X-Nico

29 unusual facts about Ireland


1189 in Ireland

Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) writes Expugnato Hibernica about Henry II’s invasion of Ireland.

1760 in Great Britain

21–26 February - Seven Years' War: At the Battle of Carrickfergus in the north of Ireland, a force of French troops under the command of privateer François Thurot captures and holds the town and castle of Carrickfergus before retiring; the force is defeated (and Thurot killed) in a naval action in the Irish Sea on 28 February.

Alexandrina Maria da Costa

In Ireland there is an Alexandrina Society that spreads knowledge of her life and teachings.The aims of the Society are

Anne Crofton, 1st Baroness Crofton

Anne Crofton, 1st Baroness Crofton (11 January 1751 – 12 August 1817) was an Irish suo jure peeress.

Baron Dunleath

The Mulholland family were involved in the cotton and linen industry in Ulster in the north of Ireland.

Baron Plunket

It was created in 1827 for the prominent Irish lawyer and Whig politician William Plunket.

Bridgetta

Bridgetta is the Italian version of the Irish name, Bridget.

Cork Mid

Cork Mid (or Mid Cork) may refer to one of two parliamentary constituencies in County Cork, in the South of Ireland

Hawarden Kite

Meanwhile, in London on 1 August 1885 the Conservative minister Lord Carnarvon, Viceroy of Ireland, had met Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish Home Rule leader, for a confidential discussion to see how far each could meet the other's policy.

The Hawarden Kite was a famous British scoop of 1885, an apparent instance of flying a kite, when Herbert Gladstone, son of the then Leader of the Opposition William Ewart Gladstone revealed to Edmund Rogers of the National Press Agency in London that his father now supported home rule for Ireland.

Headfort

Headfort (sometimes called 'Headfort House'), a stately home and boarding school in County Meath, Ireland.

Industrial Schools Act 1868

Industrial Schools Act 1868 was an Act of Parliament which created Industrial schools in Ireland to care for neglected, orphaned and abandoned children.

Irish Woodsball League

The Irish Woodsball League (IWL) is a woodsball league held in Ireland.

John Harrison O'Donnell

He was born in Simcoe, Upper Canada, the son of John O'Donnell, a native of Ireland, and was educated at Victoria University and Trinity Medical College.

John Hume

In 2010 he was named "Ireland's Greatest" in a public poll by Irish national broadcaster RTÉ to find the greatest person in Ireland's history.

Maolmórdha

Maolmórdha (Pronounced mahl MOR ee ah; Latin Milesius; English Myles) was a name used by several historical figures in Ireland

Maura Murphy

Maura Murphy, née McNamee (September 6, 1928 – October 5, 2005) was an Irish writer.

Michael Joseph Barry

Michael Joseph Barry (1817 – 23 January 1889) was an Irish poet, author, and political figure.

Moore Brothers

The Moore Brothers were three Irish born brothers who became famous in the motion picture business in early Hollywood.

MV Kerlogue

On 2 April 1941 a British convoy was attacked by German bombers, two miles south of Tuskar Rock.

National Hunt flat race

National Hunt Flat races, informally known as Bumper races, are flat races run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland.

Ó Siochfhradha brothers

Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (1883–1964) and Mícheál Ó Siochfhradha (1900–1986), were brothers who were writers, teachers and Irish language storytellers, from County Kerry, Ireland.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership

To date the organisation has been funded primarily by governments including: Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, The United States and the European Commission.

Savoy Cinema

It also hosts the surprise film, which in 2006 was the first Irish screening of the film, 300.

The Savoy Cinema is the oldest operational cinema in Dublin, and it is the preferred cinema in Ireland for film premières.

The cinema has hosted the Irish premières of many films, most of them having an Irish connection.

The Sunken Threshold

The Sunken Threshold is the debut album by Irish doom metal band Wreck of the Hesperus.

Vegelate

In some nations, including Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom, some popular chocolate products contain a proportion of vegetable fat (normally up to 5%).

Zip cube

A Zip firelighter (or "zip cube") is a packaged small block of solid fuel containing kerosene, sold as a firelighter in Ireland, Canada and the United States, also in the UK, France & Belgium where they are the leading brand.


