105-466: A shillelagh ( / ʃ ɪ ˈ l eɪ l i , - l ə / shil- AY -lee, -lə ; Irish : sail éille or saill éalaigh [ˌsˠal̠ʲ ˈeːlʲə] , "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel , typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore . Other spelling variants include shillelah , shillalah , and shillaly . The name shillelagh
210-518: A Jeweled Shillelagh is the trophy given to the winner of the annual rivalry game between the University of Southern California Trojans and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish . The US MGM-51 anti-tank missile was named Shillelagh . An aircraft of the US 357th Fighter Group was named The Shillelagh! , with a club painted on the nose. In the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons , 'shillelagh'
315-701: A leprechaun with a shillelagh, as does the logo of the Brisbane Brothers Rugby league team in Australia. In San Diego, Padres broadcaster Mark Grant popularised the shillelagh as a rallying call, by using terms like "Shillelagh Power" to describe late-game heroics by the Padres. The success of the phrase led the San Diego Padres store to carry inflatable shillelaghs. Similarly, in American college football ,
420-540: 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
525-697: 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
630-560: 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
735-472: 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,
840-538: A culture of recreational violence. It is also argued that faction fighting had class and political overtones, as depicted in the works of William Carleton and James S. Donnelly, Jr. 's "Irish Peasants: Violence & Political Unrest, 1780". By the early 19th century, these gangs had organised into larger regional federations, which coalesced from the old Whiteboys , into the Caravat and Shanavest factions. Beginning in Munster ,
945-541: 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
1050-460: 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
1155-425: A high sugar content and is sought out by the lesser bushbaby . Acacia karroo gum was once used for making confectionery and traded under the name "Cape Gum". It was also used medicinally to treat cattle suffering poisoning by Moraea species. Acacia species have possible uses in folk medicine . A 19th-century Ethiopian medical text describes a potion made from an Ethiopian species (known as grar ) mixed with
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#17328516412951260-455: A mixture of black lead and grease rubbed on with woolen cloth to a polishing finish. Some examples may just be given a coat of black paint. Rarer still was brining , where the shank was placed into a basin of saltwater. The saltwater, being a hypertonic solution , would pull moisture from the shank with little warping. One isolated case of this brining method being used, by Charlotte Brontë 's uncle named Hugh, has been documented. Hugh Brontë
1365-795: A number of Irish regiments in the British Armed Forces have traditionally carried Blackthorn sticks, including officers of the Irish Guards , the Royal Irish Regiment and the Royal Dragoon Guards . Officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the 69th Infantry Regiment ( The Fighting 69th ) of the New York Army National Guard also carry shillelaghs whilst on parade. In sports, the Boston Celtics logo depicts
1470-465: A number of organic compounds that defend them from pests and grazing animals. Acacia seeds are often used for food and a variety of other products. In Myanmar , Laos , and Thailand , the feathery shoots of Acacia pennata (common name cha-om , ชะอม and su pout ywet in Burmese) are used in soups , curries , omelettes , and stir-fries . Various species of acacia yield gum. True gum arabic
1575-574: 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
1680-554: 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
1785-411: A period of thousands of years, from the spear, staff, axe and sword fighting of the Irish. There is some evidence which suggests that the use of Irish stick weapons may have evolved in a progression from a reliance on long spears and wattles , to shorter spears and wattles, to the shillelagh, alpeen, blackthorn (walking-stick) and short cudgel. By the 19th century Irish shillelagh-fighting had evolved into
1890-461: A practice which involved the use of three basic types of weapons, sticks which were long, medium or short in length. Bataireacht , an Irish language term sometimes given as referring to "cudgelling" or "beating with a club", refers to a category of stick-fighting in Ireland, with the shillelagh sometimes used in such fights. Also referred to as boiscín , the fighting style is mostly characterised by
1995-499: A reasonable alternative to constructed fences and walls. Acacia farnesiana is used in the perfume industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries. Egyptian mythology has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the tree of life , such as in the Myth of Osiris and Isis . Several parts (mainly bark, root, and resin) of Acacia species are used to make incense for rituals. Acacia
2100-611: 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
2205-506: A stout blackthorn"), and using it ("shillalah") to hold a tied bag over one's shoulder, and using it as a striking weapon ("me shillelagh I let fly"). Charles Dibdin the younger wrote a song entitled "The Twig of Shelaly", later reprinted as "The Twig of Shillelah". Bing Crosby recorded a song entitled "Two Shillelagh O'Sullivan" in the 1950s. The shillelagh came to be regarded as a stereotypical symbol of Irishness in popular culture, particularly in an Irish-American context. Members of
