99-638: Tubridy ( Irish : Ó Tiobraide ), less commonly known as Tubrid and Tuberty , is a Gaelic Irish clan from Munster . The sept is most common along the West Coast of County Clare , but has also had some presence in County Waterford and County Tipperary . The Tubridys of Thomond are thought to have originated as scribes, as a sept of the Dál gCais , kindred to clans such as the O'Brien , O'Grady and MacNamara . The name means "descendant of Tiobraide", with
198-540: 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
297-706: A Gaeltacht area. They are encouraging immersion classes to revive use of the language. County Clare has a strong history of Traditional music. It is the home of the Kilfenora Céilí Band , the Tulla Céilí Band , Stockton's Wing , Elizabeth Crotty , Sharon Shannon , Noel Hill , Peadar O'Loughlin , Martin Hayes and legendary tin-whistler Micho Russell . Ennis in County Clare is also the birthplace of Grammy-nominated singer Maura O'Connell whose grandmother started
396-512: A Latin hymn Martine te deprecor in honour of St Martin of Tours during 697, others include Tipraiti nepos Baithenaig and Tipraiti Ban also abbots. The name then began to develop from its original Latin language form, through the same root, into Tipraite. Its development next took it through O' Tipraite and Ua Tibraide then as evident in the Great Book of Lecan and the Book of Ballymote from
495-697: 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
594-510: A bear, which was subject to butchering close to the time of death, was found in the Alice and Gwendoline Cave , near Edenvale House, Clarecastle . The bone features a number of linear-cut marks, and has been dated to circa 10,500 BC, from the Paleolithic era. This discovery, publicized in 2017, pushed back Ireland's occupation by 2,500 years—what was previously regarded as the oldest site of occupation
693-560: 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
792-472: 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,
891-541: 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
990-527: A fish market in the town. The county has many traditional music festivals and one of the most well known is the Willie Clancy Summer School , which is held every July in the town of Milltown Malbay in memory of the renowned uilleann piper, Willie Clancy . Andy Irvine has written two songs celebrating County Clare: one is "West Coast of Clare" (recorded with Planxty in 1973), in which he mentions Spanish Point and Milltown Malbay. The other
1089-460: 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
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#17328518334211188-574: 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
1287-554: 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
1386-611: 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
1485-647: A unique karst region, which contains rare flowers and fauna. At the western edge of The Burren, facing the Atlantic Ocean, are the Cliffs of Moher . The highest point in County Clare is Moylussa , 532 m (1,745 ft), in the Slieve Bernagh range in the east of the county. The following islands lie off the coast of the county: County Clare hosts the oldest-known evidence of human activity in Ireland. The patella of
1584-537: 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
1683-648: Is Tubrid Well at Millstreet relating to Saint Ita who is nicknamed the " Brigid of Munster ". Just before the 9th century, the name appeared in the form of Tipraiti mac Taidg who was the King of Connacht from the years 782 until 786. The name is present in the Annals of Ulster in relation to men holding a religious office within the Catholic Church . Examples of its usage within these Annals are in relation to men such as Oengusa filii Tipraiti , an abbot and author of
1782-524: Is "My Heart's Tonight in Ireland" (recorded on his solo album Rain on the Roof in 1996, and again on Changing Trains in 2005), in which he mentions several towns and villages in County Clare: Milltown Malbay, Scariff , Kilrush , Sixmilebridge , Kilkishen, Lahinch , Ennistymon , Liscannor and Kilkee , and also makes two references to the music of Willie Clancy: In the town of Scarriff
1881-532: Is a county in the province of Munster in the Southern part of the republic of Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority . The county had a population of 127,938 at the 2022 census . The county seat and largest settlement is Ennis . Clare is north-west of the River Shannon covering a total area of 3,450 square kilometres (1,330 sq mi). Clare
1980-448: 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
2079-482: Is also a small African minority of 1,124 people, while other ethnic groups are very small in number. In addition, Clare had a large diaspora due to vast emigration during the 19th century. There are millions of people around the world who can trace their family background to Clare; such descendants are found mostly in North America, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand. Many people from
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#17328518334212178-511: 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
2277-454: Is fairly young: 22% are under age 14, while 12% are over 65, compared to the national average of 20% and 11%, respectively. There is a slightly higher percentage of males with 50.5%, while females number 49.5%. English is the main language spoken in Clare. The vast majority of the population are Irish people , accounting for 86%. Most immigrants are Europeans, totalling an additional 7,520; there
2376-527: Is one of the richest places in Ireland for these tombs. The most noted one is in The Burren area; it is known as Poulnabrone dolmen , which translates to "hole of sorrows". The remains of the people inside the tomb have been excavated and dated to 3800 BC. Ptolemy created a map of Ireland in his Geographia with information dating from 100 AD; it is the oldest written account of the island that includes geographical features. Within his map, Ptolemy names
2475-567: 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
2574-736: Is slightly higher than the national average . Most of Clare falls under the Catholic Diocese of Killaloe , which is part of the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly . The Bishop of Killaloe is seated at the St Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis. A small portion of the north-western part of Clare falls under the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora . As part of the local council's architectural conservation project, around eighty Christian churches have been designated as protected structures. Among
2673-412: 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
2772-619: Is the N67 . In addition to this the N68 connects Kilrush to Ennis, while Ennis is connected to Ennistymon via the N85 . Mainland public transport is mostly limited to buses ran by Irish Government owned company Bus Éireann ; there are around 25 buses running frequent routes which pass through the majority of large settlements in Clare. Clare Bus, runs a limited number of "accessible buslines". The Ennis railway station operated by government-owned Iarnród Éireann
2871-559: Is the most significant railway station in Clare today; it was opened on 2 July 1859. By route of Limerick the trains run from Ennis to Dublin and it generally takes 3 hours to complete the journey. There was previously a far more extensive local railway network in Clare, laid while part of the United Kingdom, the West Clare Railway was in existence from its opening in 1887 by Charles Stewart Parnell until 1961 covering much of
2970-916: Is the seventh largest of Ireland's 32 traditional counties in area and the 19th largest in terms of population. It is bordered by two counties in Munster and one county in Connacht: County Limerick to the south, County Tipperary to the east, and County Galway to the north. Clare's nickname is the Banner County . The county is divided into the baronies of Bunratty Lower , Bunratty Upper , Burren , Clonderalaw , Corcomroe , Ibrickan , Inchiquin , Islands , Moyarta , Tulla Lower and Tulla Upper . These in turn are divided into civil parishes , which are divided into townlands . These divisions are cadastral , defining land boundaries and ownership, rather than administrative. Bodies of water define much of
3069-659: 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
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3168-556: The Basques , with the gene patterns passed down through the male line of the two described as "strikingly similar". 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
3267-588: The Desmond Rebellion by creating the presidency of Connaught in 1569 and presidency of Munster in 1570. He transferred Thomond from Munster to Connaught, which he shired , Thomond becoming County Clare. About 1600, Clare was removed from the presidency of Connaught and made a presidency in its own right under the Earl of Thomond. When Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond died in 1639, Lord Deputy Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford decreed Clare should return to
3366-634: The Gaelic language word tiobraid meaning "a well". Although to this day, Ireland remains the core location for the clan, it has also spread in diaspora to Great Britain , the United States , Australia , New Zealand and Canada since the 19th century. Recorded reference for the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters , in relation to Tipraiti Tireach who was a legendary King of Ulster , living out his life between 136 and 187 AD according to
3465-556: The Gaelic tribes inhabiting it and the areas in which they resided; in the area of Clare, he identified a tribe known as the Gangani . Historians have found the tribes on the west of Ireland the most difficult to identify with known peoples; however, historians William Camden and Charles O'Conor speculated a possible connection between the Gangani and the Concani , one of the eleven tribes in
3564-701: 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 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
3663-581: The Local Government Reform Act 2014 . Since 1921, County Clare has been represented in Dáil Éireann by the constituency of Clare , which currently has four Teachtaí Dála (TDs). Since 2020, the whole of the county has been in the constituency. At various times, portions of County Clare have been in other constituencies: Clare–South Galway (1969–77), Galway West (1977–81), Limerick East (1992–2011) and Limerick City (2011–20). The constituency
3762-619: 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 ")
3861-691: The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 . Scattery Island , in the Mouth of the Shannon off the Clare coast, was transferred to Limerick Corporation and the county of the city of Limerick after the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid-16th century. It was assigned to County Clare after the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 . Under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , part of
3960-524: The Shannon Airport , which officially opened in 1945. Along with Dublin Airport and Cork Airport it is one of the three primary airports in the country, handling 3.62 million passengers in 2007. Shannon was the first airport in Ireland to receive transatlantic flights . Ryanair is the main airline handling flights with Great Britain and Continental European countries such as Spain, France and Germany as
4059-479: The 14th century. The name is recorded in the Justiciary Rolls of County Carlow of 1311 in the form of a person named Fiachra O' Tybryth, this was during the reign of king Edward II of England , Lord of Ireland with the introduction of personal tax for citizens. During the 16th century with linguistic developments the more modern spellings of Tubridd, Tubritt, Tubbred, and Tibrud are in clearer evidence. Since
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4158-611: 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
4257-712: 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
4356-742: The 19th century, likely due to The Great Hunger , the name Tubridy spread out from County Clare into the New World as well as across the Irish Sea to Great Britain. The Tubridys were one of numerous Western Ireland families linked to a much larger myth developed in the New World, in relation to the Spanish Armada 's sinking off the coast of County Clare in 1588, known as the Black Irish myth (a reference to black hair colour in some Caucasian Irish people). In
4455-400: 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
4554-403: 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
4653-563: 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
4752-631: The Annals. Tipraiti Tirech himself came from a long line of nobles, his father was Mal mac Rochride one of the High Kings of Ireland ; the Annals describes them as part of the Milesian race with a lineage that traces back directly to Míl Espáine , whose son tradition holds, came to Ireland from Hispania in the Iberian Peninsula as part of the " Ulster Cycle ". The Annals also describes Tipraiti Tireach as
4851-404: 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
4950-495: The Irish diaspora visit the Clare area to trace their family roots and background. Most of the names in Clare are derived from sept members of the Dalcassian race of Gaels or septs of Thomond. Some of the most common examples are O'Brien , O'Gorman , O'Dea , McMahon , McInerney , McNamara , McGarry , Moloney , O'Grady , Hogan , Considine , Griffey/Griffin and Lynch . Names of assimilated Norman origin include Burke , Dalton , and Comyn . The great majority of
5049-425: 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
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#17328518334215148-442: The Munster Final in football in 1992 beating Kerry. There is a strong Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) presence in County Clare with the founder of the GAA, Michael Cusack , having been born in Carron which is situated in the heart of The Burren in North Clare. Irish rugby internationals from Clare include Keith Wood, Anthony Foley & Marcus Horan. Clare is served by two national primary roads —a classification referring to
5247-424: 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 ,
5346-577: 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
5445-413: The confederacy of the Cantabri in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula . During the Early Middle Ages , the area was part of the Kingdom of Connacht ruled by the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne . In the Middle Ages, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Munster to be settled by the Dalcassians . It was renamed Thomond, meaning North Munster. Brian Boru became a leader from here during this period, perhaps
5544-598: The county name "Clare". One is that the name is derived from Thomas de Clare who was deeply embroiled in local politics and fighting in the 1270s and 1280s. An alternative hypothesis is that the county name Clare comes from the settlement of Clare (now Clarecastle ), whose Irish name Clár (plank bridge) refers to a crossing over the River Fergus . In 1543, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland , Murrough O'Brien , by surrender and regrant to Henry VIII , became Earl of Thomond within Henry's Kingdom of Ireland . Henry Sidney as Lord Deputy of Ireland responded to
5643-420: The county. It was quite inefficient, however, leading Percy French to write the song Are Ye Right There Michael? about his experience. Much of it was dug up and dismantled by the Irish government from the 1950s to the 1970s after being deemed uneconomic; however, there remains local advocacy groups who wish to conserve and restore parts of it. The third-busiest airport in Ireland is located in Clare with
5742-414: 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
5841-430: 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
5940-433: The founder of Dál nAraidi . Genealogical theories abound as to the origins of the surname. In relation to the word tiobraide some genealogists have speculated that the surname could be topographical in origin, relating to a person who lived by a well , possibly a holy well and probably charged others to use it. There are numerous sacred wells in Ireland, dating back to both pagan and early Christian periods, an example
6039-401: The judicial county of Galway (Drummaan, Inishcaltra North and Mountshannon electoral divisions) was transferred to county Clare. This area contains the village of Mountshannon on the north-western shore of Lough Derg . The local authority for the county is Clare County Council . Fianna Fáil lost its overall majority on the council in 2004. As of the 2009 local election , Fianna Fáil is
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#17328518334216138-498: 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
6237-410: 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
6336-405: The language was used by residents of Fanore , Murroogh , Doolin and Quilty more than in other places. The last native Clare Irish speaker, the seanchaí Paddy Pháraic Mhíchíl Ó Sionáin (Shannon) of Fisherstreet, Doolin, died in the early 1990s. In the early 21st century, the pressure group Coiste Forbartha Gaeltachta Chontae an Chláir sought to restore the official status of West Clare as
6435-425: 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 ,
6534-567: The largest party, with 13 of the 28 seats. The county seat is at Ennis, which also serves as a major regional hub for County Clare. Among its emergency services, it contains the Ennis Hospital , the HQ of the Clare Divisional Garda, the Clare Fire Brigade and Civil Defence. The council has two representatives on the Southern Regional Assembly , where it is part of the Mid-West strategic planning area. Prior to 2014, there were four town councils in Clare: Ennis , Kilrush , Kilkee and Shannon . All town councils in Ireland were abolished under
6633-502: The major routes between major urban centres in Ireland . This includes the N18 connecting Limerick to Galway , which passes through Ennis and by route of the N19 —Shannon. These two roads are part of the wider Western and Southern Corridor connecting many of the major settlements right across the island in these areas. There are also some significant national secondary roads —across the coast, stretching from Ballyvaughan , through Ennistymon and Kilkee , before arriving at Kilrush
6732-399: 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
6831-493: The more notable structures are the ruins of Corcomroe Abbey , Quin Abbey and Dysert O'Dea Monastery . The largest religious minority is the Church of Ireland , which is part of the Anglican Communion . It has just under 2,000 adherents in Clare. The county is part of the Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe , one of the three cathedrals of the diocese being St Flannan's Cathedral in Killaloe. Other religious communities in Clare are very small in comparison. In 2016, about 11% of
6930-401: The most noted High King of Ireland . From 1118 onwards the Kingdom of Thomond was in place as its own petty kingdom, ruled by the O'Brien clan . After the Norman invasion of Ireland , Thomas de Clare established a short-lived Norman lordship of Thomond, extinguished at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318 during Edward Bruce's invasion . There are two main hypotheses for the origins of
7029-432: The myth specifically related to the Tubridys the tale says, a Spaniard who survived the sinking was swept ashore the West Coast of Clare, was given refuge by a woman surnamed O'Riada, hiding in a dry well near her house. As the man could not speak either English or Irish, he was known as "O'Tiobraide", meaning in English "of the well of Reidy(O'Riada)". Modern genetic tests show a strong connection between Irish people and
7128-771: 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
7227-463: 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
7326-639: 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
7425-498: 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
7524-504: The physical boundaries of Clare. To the south-east is the River Shannon , Ireland's longest river, and to the south is the Shannon Estuary . The border to the north-east is defined by Lough Derg which is the third-largest lake in Ireland. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north is Galway Bay . Loop Head (Irish: Ceann Léime, meaning 'leap head') is the county's westernmost point of land. County Clare contains The Burren ,
7623-539: 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
7722-466: The population follow Christianity ; at least 92% of the people in the area polled as part of the Ireland Census 2006 identified as Christians. There are numerous abbeys and priories in Clare. Some of the ruins of such structures, such as Scattery Island , Bishop's Island, and Drumcliff monasteries, are ancient, dating to the sixth century when Christianity was first introduced to Ireland. The former
7821-775: The population reported no religion. Up from 5% in 2011 Places of interest include: West Clare and some pockets in East Clare were recognised as part of the Gaeltacht , or Irish-speaking area, by the Irish Free State government in the original Coimisiún na Gaeltachta in 1926. The most prominent of these areas with native Irish language speakers were west of Ennis in Kilmihil , Kilrush , Doonbeg , Doolin , Ennistimon , Carrigaholt , Lisdoonvarna and Ballyvaughan . The last remaining native speaker in Stonehall, next to Shannon ,
7920-695: The presidency of Munster, but the Wars of the Three Kingdoms delayed this until the Restoration of 1660. Clare's county nickname is the Banner County , for which various origins have been suggested: the banners captured by Clare's Dragoons at the Battle of Ramillies ; or the banner of Catholic emancipation raised by Daniel O'Connell 's victory in an 1828 by-election for County Clare that led to Parliament passing
8019-488: The primary destinations. Much traffic from the United States is received, which Aer Lingus mostly handles; it is sometimes used as a military stopover which has caused some controversy in the country, but nonetheless has generated significant revenue for the airport. There are some local ferry services as much of the county is surrounded by water; there is one from Killimer to Tarbert Island in Kerry and also from Doolin to
8118-487: 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 )
8217-483: 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
8316-683: 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
8415-503: The sights and sounds of yesterday are shining memories yet. Milltown Malbay is home to Oidhreacht an Chlair, an institute for higher education in all aspects of Irish tradition, history and literature. The Clare hurling team has one of the best records of success in the country in recent years with many cups such as the Liam MacCarthy Cup having been won in 1914, 1995, 1997, 2013, and 2024, and also finalists in 2002. Clare won
8514-404: The sun was shining in the sky When Willie Clancy played his pipes and the tears welled in my eyes Many years have passed and gone since the time we had there But my heart's tonight in Ireland in the sweet County Clare. ... Lahinch and Ennistymon, Liscannor and Kilkee But best of all was Milltown when the music flowed so free Willie Clancy and the County Clare I'm ever in your debt For
8613-705: 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
8712-594: 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
8811-460: 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
8910-506: Was alive in the 1930s; in the 1870s, the region had been entirely Irish speaking. By the time of the second Coimisiún na Gaeltachta in 1956, the decline in the number of Gaelic speakers had been such that West Clare was removed from the list. It remained covered by the Gaeltacht (Housing) Acts until 2001. Close geographic proximity to the Aran Islands (which were once part of Thomond ) and local trade with fishermen from there meant that
9009-523: 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
9108-643: 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
9207-528: 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. County Clare County Clare ( Irish : Contae an Chláir )
9306-478: Was founded by Saint Senan , who was born locally near Kilrush in 488 and is counted amongst the Twelve Apostles of Ireland . Numerous other saints came from Clare, such as Flannan , Mochulleus, Moula , Caimin, Maccreiche , Munchin and more. In the present day, the Catholic Church still commands a large majority, with 88% of the populace declaring themselves as followers of the religion. This percentage
9405-460: Was historically a Fianna Fáil stronghold. Prominent former TDs for Clare include Éamon de Valera , who became Taoiseach and President and former president Patrick Hillery . It is part of the European Parliament constituency of South (5 seats). The population of Clare was 127,419 people at the 2022 census. The main urban areas are Ennis with a population of 27,923 and Shannon with 10,256. The demographic profile for Clare in general
9504-465: 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
9603-678: 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
9702-566: Was the Mesolithic site of Mount Sandel , County Londonderry . This bear bone was discovered in 1903 during an archaeological excavation but was not studied until over a century later. There was a Neolithic civilization in the Clare area—the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen : single-chamber megalithic tombs , usually consisting of three or more upright stones . Clare
9801-491: 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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