Frequently Answered Questions on soc.culture.irish. Send corrections, suggestions, additions, and other feedback to The FAQ maintainer.
This is an attempt to explain some of the terms that come up frequently on soc.culture.irish.
| The Six Counties | Northern Ireland. Preferred by many nationalists, especially Republicans. |
| 26 Counties | The Republic of Ireland. Commonly used by nationalists and especially Republicans. |
| NI | Northern Ireland |
| NoI | North of Ireland; frequently preferred to "NI" by nationalists. |
| The North | Northern Ireland |
| The Republic | The Republic of Ireland |
| ROI | The Republic of Ireland |
| The South | The Republic of Ireland |
| Ulster | Northern Ireland (Unionist usage) |
| Irish | a Gaelic language, closely related to Scots Gaelic |
| Gaeltacht | The areas where Irish is spoken as a first language |
| Gaeilge | The Irish for Irish Gaelic |
| RnaG | Raidio na Gaeltachta, Irish language radio station |
| TG4 | Teilifís na Gaeilge, Irish language TV station |
| TnaG | The original name of TG4 |
| Fáinne | Pin worn by fluent Irish speakers |
| Currach | a small boat made of a frame covered with waterproof material (Irish spelling "curach") |
| Curragh | flat, boggy area; the Curragh is a plain in Co. Kildare, notable for its racecourse and the army barracks; also, an alternative spelling of Currach |
| Ogham | ancient script arranged along an edge or (later) a line, usually carved onto wood or stone, mainly preserved on stone monuments |
| 32CSC | "Thirty two County Sovereignty Committee". Republican organisation opposed to the GFA and associated peace process |
| Republican Sinn Féin | Formed after a 1986 split when Sinn Féin voted to abandon policy of not taking seats in the Dáil |
| Bunreacht na hÉireann | the Irish Constitution; drafted by Eamonn de Valera to replace the original constitution of the Irish Free State, it was ratified in 1937, and has since been amended several times by referendum. |
| CJH | Charles J. Haughey; veteran FF politician, Taoiseach many times during the eighties; came back from disgrace being dismissed from the cabinet after the Arms Trial. Famously built up grassroots support by doing the "rubber chicken" circuit while in the political wilderness; always controversial and ruthless in power; retired while going was good but got caught up in corruption scandal and tribunals in later |
| CCOB | Conor Cruise O'Brien; historian, civil servant, UN diplomat and Labour TD; as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs he introduced Section 31, which prohibited RTE from broadcasting interviews with members of Republican organisations; later became a journalist famous for op-ed pieces in Saturday editions of Irish Independent and outspoken opposition to Sinn Fein; joined UKUP and stood as a candidate in NI. |
| Democratic Left | Defunct left-wing party that originated from a split in "Official" Sinn Féin in the early 1970's. Merged with the Labour Party in 1999. |
| Fianna Fáil | Traditionally largest single party in Ireland; formed by Eamonn De Valera in 1926. The name translates as "soldiers of destiny". Pronounced roughly "Fee-na Fawl". Often abbreviated "FF". |
| Fine Gael | The "other" big civil war party and traditional enemy of Fianna Fáil. The name translates as "Kin of the Gael". Correct pronounciation is roughly "Finn-nuh Gale" but orthographic "Fine Gale" is not unknown. Often abbreviated "FG". |
| GFA | The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement |
| Labour Party | Left-wing party founded in 1912. Merged with Democratic Left in 1999. |
| Progressive Democrats | Originally an anti-Haughey splinter from Fianna Fáil; now their most likely partners in government; right-wing economically, liberal on social issues |
| PDs | Abbreviation for Progressive Democrats |
| Shinner | Supporter of Sinn Féin |
| Sinn Féin | (Today) a party with close ties to the IRA that gets most of its support in Northern Ireland; literally translated "we ourselves". Pronounced roughly "Shin FEIGN". |
| Alliance | A non-unionist, non-nationalist party |
| Army Council | IRA body that decides policy and can only be overruled by an Army Convention (all members or delegated members) |
| Chuckies | Supporters of the IRA and Sinn Féin (from "tiocfaidh ár lá", republican slogan, meaning "our day will come", pronounced roughly "chucky our law") |
| CIRA | Continuity IRA; a breakaway organisation from the IRA, opposed to the GFA and associated with Republican Sinn Féin |
| CLMC | Combined Loyalist Military Command; umbrella group for loyalist terror groups; said to be defunct |
| Downing St. Declaration | Joint Anglo-Irish communiqué issued in November 1995 which started the policy of parallel "tracks" of negotiation: one for arms decommisioning and one for all-party talks |
| DUP | Democratic Unionist Party, founded by Ian Paisley; the more extreme of the two main Unionist parties |
| FEC | Fair Employment Commission - judges cases of employment discrimination in NI |
| Forum for Peace and Reconciliation | Consultative body formed by ROI govt. comprising party groups from North and South, formed to "assist in identifying and clarifying issues which could most contribute to creating a new era of trust and co-operation on the island" of Ireland |
