96-578: Fintona ( / ˈ f ɪ n t ə n ə / ; from Irish Fionntamhnach , meaning 'white field'), is a village and townland in County Tyrone , Northern Ireland . Its population at the 2011 Census was 1,164. Fintona is derived phonetically from the Irish name of the area, Fionntamhnach ; this is often translated to mean "white field" however other meanings have been recorded due to various English translations for "fionn" and "tamhnach". "Fionn" may refer to
192-467: A GP clinic, a veterinary surgery, a restaurant and an optician among other smaller shops, cafes and pubs. A substantial amount of working residents however are employed at locations outside of Fintona, with Omagh and Enniskillen being common. Farming plays a key role in the economy of Fintona. Much of this is cattle based involved meat and milk production, with some sheep rearing particularly on higher ground. There are also some pig and chicken farms in
288-614: A church hall called St. Patrick's that is located on Main Street in the village. A Christian Brethren group is based at Fintona Gospel Hall, located on the edge of the village on the Loughmuck Road. Fintona lies in the parish of Donacavey, which is a part of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Clogher . The parish church is located next to the Ecclesville Road with a church hall lying across
384-818: A nursery unit , accommodating children in the 3–4-years-old age group. In April 2017, St. Lawrence's P.S. won the junior category of the BBC Radio Ulster School Choir of the Year, which was broadcast live on the radio station. Two other primary schools, St. Patrick's (townland of Garvallagh) and St. Joseph's (townland of Lisconrea), both Catholic Maintained, closed due to falling enrolments; St. Joseph's in 2003 and St. Patrick's in 2009. There are no post-primary schools in Fintona, children continue their education at schools usually either in Omagh , Dromore or Fivemiletown, while
480-540: 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
576-697: 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
672-512: 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
768-637: A club house and a bar with a function room and catering facilities. In September 2021 the club won the All-Ireland AIG Women's Challenge Cup at Shandon Park in Belfast after defeating Gort in the Final. Fintona Pearses GAA club was founded in late 1916 and first played competitive Gaelic football games a year later. There was already a GAA club in Fintona at the time, the Davitts , which was founded in 1907 and won
864-666: A colour that is described as white, bright, blonde or fair-coloured, while "tamhnach" may refer to a field, clearing, oasis, grassy upland or arable place in a mountain. In the past, the English spelling of the area has varied, with "Findonagh" in use as recently as 1937 in Church of Ireland documents, while "Fentonagh" and "Fintonagh" were also in use in the 19th century. The current spelling of Fintona has been recorded as first used in 1774. The local area has been known to have had human activity for around 4000 years; there are many burial places, standing stones, stone circles and graves in
960-564: A common occurrence, especially with settled weather. Summers are usually cool to moderate with high temperatures normally around the upper teens, with the warmest temperatures of the season rarely peaking at less than 24 degrees Celsius . Rainfall is common throughout the year with the wettest months between October and January, and the driest months being April and May. Rainfall in the later autumn, winter and early spring tends to fall as prolonged light or moderate showers while heavier, shorter bursts mixed with dry or sunny spells are more common in
1056-472: 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,
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#17328454554731152-541: 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
1248-536: A few also attended schools in Ballygawley and Enniskillen . Fintona has its own branch library that was originally opened in the early 1980s in a prefabricated building in Ecclesville Park before moving to its current location on Main Street in 1991. In early 2011 the library was one of ten marked down by Libraries NI for closure, who claimed that the library was one of the least used in Northern Ireland and that
1344-508: A few hours. Fintona lies in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council local authority area. Prior to the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland on 1 April 2015, Fintona was part of Omagh District Council . For elections, Fintona lies in the Fintona ward . For district council elections the ward makes up part of the district electoral area of West Tyrone (not to be confused with
1440-460: 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
1536-486: A local Sure Start centre. The centre is also capable of holding children's parties with catering facilities & an inflatable bouncy castle. The centre has also been the venue for several special events and exhibitions since the early 2000s which have proven popular locally and beyond including farm machinery, sport & modified cars, transport, home & garden, and music concerts. The Northern Ireland National Charolais Show has in recent years been an annual fixture at
1632-524: 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
1728-554: 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
1824-611: 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
1920-538: 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
2016-595: A smaller training pitch, a clubhouse with four changing rooms and two stands (one roofed). Gaelic Football teams are fielded at adult & underage levels along with hurling teams at underage levels. A Ladies Gaelic Football club of the same name, fielding teams at adult and underage levels, also play their games at the same ground. In 2023, the Senior Men's Gaelic Football team won the Tyrone Junior Football Championship after defeating Drumragh in
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#17328454554732112-537: 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