1907 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

The 1907 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the twentieth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1907 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.

1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

The 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 99th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.

Ahascragh

RTÉ's award winning show Don't Feed the Gondolas presented by Sean Moncrieff, satirised small village Ireland at the end of each show, choosing Ahascragh and the fictional "Head of the Parish Co-mit-tea" Monica Loolly as its instrument.

Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin

Duggan-Cronin was born on 17 May 1874 in Innishannon, County Cork, Ireland, and died on 25 August 1954 in Kimberley, South Africa.

Anne de Graaf

Anne de Graaf was born in San Francisco, graduated from Stanford University, and currently lives in Ireland and the Netherlands with her husband and their two children.

Annelise Hesme

As well as this, she has become particularly well known and popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland following the 2005 Renault Clio advert "France vs. Britain" directed by Ridley Scott’s daughter Jordan Scott who also directed the 2007 follow up spot "More Va Va Voom" again starring Hesme as Sophie and English actor Jeremy Sheffield as Ben.

Biggar family

Alexander was born in Kinsale, Ireland in 1781, to parents (Major) Harold Robert Biggar and Ann, née Harvey.

Bud Wolfe

Roland 'Bud' Wolfe January 12, 1918 - January 28, 1994, was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on November 30, 1941.

Charles Howard-Bury

A member of the Howard family, he was born at Charleville Castle, King's County, Ireland, the only son of Captain Kenneth Howard-Bury (1846–1885), son of the Honourable James Howard.

Charleville, County Cork

Charleville is also home to stores and restaurants such as Lidl, Supervalu, Subway, Supermacs, Papa Johns Elverys Sports and Aldi.

Chuck Collins

He is the great-grandson of 19th-century meatpacking mogul Oscar Mayer and the grandson of the U.S. pianist and composer Edward Joseph Collins, as well as Michael Collins, liberator of Ireland.

Conor Armstrong

He has not played for the senior team since the final of the 2005 Intercontinental Cup against Kenya at Windhoek in October 2005, but he did represent the Ireland A team in 2006.

Dublin Pride

Performers at the Part in the Park at the Civic Offices included DJ Jules in a Lady Gaga tribute act and Niamh Kavanagh, winner of Eurovision Song Contest 1993 who represented Ireland in the Contest again this year.

Emergency Powers Act

Emergency Powers Act 1964 Emergency Powers (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964

Gurteen

Gorteen, a village in County Sligo, Ireland, often spelled Gurteen

Herbert Dixon

Herbert Dixon, 1st Baron Glentoran (1880–1950), Northern Ireland Unionist politician

Hermit Songs

Written in 1953 on a grant from the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation, it takes as its basis a collection of anonymous poems written by Irish monks and scholars from the 8th to the 13th centuries, in translations by W. H. Auden, Chester Kallman, Howard Mumford Jones, Kenneth Jackson and Sean O'Faolain.

Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School

The children of HNJ parish attended Ascension School, which opened in September 1961, staffed by the Irish Sisters of Mercy, from Ardee, Ireland.

Ian Madigan

Ian Madigan (born 21 March 1989) is an Irish professional rugby union player for Blackrock College RFC, Leinster Rugby and Ireland.

Irish Law Times

The journal is now published 20 times per year in Dublin, Ireland, by Thomson Round Hall.

James Dowdall

The Dowdalls of Louth originated at Dovedale in Derbyshire and became prominent in Ireland in the late Middle Ages.

Julie-Anne Dineen

She followed her chart success with a Top 3 hit in Ireland, a cover of River Deep – Mountain High" released in October 2009.

Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas

Recent presenters have included Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Rev. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, former Master of the Order; Rabbi Jack Bemporad of the Center for Interreligious Understanding; Archbishop Luis Ladaria, SJ, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Mary McAleese, president emeritus of Ireland.

Mark Byrne

In 2005 Byrne won a bronze medal playing for Republic of Ireland U18 in the European Youth Olympic Festival.

Markwell

Clyde Markwell, architect and urban designer from Northern Ireland

Merlin Park Regional Hospital

Merlin Park Regional Hospital now called Merlin Park University Hospital is a HSE public hospital in Galway in Ireland.

Mick Lawler

With Kilkenny Lawler won an All-Ireland title and two Leinster titles.