| GFA | Good Friday Agreement; the Northern Ireland settlement to end the troubles negotiated up until the early morning of the 10th of April, 1998, supported by majorities in NI and RoI in two simultaneous referenda in May; also referred variously to as the Belfast Agreement, the Stormont Agreement and the the British-Irish Agreement |
| Hun | derogotary term for "Protestant" and/or Unionist |
| INLA | Irish National Liberation Army; republican terrorist group |
| IPLO | Irish People's Liberation Organisation; another republican terrorist group, splintered from the INLA; now thought defunct |
| IRA | Irish Republican Army; also known as the Provisionals or the Provos; the main republican terrorist group |
| Jaffa | Orangeman (from the name of a popular brand of the fruit). |
| LVF | Loyalist Volunteer Force; extremist loyalist terror group |
| Mitchell Principles | Recommendations for democratic and non-violent negotiations, drawn up by the International Body on Arms Decommisioning, headed by Senator George Mitchell; principles state that "to take the gun out of Irish politics", all parties to negotiations should commit themselves "a. To democratic and exclusively peaceful means of resolving political issues; b. To the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations; c. To agree that such disarmament must be verifiable to the satisfaction of an independent commission; d. To renounce for themselves, and to oppose any effort by others, to use force, or threaten to use force, to influence the course or the outcome of all-party negotiations; e. To agree to abide by the terms of any agreement reached in all-party negotiations and to resort to democratic and exclusively peaceful methods in trying to alter any aspect of that outcome with which they may disagree; and, f. To urge that "punishment" killings and beatings stop and to take effective steps to prevent such actions." |
| NICRA | Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association; formed in 1967 to campaign for civil rights for nationalists. Later overtaken by sectarian violence and the start of the troubles |
| OO | Orange Order |
| Orange Order | Fraternal organisation for Protestant men. Orange Order marches through nationalist areas of Northern Ireland have been the cause of large amount of contention. The name of the organisation derives from William of Orange (1650-1702). |
| Orangeman | A member of the Orange Order or related organisations. |
| PSNI | Police Service for Northern Ireland |
| PUP | Progressive Unionist Party. A small unionist parties with links to the UVF |
| Red Hand Commandos | Loyalist terror group, thought to be a cover name for the UVF |
| RIRA | Real IRA; splinter group that disagreed with the IRA's ceasefire and endorsement of the Good Friday Agreement |
| SDLP | Social Democratic and Labour Party; historically the larger of the two nationalist parties. |
| Secretary of State | (in Britain) government minister of cabinet rank; in Irish context, usually refers to the British Secretary of State for NI |
| Sinn Féin | See definition under Irish Politics above |
| Stickies | Supporters of the old "Official" IRA and Sinn Féin (now The Workers Party) |
| Stormont | 1. The Northern Ireland parliament building. 2. The old (1922-1970) government of Northern Ireland. |
| Taig | Derogotary term for Catholics and/or Nationalists, derived from Irish name Tadhg |
| UDA | Ulster Defence Association. Umbrella group for various loyalist paramilitary and terror groups |
| UDP | Ulster Democratic Party. A defunct unionist parties with links to the UFF. |
| UFF | A loyalist terror group; a cover name for the UDA |
| UKUP | United Kingdom Unionist Party; founded by Robert McCartney, a Unionist Party opposed to the GFA and in favour of full integration of Northern Ireland into the UK rather than devolution |
| UUP | Ulster Unionist Party (formerly the 'Official' Unionist Party); historically the main Unionist party in Northern Ireland; eclipsed in recent times by the DUP |
| UVF | Ulster Volunteer Force; a loyalist terror group |
| Women's Coalition | A party that focusses on issues of concern to womena and avoids the traditonal nationalist/unionsit divide. |
| Oireachtas | The parliament of the Republic of Ireland, consisting of the Dáil and the Seanad |
| Dáil | The lower house of the Oireachtas |
| Seanad | The upper house of the Oireachtas |
| Leinster House | The building where the Dáil and Seanad sit. |
| TD | Teachta Dála (Dáil Deputy); a member of the Dáil. |
| Taoiseach | The prime minister of the RoI |
| Tánaiste | The deputy PM of the RoI |
| Uachtarán | The President of the RoI |
| MEP | Member of the European parliament |
| Garda | Short for Garda Siochána (Civic Guard), RoI police service |
| IDA | Industrial Development Authority - RoI agency which tries to attract foreign investment |
| Downing St. | 1. Site of the official residence (No. 10) of the British Prime Minister. 2. The British government. |
| Westminster | 1. Site of the British Houses of Parliament. 2. The British parliament |
| Gerrymander | the manipulation of constituency boundaries to affect the outcome of an election or referendum (most effective under the first-past- the-post electoral system) [ named after Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814) U.S. politician and (at the time) Governor of Massachusetts who in 1812 devised a strangely shaped senate district that was caricatured as a salamander ] |
In the RoI, 'semi-state bodies' are companies in which the government has a controlling stake. They are also collectively referred to as 'the public sector'.