2208-584: 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
2304-550: Is a village and townland in County Tyrone , Northern Ireland. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Enniskillen and 26 miles (43 km) west-south-west of Dungannon , on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road. Fivemiletown's population was 1,243 at the 2011 Census . The village is most famous for its creamery, which was begun as a cooperative in 1898 by Hugh de Fellonburg Montgomery. Fivemiletown Creamery originally made butter and milk, but now makes cheeses for
2400-448: 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
2496-654: Is also a children's play-area at Ashfield Gardens. Previous play-areas in Mill Street and Denamona Court were converted to "Green Spaces" in 2023. Fintona lies in the Catholic parish of Donacavey, which is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Clogher . There is a single church serving the parish called St. Lawrence's, which is located outside the village next to Lisdergan Road. The church also has two nearby graveyards named "St. Peter's and St. Paul's" and "St. Lawrence's", as well as
2592-511: 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
2688-567: 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
2784-784: Is part of the Omagh and Fintona circuit in the North Western district of the Methodist Church in Ireland . Fintona Independent Methodist Church is located on Kiln Street and is an outreach ministry from its parent church in Omagh. It is part of the Fellowship of Independent Methodist Churches based in Northern Ireland. Fintona Presbyterian Church lies on the Craigavon Road next to the Fintona Methodist Church. A church hall lies behind
2880-661: Is still one of the landmarks in the village. The trains stopped at the Buttermarket on Main Street and the creamery to be loaded or unloaded with goods. After the Second World War , the growth of road transport made railways almost redundant and when the Northern Ireland Government learned that the Clogher Valley Railway had operated as a loss for 27 years because of growing road transport, it recommended
2976-412: 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
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3072-659: 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
3168-649: The Tyrone Constitution , the Tyrone Herald and the Ulster Herald . A Post Office branch is located inside Supervalu supermarket on the Tattymoyle Road with daily collections (inc. Saturdays). Local postcodes are normally in the form of BT78 2xx. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
3264-713: The House of Commons and Northern Ireland Assembly constituencies of the same name) that elects six councillors via the Single Transferable Vote . For elections to both the House of Commons at Westminster , London and the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont , Belfast, the Fintona ward lies in the West Tyrone electoral constituency. Fintona is home to a number of small businesses that include two supermarkets,
3360-619: 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 ")
3456-635: The Tyrone Senior Football Championship in 1914 but the Davitts folded not long after the Pearses club started, whom themselves went on to win a Tyrone SFC title in 1938. The current club is based at its own grounds just outside the town on the Tattymoyle Road in the townland of Tonnaghbane, named St. Lawrence 's Park which has undergone substantial redevelopment since the early 1990s which today includes two full-size pitches (one with floodlights),
3552-611: 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
3648-769: 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
3744-460: The 19th Century, the expansion of the railway network saw the village connected with the rest of the country. There were two stations, Fintona (open 5 June 1853) and Fintona Junction (open 1 May 1856). Connecting the two stations was a horse-drawn tram which took passengers from the village to Fintona Junction railway station which was a stop on the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway which itself
3840-403: 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
3936-563: 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
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4032-552: The B168 to Clogher and the Derrybard & Greenmount roads that connect to the A5 Omagh to Ballygawley road on to towards Belfast and Dublin. The only public transport available is an Ulsterbus bus service provided by Translink that connects Fintona to Omagh (Service No. 87). Seven services run on weekdays and five on Saturdays. There is no service on Sundays. Fintona had been connected to
4128-535: The Blackwater is to the north of Fivemiletown. There are also several small lakes around the village which draw many anglers. Fivemiletown is classified as a village by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,499 people). On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Fivemiletown Settlement was 1,243, accounting for 0.07% of
4224-418: The British and Irish market, and for export across Europe and North America. Fivemiletown's name comes from its location five Irish miles (1 Irish mile = 1.27 statute miles = 2044 m) from its nearest neighbours: Clogher , Brookeborough and Tempo . The original Irish name of the townland of Fivemiletown was Baile na Lorgan - ‘townland of the long ridge’ - anglicised as Ballynalurgan. Previous names for
4320-557: The Ecclesville Centre is unique in the UK and Ireland in being a combined equestrian and community/leisure complex. The facility has proven popular not only among show jumpers and horse riders, but also for other sporting activities especially those based indoors. The equestrian end of the centre includes stables, an indoor arena with judges box and seated stand, and an outdoor facility that includes an outdoor floodlight arena, open parkland and
4416-475: The Ecclesville Demesne. By road distance, Omagh, the county town of Tyrone, lies 8 miles (13 km) north, Enniskillen is 19 miles (31 km) south-west, while Belfast and Dublin are 66 miles (106 km) east and 108 miles (174 km) south-east respectively. Towards the south-east about 4 miles (6 km) away, about half-way between Fintona and the village of Fivemiletown , the land rises to
