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Heaney, Seamus

(Encyclopedia)Heaney, Seamus (Seamus Justin Heaney) shāˈməs, hēˈnē [key], 1939–2013, Irish poet, one of the finest contemporary English poets, b. Londonderry (now Derry), Northern Ireland, grad. Queen's Uni...

Giorgio, Francesco di

(Encyclopedia)Giorgio, Francesco di (Francesco di Giorgio Martini) fränchāsˈkō dē jôrˈjō [key], 1439–1502, also called Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Italian engineer, architect, painter, and sculptor, b. ...

Certosa di Pavia

(Encyclopedia)Certosa di Pavia chārtôˈzä dē pävēˈä [key], former Carthusian abbey of Pavia. One of the most magnificent of all monastic structures, it has been maintained as a national monument since 1866....

Tuatha De Danann

(Encyclopedia)Tuatha De Danann to͞oˈəthə dā däˈnän [key], in Irish mythology, invaders of ancient Ireland before the Milesians. They were endowed with great supernatural powers, which enabled them to defeat...

Poland China swine

(Encyclopedia)Poland China swine, oldest breed of swine to have originated in the United States and one of the most popular. A number of strains have contributed to the development of this breed, notably the Irish ...

Ormonde, Thomas Butler, 10th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Ormonde, Thomas Butler, 10th earl of, 1532–1614, Irish nobleman. Brought up at the English court, he was the first of his family to embrace Protestantism. He succeeded to the earldom of Ormonde in 1...

hurling

(Encyclopedia)hurling, outdoor ball and stick game similar to field hockey (see hockey, field). The national pastime of Ireland, it was played for many centuries before the Gaelic Athletic Association standardized ...

Mangan, James Clarence

(Encyclopedia)Mangan, James Clarence măngˈgən [key], 1803–49, Irish poet. He spent most of his life as a clerk, eventually slipping into alcoholism and opium addiction. His reputation rests on his English rend...

Ribble

(Encyclopedia)Ribble, river, c.75 mi (120 km) long, rising in the Pennines, North Yorkshire, N England, and flowing SW across Lancashire to the Irish Sea through a long, narrow estuary. Its chief tributary is the H...

Brooke, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Brooke, Henry, c.1703–1783, Irish author. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he studied law in London before returning to Ireland permanently. In 1735 he published his long philosophical poem, Uni...