| RTÉ | Raidio Teilifís Éireann; Irish state broadcasting company; often accused of harbouring Dublin 4 attitudes |
| Aer Lingus | The state-owned airline. The government has plans to privatise Aer Lingus in the near future. |
| CIÉ | Coras Iompar Éireann, The state bus/rail transport company, comprises Iarnrod Éireann (Irish Rail), Bus Átha Cliath (Dublin Bus) and Bus Éireann (Irish Bus) mainly |
| ESB | Electricity Supply Board. |
| VHI | Voluntary Health Insurance - largest, and semi-state, health insurance company in ROI |
| An Post | The Postal service |
| TÉ | Telecom Éireann; formerly the state telephone company; recently privatised and renamed Eircom |
| Bord na Móna | The Turf Board. Government agency responsible for harvesting peat |
| Bord Gáis | Gas company |
| VAT | Value Added Tax, a sales tax - 17.5% in NI, 12.5/21% in RoI |
| Dole | Unemployment benefit; hence 'government artist': a euphemism for 'drawing the dole' |
| PAYE | Pay As You Earn - taxation system where tax is deducted from your pay packet before you receive it; most important source of government revenue |
| PRSI | Pay Related Social Insurance |
| ICTU | The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (an all-Ireland body) |
| IFA | Irish Farmers Association, main RoI farmers group |
| ICMSA | Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association; RoI dairy farmers group |
| ILDA | Irish Locomotive Drivers Association. Train drivers's union. |
| ISME | Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association. Business lobby group |
| SIPTU | Services, Industrial and Professional Trades Union. The largest trade union in the RoI |
| IBEC | Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the employers's group in the RoI |
| SPUC | Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child - large anti-abortion group |
| All-Ireland | The All-Ireland Final in either hurling or (Gaelic) football. The All-Ireland finals take place in September and are played by teams representing counties. |
| Camogie | A game similar to hurling, played by women. |
| Croke Park (Páirc Uí Chrocaigh in Irish) | The principal GAA stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), located in Dublin. Croke Park is named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, the first patron of the GAA. |
| Football | Can refer to either soccer or Gaelic football |
| GAA | Gaelic Athletic Association (http://www.gaa.ie). Founded in 1884, this is the organisation responsible for organising and encouraging the indigenous sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders (a game similar to cricket and baseball) and promoting Irish culture in general. 'GAA' is also used informally to refer to Gaelic games in general (sometimes pronounced as if it were a word (Gaah) when used like this) |
| Hurling | An Irish game played by hitting a ball with sticks, similar to field hockey or the Scottish sport of shinty. |
| Hill 16 | Stand at Croke Park |
| Rule 21 | A GAA rule that denied membership to members of the British armed forces and the RUC. It was deleted in 2001. |
| FAI | The governing body of soccer in the South |
| IFA | The governing body of soccer in the North |
| Lansdowne Rd. | The stadium in Dublin where the all-Ireland rugby team and RoI soccer team play internationals |
| Windsor Park | Stadium in Belfast where NI soccer team plays internationals |
| IRFU | Irish Rugby Football Union - all Ireland rugby body |
| Bostonism | An American social policy applied in Ireland. The term arose from a speech by Mary Harney in which she stated that Ireland was "closer to Boston than Berlin" (i.e. social policy in Ireland is closer to the American model than that prevailing in Europe). |
| EU | European Union - economic and political alliance of 15 European countries |
| X Case | Infamous abortion rights case which resulted in a referendum in 1992 to 'clear up' the issue |
| Extradition | Sending someone who is wanted in another country on criminal charges to that other country; has often been an emotive issue in Ireland |
| Brendan Smyth Affair | Case of pedophile priest and a delay in his extradition from RoI to NI that led to fall of a FF government |
| Beef Tribunal | Judicial enquiry in 1994(?) into irregularities of beef processing industry that revealed little and cost a lot; since then, several other tribunals have investigated other (suspected) political scandals with more or less success |