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#17328516412952310-424: A strap attached, similar to commercially made walking sticks, to place around the holder's wrist. Shillelaghs were used in Ireland for duels , as were swords or pistols in other places, with a code of conduct. Modern practitioners of this form of stick-fighting study the use of the shillelagh for self-defence and as a martial art . Researcher J. W. Hurley writes: Methods of shillelagh fighting have evolved over
2415-537: 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
2520-685: Is a polyphyletic genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae . It was described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773 based on the African species Acacia nilotica . Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny , whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not. All species are pod -bearing, with sap and leaves often bearing large amounts of tannins and condensed tannins that historically found use as pharmaceuticals and preservatives. The genus Acacia constitutes, in its traditional circumspection,
2625-573: Is a low-level spell used by casters to make simple clubs into powerful bludgeoning weapons. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), 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
2730-448: 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
2835-511: 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
2940-581: Is extremely difficult to eradicate. Nineteen different species of Acacia in the Americas contain cyanogenic glycosides , which, if exposed to an enzyme which specifically splits glycosides, can release hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the "leaves". This sometimes results in the poisoning death of livestock . If fresh plant material spontaneously produces 200 ppm or more HCN, then it is potentially toxic. This corresponds to about 7.5 μmol HCN per gram of fresh plant material. It turns out that, if acacia "leaves" lack
3045-646: Is grown in plantations in South Africa and South America . The pods of A. nilotica (under the name of neb-neb ), and of other African species, are also rich in tannin and used by tanners . In Yemen , the principal tannin substance was derived from the leaves of the salam-tree ( Acacia etbaica ), a tree known locally by the name qaraẓ ( garadh ). A bath solution of the crushed leaves of this tree, into which raw leather had been inserted for prolonged soaking, would take only 15 days for curing. The water and leaves, however, required changing after seven or eight days, and
3150-567: 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
3255-627: Is said to have rubbed train oil ( whale oil ) on the stick using chamois leather , and applied magpie blood to give it a darker appearance. Shillelaghs are commonly the length of a walking-stick (distance from the floor to the wrist with elbow slightly bent), typically about 3 feet (0.91 m), or rather longer at about 4 or 5 feet (1.2 or 1.5 m). In the broad sense, the Shillealagh bata or sticks could include short mallets only 1 to 2 feet (0.30 to 0.61 m) long, to long poles 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 m) long. Shillelaghs may be hollowed at
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3360-412: 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
3465-712: Is the Hiberno-English corruption of the Irish (Gaelic) form sail éille , where sail means "willow" or "cudgel" and éille is genitive for iall meaning "thong", "strap", "leash", and "string", among others. As an alternate etymology, Anna Maria Hall and Patrick Weston Joyce have written that the name may have derived from the wood being sourced from forest land in the village or barony of Shillelagh, County Wicklow . The geographic name Shillelagh derives from Síol Éalaigh , or "Descendants of Éalach" in English. Shillelaghs are traditionally made from blackthorn (sloe) wood ( Prunus spinosa ) or oak. With
3570-531: Is the fever tree . Southern European florists use A. baileyana , A. dealbata , A. pycnantha and A. retinodes as cut flowers and the common name there for them is mimosa. Ornamental species of acacias are also used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security. The sharp thorns of some species are a deterrent to trespassing, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of acacia plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them
3675-523: Is the kangaroo-thorn of Australia, and Acacia erioloba (syn. Acacia eriolobata ) is the camelthorn of Africa. Acacia seeds can be difficult to germinate. Research has found that immersing the seeds in various temperatures (usually around 80 °C (176 °F)) and manual seed coat chipping can improve growth to around 80%. In the Central American bullthorn acacias— Acacia sphaerocephala , Acacia cornigera and Acacia collinsii — some of
3780-458: Is the product of Acacia senegal , abundant in dry tropical West Africa from Senegal to northern Nigeria . Acacia nilotica (syn. Acacia arabica ) is the gum arabic tree of India , but yields a gum inferior to the true gum arabic. Gum arabic is used in a wide variety of food products, including some soft drinks and confections. The ancient Egyptians used acacia gum in paints. The gum of Acacia xanthophloea and Acacia karroo has
3885-485: Is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, and China including in its Tibet region. Smoke from acacia bark is thought to keep demons and ghosts away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from acacia are combined with rhododendron , acorus , cytisus , salvia , and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary,
3990-659: 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
4095-619: 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 ")
4200-439: The catechin , catechol , and catecholamine chemical families ultimately derived from it. A few species are widely grown as ornamentals in gardens; the most popular perhaps is A. dealbata (silver wattle), with its attractive glaucous to silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers; it is erroneously known as "mimosa" in some areas where it is cultivated, through confusion with the related genus Mimosa . Another ornamental acacia