4512-463: 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
4608-536: 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
4704-597: 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 ,
4800-550: The area around Fintona. The current village is developed from an Uí Néill fortress built in 1431 and is one of Tyrone's oldest settlements. Some time after the Plantation of Ulster , by 1668 the dominant landowners in the area was the Eccles Family and their Manor House, which was located in what is nowadays Fintona Golf Club and Ecclesville Park on the Ecclesville Demesne, was built in 1703. As in many other parts of Ireland during
4896-443: The area. The land and climate does not lend itself to arable farming, but in the past some maize was grown, being produced to boost the protein of cattle feed. On higher ground near the summit of Murley Mountain, there are also peat bogs. Fintona has two primary schools ; Both schools teach the Northern Ireland Curriculum Key Stages 1 & 2 (Years 1 to 7) to students between the ages of 4 and 11 years, as well as containing
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#17328454554734992-577: 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
5088-429: The centre as has the Omagh and District Canine Club Dog Show. The main public park in Fintona is at the Ecclesville Demesne, known as Ecclesville Park. The park itself has a play-area for children and all-weather football & basketball area used alongside the Ecclesville Centre, alongside walking routes, pond and forest. In 2014 additional work was done which extended the play-area and also added an outdoor gym. There
5184-427: The church building. It is part of the Omagh Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland . In the late 1980s and early 1990s a monthly local news magazine, the Village Voice , was published by the now defunct Fintona Development Association. The magazine covered news, features and activities in Fintona, Seskinore and Eskra . As of October 2021, local events in Fintona are often covered by Omagh-based newspapers,
5280-413: The club finally had a permanent home in Fintona with a pitch based at the Ecclesville Demense opened in August 2010. In August 2015, the club was disbanded after withdrawing from the Fermanagh & Western Football League, a lack of player numbers cited as the reason for folding. A year later, the club was reformed and in its first season back won the Fermanagh & Western Division 3 League. A reserve team
5376-664: 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
5472-439: The elements on the top. The tram made its last trip on 30 September 1957 when the Omagh to Enniskillen line closed, and with it, Fintona's rail links to the rest of Ireland . When retired, it was the second last existing example of a horse-drawn tram in public service in the British Isles , the only remaining one now being on Douglas promenade, Isle of Man . The "van" now lies at the Ulster Transport Museum . The legacy of
5568-414: 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
5664-421: The final in Healy Park , Omagh by 1-10 (13 pts) to 0-12 (12 pts) after extra time. Fintona Swifts are a Junior Football Club that was originally founded in the early 1990s and affiliated to the Fermanagh & Western FA . Up until the 2010/11 season the team did not have a home ground in the village and was forced to play their 'home' games elsewhere, normally in Omagh. After years of discussions and stalling,
5760-430: 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
5856-409: The forest of the Ecclesville Demense. The leisure part of the centre includes a minor hall, a sports hall, changing rooms and a fitness suite with outdoor all-weather tennis courts also available. The centre is a popular venue for local and regional sports competitions including bowls, badminton and indoor football. At a community level the centre is the home of Fintona Cross-Community Youth Club and also
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#17328454554735952-419: The horse tram's service and identity to Fintona can be seen with the unique road signs welcoming you into the village, which includes an image or silhouette of the horsetram with "Dick" pulling the tram along with the driver, conductor and a third person on board on the top of the tram. Fintona lies in the civil parish of Donacavey , in the south west of County Tyrone bordering County Fermanagh . The parish
6048-498: 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
6144-410: 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
6240-425: 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 ,
6336-399: 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
6432-497: 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
6528-409: 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
6624-557: The northern slopes of Murley Mountain, flows through Fintona with bridges crossing it at Kiln Street and Mill Street as well as just outside the village at a location known as the Carnlea crossroads. This river then joins with the Ballynahatty Water to form the Drumragh River , which in turn joins the Camowen River in Omagh to form the River Strule . Located 33 miles (53 km) from the Atlantic coastline, Fintona has an Oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfb ). Winters are normally cool to mild with morning frosts being
6720-522: 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
6816-473: The numerous public houses in Fintona, darts, pool and snooker also prove popular. Fintona Golf Club was founded in 1904 by C.W.L. Brown-Lecky and is located on part of the Ecclesville Demense. It is a nine-hole course which have twin tees allowing players a different challenge on their second time round. Ronan Rafferty rated it the best nine-hole course in Northern Ireland in a feature on the TV programme 'Ronan Rafferty's Great Golf Journeys'. The course includes
6912-498: 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