| On Mature Recollection | (now facetious) used to back out on an awkward statement after being found out; first used by Brian Lenihan, FF candidate in the 1990 presidential election, to admit on live television that he didphone President Hillary in 1982 to ask him to refuse dissolution of the Dáil after the FG Taoiseach lost a vote of confidence; by not disolving the Dáil, Hillary would have allowed FF to try to form an alternative government by canvassing independent TDs; Lenihan's admission after repeated denials damaged his credibility lost him the presidency |
| GUBU | (facetious) coined by CCOB after CJH (Taoiseach at the time) described the discovery of a killer in the flat of the Attorney General as "grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented"; came to be used as a popular shorthand for all scandals involving CJH |
| CAP | Common Agricultural Policy - EU system of farm subsidies; largest portion of EU spending |
| Veronica Guerin | Dublin crime journalist who exposed organised crime activities and was murdered in 1996 triggering public outcry and referendum on stricter bail laws |
| EU Structural Fund | EU funding for projects such as road building similar to Cohesion Fund and Regional Fund |
| Indo | Irish Independent; largest circulation daily newspaper in Ireland |
| Sindo | Sunday Independent; largest circulation Sunday newspaper |
| Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) | Born in Oxfordshire; settled in Edgeworthstown in County Longford 1782; published Castle Rackrent, 1800, the first Anglo-Irish novel and the earliest venture into 'local fiction' in English; co-wrote with her father 'Essay on Irish Bulls', a study of popular Irish humour; ended her life engaged in local famine relief. |
| Anna Catherine Parnell (1852-1911) | Sister of Charles Stewart Parnell; educated at the Metropolitan School of Art; organised a Famine Relief Fund 1879; prompted by her sister, Fanny, to establish the Ladies' Land League in Ireland; set up its Committee, January 1881; distrusted by her brother, who doubted her political acumen and suppressed her organisation; wrote a memoir of the Land War. |
| Countess Constance Markiewicz (1868-1927) | Born Constance Gore-Booth at Lissadell, County Sligo. Studied art at the Slade School in London, 1894. Married Count Casimir Markiewicz, a Polish painter, in Paris, 1899. Returned to Dublin, 1903, and became involved in the Abbey Theatre and the Gaelic League. Joined Sinn Fein, 1908. Founded Na Fianna, 1909. Commander in the 1916 Easter Rising; demanded that the death sentence applied to the other commanders be equally applied to her; released from prison in the general amnesty of 1917. Sinn Fein candidate in the 1918 General Election; first woman to become a TD and government Minister; Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, 1919. Took the Republican side in the Civil War; repeatedly imprisoned and went on hunger strike. Joined Fianna Fáil, 1926; elected TD for Dublin South, 1927. |
| Maud Gonne McBride (1866-1953) | Born in Aldershot; daughter of a British army officer of Irish descent; educated privately in France; assisted her lover Lucien Millevoye in editing La Patrie, and published L'Irlande Libre 1897; founded Inghinidhe na hÉ;ireann, 1900, of which she was first President; became a Catholic; took the title part in Yeat's Cathleen ni Houlihan, 1902; married Major John MacBride in Paris, 1903; formally separated, 1905; contributed to Bean na hÉireann, 1908; returned to Ireland, 1917; interned in the 'German Plot' arrests, 1918; first secretary of the Women's Prisoners' Defence League; attacked O'Casey in a public debate over The Plough and the Stars, 1926; Autobiography, A Servant of the Queen, 1938. |
| Helena Moloney (1884-1967) | Inspired by Maud Gonne to join Inghinidhe na hÉireann, 1903; edited Bean na hÉireann, 1908; assisted Countess Markievicz in the foundation of Fianna Éireann, 1909; joined the Abbey Theatre Players, 1909-1920; arrested for taking part in Sinn Féin protests against the 1911 royal visit; Secretary of the Irish Women Workers' Union, 1915; joined the Irish Citizen Army and took part in the attack upon Dublin Castle, Easter 1916; imprisoned May - December 1916; opposed the Treaty, 1922; executive member of Saor Éire, 1913. As President of the Irish Trades Union Congress, 1922-1923, embodied the Connolly tradition that she had played a part in creating. |
| Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington (1877-1946) | Born Hannah Sheehy in County Tipperary; educated Royal University; founded Women's Graduate Association, 1901; married Francis Skeffington, who took her name as she took his, 1903, and co-founded the Irish Women's Franchise League with him, 1908, becoming its first secretary; joined the Socialist Party of Ireland; imprisoned for rioting upon the exclusion of votes for women from the 1912 Home Rule Bill; messenger to the G.P.O. Easter 1916; refused £10,000 compensation upon the murder of her husband, 1916; visited the U.S.A. and interviewed President Wilson, 1916 - 1918; imprisoned on her return, but released upon commencing a hunger strike; rejected the Treaty; judge of the Dáil courts; member of the first executive of Fianna Fáil, 1926; Assistant Editor of An Phoblacht, 1932; imprisoned 1933; founded the Women's Social and Progressive League, 1938. |
| Margaret O'Carroll (d. 1451) | Princess of Offaly; of whom the Annalists wrote: "The best
woman of her
time in Ireland"; presided over intellectual gatherings attended by
chroniclers, poets and bardic companies; ensured the repair of
highways, the building of bridges and churches and the provision of
Mass Books; distinguished in statecraft and peacemaking; led
pilgrimages to local and foreign shrines.
Her daughter Finola married O'Donnell, Lord of Tír Chonaill. When O'Neill invaded her territory, she "after the fashion of the stronghearted and independent women of Ireland", met the invaders at Inishowen, and made peace without leave from her husband. After the death of O'Donnell in an English prison she married O'Neill, and after his death in 1444 she entered a monastery and ended her days there. |
| Grace O'Malley (1530-1603) | Born in Mayo to a clan that had become wealthy through trade and fishing; in later life, commander of a pirate fleet that attacked English ships and impeded the attempts of the Tudor administration to pacify Connacht. Queen Elizabeth pardoned her in 1558 in an attempt to bring peace to the region but her conflicts with the local English administrators continued until the the defeat of the Gaelic chieftains at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. |
| Isabella Augusta Gregory (Lady Gregory) (née Persse; 1852-1932) | Born in County Galway; married Sir William Gregory, 1880; in widowhood took up residence at Coole Park, 1892; edited her late husband's Autobiography, 1894, her grandfather-in-law's letters, as Mrs. Gregory's Letter-Box, 1898, and Ideals in Ireland, 1901; wrote her first play, The Pot of Broth, in collaboration with Yeats, 1902; wrote her individual efforts in a local dialect she called 'Kiltartanese'; co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre, 1898; active director of the succeeding Abbey Theatre Company (the Irish National Theatre Society), 1904 - 1928; had almost forty plays produced at the Abbey, notably Spreading the News, 1904, and The Rising of the Moon, 1907. Wrote Our Irish Theatre, 1913. |
| Alice Milligan (1866-1953) | Born in County Tyrone; educated at Methodist College, Belfast, and King's College, London; wrote the historical novel A Royal Democrat, 1892; founding editor of the Northern Patriot and Shan Van Vocht, 1896; Ulster organising secretary of the Gaelic League and the 1798 centenary celebrations; Life of Wolfe Tone, 1898; contributed to the United Irishmen and Sinn Féin (newspapers); wrote one of the earliest Celtic Twilight plays, The Last Feast of the Fianna, for the Irish Literary Theatre, 1900. Also wrote Hero Lays, 1908, and other poems and plays. |
| Anna Johnson [Ethna Carberry] (1866-1902) | Born in County Antrim; promoted the Irish Language revival in Belfast where she co-edited the Northern Patriot and Shan Van Vocht, 1896 - 1899; a Vice-President of Inghinide na hÉireann, 1900. Her poems, The Four Winds of Éireann, 1902, and prose, The Passionate Heart, 1903, and In the Celtic Past, 1904, were published posthumously. |
| Strongbow (1130-1176) | Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke. Norman leader who led invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. One of the Norman knights recruited by Dermot MacMurrough to assist him in regaining his control of Leinster. Landed in Ireland August 1170 and joined MacMurrough and other Normans to conquer Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and much of southeastern Ireland. Married to MacMurrough's daughter Aoife in Waterford Cathedral. His tomb can be seen in Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin. |
| Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847) | 'The Emancipator'. Born in Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry. Educated in France, 1791-?; studied law at Lincoln's Inn London, 1794-96; called to the Irish bar, 1798. Founded the Catholic Association, 1823. Elected MP for Clare in 1828 but barred from taking his seat because of being a Catholic. Catholic Emancipation was granted in 1829 and O'Connell was again elected MP, taking his seat as in the House of Commons in 1830. Elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1841. Founded the Repeal Association to campaign for the repeal of the 1801 Act of Union. Organised 'monster meetings' around the country as part of the campaign. Cancelled meeting at Clontarf in 1843 because of fear of bloodshed; imprisoned on charges of conspiracy; released after three months and continued with campaign but lack of success and withdrawal of support by Young Irelands led him to leave Ireland in 1847. Died at Genoa. |
| Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) | "The Uncrowned King of Ireland". Born into a landlord family in Avondale, Co. Wicklow. Educated at Cambridge. Elected MP for Meath in 1875. President of the Irish National Land League, 1879. Arrested and imprisoned in 1881 as unrest surrounding the Land Question worsened but released in 1882 after agreeing to cease agitation in return for continuation of land reform initiated by 1881 Land Act. Overwhelming success in 1885 general election of Irish Party led by Parnell persuaded Gladstone to introduce the 1886 Home Rule Bill. Received a large sum in compensation after allegations in The Times that he had condoned the Phoenix Park murders proved false. Named as a co-respondent in a divorce case brought by Capt William O'Shea against his wife Katherine and as a result lost the leadership of the Irish Party in 1890. Married to Katherine O'Shea in 1891. |
| Éamonn de Valera (1882-1975) | Most important 20th century Irish nationalist politician; commander in the Easter Rising but not executed due to being American-born; president of first Dáil; opposed Treaty but survived; founder of Fianna Fáil; President of Executive Council/ Taoiseach '32-'48, '51-'54, '57-'59; President of Republic '59-'73; died in 1975 |
| Michael Collins (1890-1922) | Irish republican leader; fought in Rising; highly successful head of intelligence during War of Independence; member of Treaty delegation; shot dead in 1922 during Civil War while Commander-in-Chief of pro-treaty forces |
| Edward Carson (1854-1935) | Born in Dublin. Elected MP, 1892; called to the English Bar in 1893; crossexamined Oscar Wilde in the Queensberry libel case, 1895; organised Ulster Volunteer Force to oppose Home Rule, 1912; leader of Irish Unionist Party until 1921. |
| King Billy | William of Orange (1650-1702), later King William III of England; Dutch Protestant who deposed his Catholic father-in-law James II from the English throne in 1688 (James made his last stand at the Battle of the Boyne, 1690); revered as a defender of Protestantism by Orangemen. |
| Wild Geese | 1. Supporters of James II who left Ireland after the Treaty of Limerick in 1691 to form the 'Irish Brigade' in Louis XIV's army. 2. All those who left Ireland following the defeat of the James II 3.(loosely) all Irish emigrants. |
| Flight of the Earls | Departure from Ireland in 1607 of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and other Gaelic chieftains. |
| Giants Causeway | Structure of hexagonal basalt columns off NE coast |
| Newgrange | Stone-age passage grave; illuminated on winter solstice |
| Blarney Stone | Stone on castle wall which supposedly gives gift of the gab to those who kiss it |
| Knock | Marian shrine and place of pilgrimage in Co. Mayo |
| AOH | Ancient Order of Hibernians - a group for Catholic Irish men; stages marches; c.f. Orange Order |
| Morrison Visa | Named after Bruce Morrison, an Irish-American Congressman for Connecticut; scheme that gave Irish people seeking residency in the US favourable treatment during late eighties |
| Milesians | Descendents of mythical Spanish king Milesius who supposedly conquered Ireland around 1300 BC; hence, Irish |
| Ceol | Music |
| Craic | Fun, good time |
| Culchie | Dublin term for someone from anywhere in the country outside Dublin |
| Dublin 4 | Dublin postal district that is supposedly the most affluent area of the city; thus used to describe posh accents and attitudes; frequently attacked as a den of politically correct liberals. |
| Jackeen | The opposite of culchie |
| Plastic Paddy | A derogatory term used by Irish people to describe anyone (usually people of Irish descent) or anything (e.g. "Irish" pubs) that claims to be authentically Irish, often displaying exaggerated "Irish" characteristics. |
| Poteen | Poitín; illicitly distilled whiskey, i.e. moonshine |