4305-519: The larvae of hepialid moths of the genus Aenetus including A. ligniveren . These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Other Lepidoptera larvae which have been recorded feeding on Acacia include brown-tail , Endoclita malabaricus and turnip moth . The leaf-mining larvae of some bucculatricid moths also feed on Acacia ; Bucculatrix agilis feeds exclusively on Acacia horrida and Bucculatrix flexuosa feeds exclusively on Acacia nilotica . Acacias contain
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4410-611: 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
4515-769: 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
4620-400: 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
4725-403: 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
4830-563: 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
4935-704: The Australian and Pacific Islands species, the leaflets are suppressed, and the leaf-stalks ( petioles ) become vertically flattened in order to serve the purpose of leaves. These are known as " phyllodes ". The vertical orientation of the phyllodes protects them from intense sunlight since with their edges towards the sky and earth they do not intercept light as fully as horizontally placed leaves. A few species (such as Acacia glaucoptera ) lack leaves or phyllodes altogether but instead possess cladodes , modified leaf-like photosynthetic stems functioning as leaves. The small flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by
5040-880: The Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant . A. koa from the Hawaiian Islands and A. heterophylla from Réunion are both excellent timber trees. Depending on abundance and regional culture, some Acacia species (e.g. A. fumosa ) are traditionally used locally as firewoods. It is also used to make homes for different animals. In Indonesia (mainly in Sumatra ) and in Malaysia (mainly in Sabah ), plantations of A. mangium are being established to supply pulpwood to
5145-409: The Caravat and Shanavest "war" erupted sporadically throughout the 19th century and caused several disturbances. Shillelaghs are sometimes referred to in a similar context in folk songs. In the ballad " Finnegan's Wake " occurs the phrase "Shillelagh law did all engage", signifying that a brawl has broken out; "shillelagh law" itself has been explained as meaning the accepted rule governing the usage of
5250-463: 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
5355-478: The International Botanical Congress. That decision has been controversial, and debate continued, with some taxonomists (and many other biologists) deciding to continue to use the traditional Acacia sensu lato circumscription of the genus, in defiance of decisions by an International Botanical Congress. However, a second International Botanical Congress has now confirmed the decision to apply
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#17328516412955460-536: 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
5565-597: 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 ,
5670-460: The Scout movement's Wood Badge training award. In Russia , Italy , and other countries, it is customary to present women with yellow mimosas (among other flowers) on International Women's Day (March 8). These "mimosas" may be from A. dealbata (silver wattle). In 1918, May Gibbs , the popular Australian children's author, wrote the book 'Wattle Babies', in which a third-person narrator describes
5775-598: The acacia tree may be the "burning bush" ( Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert. Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle , he said to "make an ark" and "a table of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10 & 23, Revised Standard Version ). Also, in the Christian tradition, Christ's crown of thorns is thought to have been woven from acacia. Acacia was used for Zulu warriors' iziQu (or isiKu) beads, which passed on through Robert Baden-Powell to
5880-444: The accumulated layer of soot gave the shillelagh its typical black shiny appearance. The less frequent methods were to bury the shank in a dung pile, or in slaked lime . The stick may require protection from its dung bath by being wrapped in well-greased oiled brown paper (steeped in hog's lard or oil). Both of the previous methods would be finished with oils or sealants, etc. A further coat of special soot finish may be applied, or
5985-594: The ants protect the plant by attacking large mammalian herbivores and stem-boring beetles that damage the plant. The predominantly herbivorous spider Bagheera kiplingi , which is found in Central America and Mexico, feeds on nubs at the tips of the acacia leaves, known as Beltian bodies, which contain high concentrations of protein. These nubs are produced by the acacia as part of a symbiotic relationship with certain species of ant, which also eat them. In Australia, Acacia species are sometimes used as food plants by
6090-731: 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
6195-603: The binomial names. This was taken up in New Zealand but generally not followed in Australia , where botanists declared more study was needed. Eventually, consensus emerged that Acacia needed to be split as it was not monophyletic. This led to Australian botanists Bruce Maslin and Tony Orchard pushing for the retypification of the genus with an Australian species instead of the original African type species, an exception to traditional rules of priority that required ratification by
6300-468: 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
6405-610: 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 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
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#17328516412956510-545: 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