7008-539: 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
7104-550: The railway network via Fintona and Fintona Junction stations on the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway's horse-drawn spur line as mentioned in the history section above. These stations opened in the 1850s, but were closed in October 1957. There are numerous sports clubs and facilities in Fintona which cater for a range of activities. Local clubs include Fintona Cycling Club, Fintona Badminton Club and two bowling clubs. Partly thanks to
7200-487: 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 )
7296-432: 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
7392-683: 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
7488-643: The roof of the building required repair at a significant cost. A public consultation meeting in Fintona Golf Club on 3 March that year saw a strong local turn out calling for the retention of the library, while representations were also made to the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure of the Northern Ireland Assembly. On 20 October 2011, Libraries NI announced that the Fintona branch library would remain open while efforts were made to either improve its current premises or find an alternative location in due course. It
7584-496: The same road, opposite the church. The church parish of Donacavey contains only part of the civil parish of Donacavey; the south western corner of the civil parish is served by a separate parish of Barr that has its own parish church. However, both parishes are covered by the same rector whom serves "Donacavey and Barr". Fintona Methodist Church lies on the Craigavon Road, next to the Fintona Presbyterian Church. It
7680-515: The shutting of the line. The last train ran on the last day of 1941, bringing to an end one of Fivemiletown's most characteristic features. Incidents in Fivemiletown during the Troubles resulting in two or more deaths: Halfway between Fivemiletown and Fintona 9 miles (14 km) northwest, lies Murley Mountain. This mountain rises to a peak of 312 metres (1,024 ft) above sea level and marks
7776-506: The summer months; in between these periods during the months of April, May, & September both kinds of showers can happen as conditions change quickly, with "four seasons in a day" weather often occurring. Sleet and snow showers happen occasionally, usually falling between the months of December and March though it can fall any time between October and May. Snow accumulation usually happens several times each year, though it rarely lies for more than three of four days and sometimes only for
7872-409: The summit of Murley Mountain, (known better locally as "Fivemiletown Mountain", also occasionally known as "Stranisk Hill" after its local townland), which has a peak of 312 metres (1,024 feet) above sea level . At this peak and the surrounding land are two close by wind farms, Lendrums Bridge (open 2000) and Hunters Hill (open 2008). A small river named the "Quiggery Water", whose source is located on
7968-405: The town of Fivemiletown were Mount Stewart, from Sir William Stewart who founded it in 1619 and Blessingbourn from the name of the nearby residence of Colonel Montgomery, the proprietor of the area in the early 19th century. The Clogher Valley Railway ran from Tynan , County Armagh , to Maguiresbridge , County Fermanagh , with Fivemiletown being one of its main stations. The old station house
8064-705: 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
8160-586: The western edge of the Clogher Valley. On the summit is the Lendrums Bridge wind farm, one of the biggest in Northern Ireland, with 20 wind turbines. Another ten are planned for the neighbouring Hunter's Hill. Murley Mountain's location is lonely and exposed, especially to prevailing southwesterly winds. This makes it a prime site for wind-generated power. The River Blackwater runs through counties Tyrone and Armagh, as well as County Monaghan . The source of
8256-594: 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
8352-523: 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
8448-642: Was confirmed in July 2013 that the library building would receive a full refurbishment. Fintona today is linked to Omagh though the B122 that connects to the A5 Omagh to Ballygawley road about 2 miles (3 km) outside Omagh. Other roads linking Fintona to elsewhere include the B80 to Enniskillen (via Tempo ), the B46 to Dromore , the B122 to Fivemiletown, the B46 to Seskinore and Beragh ,
8544-643: 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
8640-495: 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. Fivemiletown Fivemiletown
8736-520: Was part of the Great Northern Railway . Both stations closed on 1 October 1957. Possibly the most well known bit of history associated with Fintona was the horse-drawn tram (or "van" to the locals) that took passengers from Fintona railway station to Fintona Junction station one mile away. The name of the horse was always "Dick" regardless of sex. First class and second class passengers travelled inside while third class travellers sat exposed to
8832-465: 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
8928-637: Was reintroduced at the start of the 2019/20 season. For the 2023/24 season the first team will play in Division 2 of the Fermanagh and Western Football League while the reserve team will play in the corresponding Reserve Division 3 as well as entering the Fermanagh and Western FA Mulhern & Rehill cup competitions, and the IFA Junior Cup . Based within the grounds of the Ecclesville Demense, opened in 1995
9024-451: Was split between two historical baronies – Fintona itself along with the majority of Donacavey was part of the Clogher barony while a northern portion of the parish lay in the barony of Omagh East . The village lies across several gentle hills, including Main Street whose centre lies on a hill summit and its ends at the feet of the same hill. There are small pockets of flat ground, mostly at
9120-678: 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
9216-491: 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,
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