English and Irish History and Culture

Vocabulary flashcards about English and Irish history and culture, based on lecture notes.

The BRIT Awards

Biggest annual event in the British musical landscape, awarding a statuette inspired by Britannia.

The BRIT School

Europe’s first school for performing arts, founded by the British Record Industry Trust.

Glastonbury

Major music festival in contemporary British culture, founded by Michael Eavis in 1970.

Reading / Leeds

Pair of annual music festivals taking place simultaneously in Reading and Leeds during the August bank holiday.

Radio 1’s Big Weekend

Annual festival held by BBC Radio 1 in a different location within the UK each year, known as the biggest free-ticketed music festival in Europe.

Top of the Pops

Music charts programme on BBC aired each Thursday night, starting in 1961 and declining in the late 90s-2006.

Britpop

Mid-1990s British-based cultural movement emphasizing Britishness, with bands like Oasis, Blur, Suede, and Pulp.

PM

Refers to the Prime Minister of the UK

MPs

Refers to the Members of Parliament

Devolution

The process of giving more devolved powers to each country that makes up the UK (except England).

ConDem

Hung parliament that occurred in 2010 between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Gaeltacht

Island’s districts, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.

Saint Patrick

The saint who ‘Christianized’ Ireland

Irish Backstop

A kind of safety net idea designed to avoid a hard border with checks and fences between NI & Republic of Ireland

Mesolithic

Settlers from Scotland into Northern Ireland.

Celtic People

Migration of the Celts from central Europe and one of the main influences on the country’s identity

Penal Laws

Series of measures to enforce Anglicanism and British influence

Charles Parnell

Leader who called for independent government by criticising the high rents paid by Irish tenants.

Penal Colony

A settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location

Easter Rising

Revolutionary period leading to the Anglo-Irish War

Cessation of military activities

Announcement by the IRA but did not last very long, followed by the Good Friday Agreement.

Statute of Westminster

Act that removed British legislative authority.