19 minutes

Slievemore mountain and Doogort beach © MickReynolds/cc-by-sa-4.0

Slievemore mountain and Doogort beach © MickReynolds/cc-by-sa-4.0

Achill Island in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is 148 km² (57 sq mi). Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge, between the villages of Gob an Choire (Achill Sound) and Poll Raithní (Polranny). A bridge was first completed here in 1887. Other centres of population include the villages of Keel, Dooagh, Dumha Éige (Dooega), Dún Ibhir (Dooniver), and Dugort. The parish’s main Gaelic football pitch and secondary school are on the mainland at Poll Raithní. Early human settlements are believed to have been established on Achill around 3000 BC. The island is 87% peat bog. The parish of Achill consists of Achill Island, Achillbeg, Inishbiggle and the Corraun Peninsula. Roughly half of the island, including the villages of Achill Sound and Bunacurry are in the Gaeltacht (traditional Irish-speaking region) of Ireland, although the vast majority of the island’s population speaks English as their daily language. Achill Island has many bars, cafes and restaurants which serve a full range of food. However, the island’s Atlantic location seafood such as lobster, mussels, salmon, trout and winkles, are common meals. With a large sheep and cow populations, lamb and beef are popular on the island too.   read more…

Shankill Road and Falls Road in Belfast – Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

10 April 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  20 minutes

Shankill Road © geograph.org.uk - Eric Jones/cc-by-sa-4.0

Shankill Road © geograph.org.uk – Eric Jones/cc-by-sa-4.0

Shankill Road
Northern Ireland and Gibraltar are among the last remnants of the British colonial empire in Europe. Although membership of the EU has brought Northern Ireland modest prosperity, the Brexit vote narrowly ended in favor of “Leave”, meaning that Northern Ireland is set to once again become the poorhouse of Western Europe. Since then, violent conflicts between Unionists and Republicans have increased again, as was to be expected and thus jeopardize the successes achieved in resolving the conflict after the Good Friday Agreement.   read more…

Grand Canal in Ireland

20 August 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Grand Canal Dock in Dublin © Giuseppe Milo/cc-by-3.0

Grand Canal Dock in Dublin © Giuseppe Milo/cc-by-3.0

The Grand Canal (Irish: An Chanáil Mhór) is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west, via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin’s inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the Royal Canal. The last working cargo barge passed through the Grand Canal in 1960.   read more…

Theme Week Ireland

26 March 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  < 1 minute

The English Market in Cork © flickr.com - WordRidden/cc-by-2.0

The English Market in Cork © flickr.com – WordRidden/cc-by-2.0

Ireland (Irish: Éire), also known as the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann), is occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the eastern part of the island, and whose metropolitan area is home to around a third of the country’s 4.75 million inhabitants. The state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint George’s Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music, and the Irish language. The culture of the island also shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, and golf.   read more…

County Donegal in Ireland

29 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Donegal map © Kanchelskis/GFDL

Donegal map © Kanchelskis/GFDL

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 160,927 according to the 2011 census.   read more…

Theme Week Ulster – Donegal Town

21 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

The Diamond - Main Square © Kanchelskis/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Diamond – Main Square © Kanchelskis/cc-by-sa-3.0

Donegal or Donegal Town (Irish: Dún na nGall, English: fort of the foreigners) is a town in County Donegal. The name was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall.   read more…

Theme Week Ulster – Letterkenny

19 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Oatfield Sweet Factory © geograph.org.uk - louise price/cc-by-sa-2.0

Oatfield Sweet Factory © geograph.org.uk – louise price/cc-by-sa-2.0

Letterkenny (Irish: Leitir Ceanainn) is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal. Its English name is derived from the Irish name Leitir Ceanainn, meaning “Hillside of the O’Cannons” – the O’Cannons being the last of the ancient chieftains of Tír Conaill. With a population of 20,000, Letterkenny is located on the River Swilly in east Donegal. Letterkenny, along with the nearby city of Derry, forms the major economic core of the north-west of the island of Ireland.   read more…

Theme Week Ulster – Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

18 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Flight of the Earls sculpture in Rathmullan © geograph.org.uk - Willie Duffin/cc-by-sa-2.0

Flight of the Earls sculpture in Rathmullan © geograph.org.uk – Willie Duffin/cc-by-sa-2.0

Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh) is one of the provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths (Irish: cúige) ruled by a rí ruirech, or “king of over-kings”. Northern Ireland is often referred to as ‘Ulster’, despite including only six of Ulster’s nine counties. This usage is most common amongst people in Northern Ireland who are unionist, although it is also used by the media throughout the United Kingdom.   read more…

The port city of Cobh in Cork

20 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Cobh © geograph.org.uk - Ralph Rawlinson

Cobh © geograph.org.uk – Ralph Rawlinson

Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork in Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island. On a high point in the town stands Cobh (St Colman’s) Cathedral, one of the tallest buildings in Ireland and seat of the diocese of Cloyne.   read more…

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