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…

Dublin Docklands

27 June 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Wellington Quay © flickr.com - psyberartist/cc-by-2.0

Wellington Quay © flickr.com – psyberartist/cc-by-2.0

Dublin Docklands (Irish: Ceantar Dugaí Átha Cliath) is an area of the city of Dublin, Ireland, on both sides of the River Liffey, roughly from Talbot Memorial Bridge eastwards to the 3Arena. It mainly falls within the city’s D01 and D02 postal districts but includes some of the urban fringes of the D04 district on its southernmost side.   read more…

Cathedral Quarter in Belfast

8 June 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

St. Anne Catherdal - flickr.com - Stuart/cc-by-sa-2.0

St. Anne Catherdal – flickr.com – Stuart/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Cathedral Quarter (Irish: Ceathrú na hArdeaglaise) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York Street, the Cathedral Quarter lies south and east. Part of the area, centred on Talbot Street behind the cathedral, was formerly called the Half Bap. The “Little Italy” area was on the opposite side of Great Patrick Street centred on Little Patrick Street and Nelson Street. The Cathedral Quarter extends out to the edge of what can be referred as the old merchant quarter of the city. Past where the merchant area meets the Cathedral Quarter is still mostly merchant trade and services orientated and undeveloped for visitor services. The Cathedral Quarter is so called because St Anne’s Cathedral, a Church of Ireland cathedral, lies at its heart.   read more…

Dissolution of the monasteries

8 May 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  28 minutes

Tintern Abbey © MartinBiely

Tintern Abbey © MartinBiely

The dissolution of the monasteries, occasionally referred to as the suppression of the monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents, and friaries in England, Wales, and Ireland, expropriated their income, disposed of their assets, and provided for their former personnel and functions. Although the policy was originally envisaged as increasing the regular income of the Crown, much former monastic property was sold off to fund Henry’s military campaigns in the 1540s. He was given the authority to do this in England and Wales by the Act of Supremacy, passed by Parliament in 1534, which made him Supreme Head of the Church in England, thus separating England from papal authority, and by the First Suppression Act (1535) and the Second Suppression Act (1539). While Thomas Cromwell, Vicar-general and Vice-regent of England, is often considered the leader of the Dissolutions, he merely oversaw the project, one he had hoped to use for reform of monasteries, not closure or seizure. The Dissolution project was created by England’s Lord Chancellor Thomas Audley, and Court of Augmentations head Richard Rich. Professor George W. Bernard argues that:

The dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1530s was one of the most revolutionary events in English history. There were nearly 900 religious houses in England, around 260 for monks, 300 for regular canons, 142 nunneries and 183 friaries; some 12,000 people in total, 4,000 monks, 3,000 canons, 3,000 friars and 2,000 nuns. If the adult male population was 500,000, that meant that one adult man in fifty was in religious orders.

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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…

Theme Week County Galway – Dunmore

26 March 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

High Street © Andreas F. Borchert/cc-by-sa-3.0

High Street © Andreas F. Borchert/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dunmore (Irish: Dún Mór, meaning ‘big fort’) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 and R360 regional roads.   read more…

Theme Week County Galway – Loughrea

25 March 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© panoramio.com - Ahmet Colakoglu/cc-by-sa-3.0

© panoramio.com – Ahmet Colakoglu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Loughrea (Irish: Baile Locha Riach, meaning ‘town of the grey/speckled lake’) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town’s cathedral, St Brendan’s, dominates the town’s skyline. The town has increased in population in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Although the town also serves as a commuter town for the city of Galway, it also remains an independent market town. Loughrea is the fourth most populous settlement in County Galway, with a population of 6,000.   read more…

Theme Week County Galway – Ballinasloe

24 March 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Society Street © LauraSheehan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Society Street © LauraSheehan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Ballinasloe (Irish: Béal Átha na Sluaighe, meaning ‘mouth of the ford of the crowds’) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. It is one of the largest towns in County Galway with a population of 6,700. From 1828 to the 1960s, Ballinasloe was the terminus of the Grand Canal. Guinness Company used the town’s canal stores to store and distribute the Guinness to the midlands. The Grand Canal provided a route for Guinness barges to travel from Dublin to Shannon Harbour. The town features a public marina which was developed on the River Suck to allow traffic from the Shannon Navigation to access the town. Among the places of interest are:   read more…

Theme Week County Galway – Athenry

23 March 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

15th-century market cross © Andreas F. Borchert/cc-by-sa-4.0

15th-century market cross © Andreas F. Borchert/cc-by-sa-4.0

Athenry (Irish: Baile Átha an Rí, meaning ‘Town of the Ford of the King’) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century Anglo-Norman street-plan. The town is also well known by virtue of the song “The Fields of Athenry“.   read more…

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