6615-441: The heavy "hitting" end and filled with molten lead to increase the weight beyond the typical two pounds; this sort of shillelagh is known as a 'loaded stick'. This loaded type needed to have its knob fitted with iron ferrules to maintain structural integrity, and the stick also has an iron ferrule fitted onto its narrow end. Shillelaghs may also have a heavy knob for a handle which can be used for striking. Shillelaghs may also have
6720-698: 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
6825-410: 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
6930-472: 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 ,
7035-488: The leather needed to be turned over daily. Some Acacia species are valuable as timber, such as A. melanoxylon (blackwood) from Australia , which attains a great size; its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish; and A. omalophylla (myall wood, also Australian), which yields a fragrant timber used for ornaments. A. seyal is thought to be the shittah-tree of the Bible , which supplied shittim-wood. According to
7140-532: The lives of imaginary inhabitants of the Australian forests (the 'bush'). The main characters are the Wattle Babies, who are tiny people that look like acacia flowers and who interact with various forest creatures. Gibbs wrote "Wattle Babies are the sunshine of the Bush. In Winter, when the sky is grey and all the world seems cold, they put on their yellowest clothes and come out, for they have such cheerful hearts." Gibbs
7245-689: The long stamens , and are arranged in dense, globular or cylindrical clusters; they are yellow or cream-colored in most species, whitish in some, or even purple ( Acacia purpureopetala ) or red ( Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze' ). Acacia flowers can be distinguished from those of a large related genus, Albizia , by their stamens, which are not joined at the base. Also, unlike individual Mimosa flowers, those of Acacia have more than ten stamens. The plants often bear spines, especially those species growing in arid regions. These sometimes represent branches that have become short, hard, and pungent, though they sometimes represent leaf- stipules . Acacia armata
7350-416: The major clades of which may have formed in response to drying trends and fire regimes that accompanied increased seasonality during the late Oligocene to early Miocene (~25 mya ). Pedley (1978), following Vassal (1972), viewed Acacia as comprising three large subgenera, but subsequently (1986) raised the rank of these groups to genera Acacia , Senegalia ( s.l. ) and Racosperma , which
7455-492: The majority of the Australian species and a few native to southeast Asia, Réunion , and Pacific Islands . Most of the species outside Australia, and a small number of Australian species, are classified into Vachellia and Senegalia . The two final genera, Acaciella and Mariosousa , each contain about a dozen species from the Americas (but see " Classification " below for the ongoing debate concerning their taxonomy). English botanist and gardener Philip Miller adopted
7560-563: 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
7665-563: The most globally significant invasive acacias is black wattle A. mearnsii , which is taking over grasslands and abandoned agricultural areas worldwide, especially in moderate coastal and island regions where mild climate promotes its spread. Australian/New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment gives it a "high risk, score of 15" rating and it is considered one of the world's 100 most invasive species. Extensive ecological studies should be performed before further introduction of acacia varieties, as this fast-growing genus, once introduced, spreads quickly and
7770-518: The name Acacia to the mostly Australian plants, which some had been calling Racosperma , and which had formed the overwhelming majority of Acacia sensu lato . Debate continues regarding the traditional acacias of Africa, possibly placed in Senegalia and Vachellia , and some of the American species, possibly placed in Acaciella and Mariosousa . Acacias belong to the subfamily Mimosoideae ,
7875-459: The name Acacia in 1754. The generic name is derived from ἀκακία ( akakia ), the name given by early Greek botanist-physician Pedanius Dioscorides (middle to late first century) to the medicinal tree A. nilotica in his book Materia Medica . This name derives from the Ancient Greek word for its characteristic thorns, ἀκίς ( akis ; "thorn"). The species name nilotica
7980-771: 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
8085-463: 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
8190-639: 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
8295-469: The offending plants' leaves with their jaws and ultimately killing them. Other associated ant species appear to do nothing to benefit their hosts. Similar mutualisms with ants occur on Acacia trees in Africa, such as the whistling thorn acacia. The acacias provide shelter for ants in similar swollen stipules and nectar in extrafloral nectaries for their symbiotic ants, such as Crematogaster mimosae . In turn,
8400-498: 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
8505-639: The paper industry. Acacia wood pulp gives high opacity and below average bulk paper . This is suitable in lightweight offset papers used for Bibles and dictionaries. It is also used in paper tissue where it improves softness. Acacias can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage. For the same reasons it is favored as an erosion-control plant, with its easy spreading and resilience, some varieties of acacia are potentially invasive species. At least fourteen Acacia species introduced to South Africa are categorized as invasive, due to their naturally aggressive propagation. One of
8610-539: 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
8715-487: 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 )
8820-432: 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
8925-625: 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
9030-418: The root of the tacha , then boiled, as a cure for rabies . An astringent medicine high in tannins , called catechu or cutch, is procured from several species, but more especially from Senegalia catechu (syn. Acacia catechu ), by boiling down the wood and evaporating the solution so as to get an extract. The catechu extract from A. catechu figures in the history of chemistry in giving its name to
9135-408: The scarcity of oak in Ireland the term came increasingly to denote a blackthorn stick, and indeed blackthorn stick is sometimes glossed as equivalent to shillelagh. Wood from the root was prized since this would be used for the knob, and was less prone to crack or break during use. Most commonly, the chosen wood would be placed up a chimney to cure for a duration of several months to several years;
9240-557: The second largest genus in Fabaceae ( Astragalus being the largest), with roughly 1,300 species , about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm- temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Europe , Africa, southern Asia , and the Americas (see List of Acacia species ). The genus was divided into five separate genera under the tribe " Acacieae ". The genus now called Acacia represents
9345-500: The specific glycoside-splitting enzyme, then they may be less toxic than otherwise, even those containing significant quantities of cyanic glycosides. Some Acacia species containing cyanogens include Acacia erioloba , A. cunninghamii , A. obtusifolia , A. sieberiana , and A. sieberiana var. woodii The Arbre du Ténéré in Niger was the most isolated tree in the world, about 400 km (249 mi) from any other tree. The tree
9450-419: The spiny stipules are large, swollen and hollow. These afford shelter for several species of Pseudomyrmex ants, which feed on extrafloral nectaries on the leaf-stalk and small lipid -rich food-bodies at the tips of the leaflets called Beltian bodies . In return, the ants add protection to the plant against herbivores . Some species of ants will also remove competing plants around the acacia, cutting off
9555-632: The time and were available in Ireland and abroad, with one of them illustrating bataireacht among wrestling, boxing and fencing the two systems are in practice substantially different, namely in the active use of the buta, a part of the stick with no equivalent in European swords. By the 18th century, stick fighting became increasingly associated with Irish gangs called "factions". Irish faction fights involved large groups engaging in melees at county fairs, weddings, funerals and other gatherings. Historians, such as Carolyn Conley, believe that this possibly reflected
9660-595: The use of a cudgel, or knobbed stick, which is grabbed by the third of the handle end, the lower part protecting the elbow and allowing the user to maintain an offensive as well as defensive guard. This grip also allows launching fast punching-like strikes. Some authors have argued that prior to the 19th century, the term "bataireacht" had been used to refer to a form of stick-fencing used to train Irish soldiers in broadsword and sabre techniques. This theory has been criticised, including for its lack of primary source material. Although fencing instruction and manuals existed at
9765-705: 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
9870-477: The weapon. The novelty song " It's the Same Old Shillelagh " was written by Pat White and recorded by him in 1927. Its subject is a young Irish-American who inherits his father's shillelagh. The anti-recruiting folk song " Arthur McBride ", where the recruiters are struck with a shillelagh, and in the 19th-century song " Rocky Road to Dublin ", in which references are made to fashioning a shillelagh ("I cut
9975-594: 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
10080-460: 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 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
10185-523: 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
10290-643: 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
10395-637: 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. Acacia sensu lato About 1,300; see list of Acacia species Acacia s.l. (pronounced / ə ˈ k eɪ ʃ ə / or / ə ˈ k eɪ s i ə / ), known commonly as mimosa , acacia , thorntree or wattle ,
10500-466: Was given by Linnaeus from this tree's best-known range along the Nile river. This became the type species of the genus. The traditional circumscription of Acacia eventually contained approximately 1,300 species. However, evidence began to accumulate that the genus as described was not monophyletic . Queensland botanist Les Pedley proposed the subgenus Phyllodineae be renamed Racosperma and published
10605-465: 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
10710-480: Was referring to the fact that an abundance of acacias flower in August in Australia, in the midst of the southern hemisphere winter. The bark of various Australian species, known as wattles, is very rich in tannin and forms an important article of export; important species include A. pycnantha (golden wattle), A. decurrens (tan wattle), A. dealbata (silver wattle) and A. mearnsii (black wattle). Black wattle
10815-678: 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
10920-442: 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,
11025-518: Was underpinned by later genetic studies. In common parlance, the term "acacia" is occasionally applied to species of the genus Robinia , which also belongs in the pea family. Robinia pseudoacacia , an American species locally known as black locust, is sometimes called "false acacia" in cultivation in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. The leaves of acacias are compound pinnate in general. In some species, however, more especially in
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