Nicholas Barnewall, 1st Viscount Barnewall

The latter, returning to Ireland, was settled at Drimnagh, near Dublin, where his posterity remained until the reign of James I.

Nicky Ryan

They currently reside in Killiney, Ireland, and have two daughters, Ebony and Persia.

Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003

The Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003 (c 3) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Periclase

In addition to its type locality, it is reported from Predazzo, Tyrol, Austria; Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland; Broadford, Skye and the island of Muck, Scotland; León, Spain; the Bellerberg volcano, Eifel district, Germany; Nordmark and Långban, Varmland, Sweden; and Kopeysk, southern Ural Mountains, Russia.

Portadown College

Portadown College (often shortened to the College) is an academic selective grammar school in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, founded in 1924.

Prince Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale

Although he was a British peer and a prince of Great Britain and Ireland, he continued to consider himself an exiled monarch of a German realm and refused to disclaim his succession rights to Hanover, making his home in Gmunden, Upper Austria.

Radio Éireann Players

After the depredations of the war-time years and a devastating fire in the Abbey Theatre in 1951, the Radio Éireann Players' powerful weekly performances inspired interest in drama throughout the country.

Retail in the Republic of Ireland

Notably, many major British 'high street' names now operate in the Republic of Ireland, such as Dixons, Next, Debenhams, Topshop, Boots, Superdrug, Argos, Dorothy Perkins, Maplin, Currys, T.K. Maxx, PC World, Game Stop and others.

RTÉ Board

The RTÉ Board is a seven-member body which makes policy and guiding corporate direction for RTÉ, Ireland's state public broadcaster.

Ruairí McKiernan

He is a recipient of a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award, an Irish Internet Association Net Visionary Award, and a Junior Chambers Ireland award.

Scotch-Irish

The Ulster Scots people, an ethnic group in Ulster, Ireland who trace their roots to settlers from Scotland and northern England

Seek the Fair Land

Dominick Macmahon’s wife is killed during the Siege of Drogheda, in County Louth and after the ensuing massacre of the town's inhabitants he flees to the west of Ireland with his young son and daughter and a wounded priest, Father Sebastian.

Simon Fleming, 1st Baron Slane

Archembald's grandson, Archembald fitz Stephen le Fleming, came to Ireland with King Henry II of England in 1171 and participated in Hugh de Lacy's plantation of the kingdom of Kingdom of Mide.

Sir John Newport, 1st Baronet

He took part in the convention of volunteer delegates which met in Dublin under the presidency of James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont in November 1783, and was appointed a member of the committee of inquiry into the state of the borough representation in Ireland.

Sir John Parnell, 1st Baronet

Sir John Parnell, 1st Baronet (c. 1720–1782), was an Irish politician and a baronet.

Sir William Edward Hercules Verner, 3rd Baronet

He died at 30 years of age on 8 June 1886 of cirrhosis of the liver and was buried at Loughgall in Ireland.

St Munchin's College

Tim O'Connor, formerly Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, former Secretary General to the Irish President, former Consul General of Ireland in New York, Chairman of 'The Gathering'

The Peeler and the Goat

The Penal Laws had been passed with the intent of persecuting the Irish Catholic population and Sir Robert Peel had been appointed Secretary of Ireland by the British Government in 1812.

Timeline of St. John's history

1919 – St. John's was the starting point for the first non-stop transatlantic aircraft flight, by Alcock and Brown in a modified Vickers Vimy IV bomber, in June 1919, departing from Lester's Field in St. John's and ending in a bog near Clifden, Connemara, Ireland.

TV Now

The event is generally regarded as a prestigious occasion both nationally in Ireland and internationally, with cast members of popular British soaps such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks flying to Ireland to be present and to collect their awards.

Vergilius of Salzburg

Around 745 he left Ireland, intending to visit the Holy land, but, like many of his countrymen, who seemed to have adopted this practice as a work of piety, he settled down in France, where he was received with great favour by Pippin the Younger then Mayor of the Palace under Childeric III of Franconia.

Warren Humphreys

He had a successful amateur career, winning the 1971 English Amateur and playing on that year's winning Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team.

Willow Warbler

The Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia.