Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [643]
Red Hand Commandos – illegal Loyalist paramilitary group
Red Hand Defenders – breakaway Loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1998 by dissident UFF and LVF members
Republic of Ireland – the 26 counties of the South
Republican – supporter of a united Ireland
Republicanism – belief in a united Ireland, sometimes referred to as militant nationalism
ring fort – circular habitation area surrounded by banks and ditches, used from the Bronze Age right through to the Middle Ages, particularly in the early Christian period
RTE – Radio Telefís Éireann; the national broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland, with two TV and four radio stations
RUC – Royal Ulster Constabulary, the former name for the armed Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
sassenach – Irish word for Saxon, used to refer to anyone from England
SDLP – Social Democratic and Labour Party; the largest nationalist party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, instrumental in achieving the Good Friday Agreement; its goal is a united Ireland through nonviolent means; mostly Catholic
Seanad – upper house of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland; see also Oireachtas and Dáil
seisiún – music session
shamrock – three-leafed plant said to have been used by St Patrick to illustrate the Holy Trinity
shebeen – from the Irish ‘síbín’; illicit drinking place or speakeasy
sheila-na-gig – literally ‘Sheila of the teats’; female figure with exaggerated genitalia, carved in stone on the exteriors of some churches and castles; various explanations have been offered for the iconography, ranging from male clerics warning against the perils of sex to the idea that they represent Celtic war goddesses
shillelagh – stout club or cudgel, especially one made of oak or blackthorn
shinners – mildly derogatory nickname of members of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin – literally ‘We Ourselves’; a Republican party with the long-term aim of a united Ireland; seen as the political wing of the IRA but it maintains that both organisations are completely separate
slí – hiking trail or way
snug – partitioned-off drinking area in a pub
souterrain – underground chamber usually associated with ring and hill forts; probably provided a hiding place or escape route in times of trouble and/or storage space for goods
South, the – Republic of Ireland
standing stone – upright stone set in the ground, common across Ireland and dating from a variety of periods; some are burial markers
taoiseach – Republic of Ireland prime minister
TD – teachta Dála; member of the lower house (Dáil) of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland
teampall – church
Tinkers – derogatory term used to describe Irish itinerant communities that roam the country; see also Travellers
trá – beach or strand
Travellers – the term used today to describe Ireland’s itinerant communities
Treaty – Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which divided Ireland and gave relative independence to the South; cause of the 1922–23 Civil War
trian – district
Tricolour – green, white and orange Irish flag designed to symbolise the hoped-for union of the ‘green’ Catholic Southern Irish with the ‘orange’ Protestant Northern Irish
turlough – a small lake that often disappears in dry summers; from the Irish ‘turlach’
UDA – Ulster Defence Association; the largest Loyalist paramilitary group; it has observed a ceasefire since 1994
UDP – Ulster Democratic Party; a small fringe Unionist party with links to the banned Loyalist UFF
UFF – Ulster Freedom Fighters, aka the Ulster Defence Association; this group supports the Good Friday Agreement and has been on ceasefire since 1994
uillean pipes – Irish bagpipes with a bellow strapped to the arm; ‘uillean’ is Irish for ‘elbow’
Ulster – one of the four ancient provinces of Ireland; a term sometimes used to describe the six counties of the North, despite the fact that Ulster also includes Counties Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal (all in the Republic); see also Connaught, Leinster and Munster
Unionism – belief in the political union with Britain
Unionist – person who wants to