Rathcroghan. Digital image of Rathcroghan mound Face-on view of Rathcroghan mound Rathcroghan (Irish: Ráth Cruachan, meaning "ringfort of Cruachan") is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta.
While it is debatable whether this was a place of residence, it had huge importance as a cemetery and also hosted some of the main ritual gatherings in ancient times. It is an important site in Irish mythology, in particular as the seat of Ailill and Medb, king and queen of the Connachta in the Ulster Cycle. It is the setting for the opening section of the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the Táin Bó Flidhais. Mythology[edit] Origin[edit] According to a Dindshenchas poem, Cruachan was named after Crochen, the handmaid of Étaín, a sídhe maiden reborn as a mortal.
Ulster Cycle[edit] Cruachan features heavily in the Ulster Cycle as it was the home of one of its chief characters Queen Medb. Samhain[edit] Romania. Romania ( i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( )), formerly also spelled Roumania[8][9] and Rumania,[10][11] is a country located at the crossroads of Southeastern and Central Europe, on the Lower Danube, north of the Balkan Peninsula and the western shore of the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south. At 238,391 square kilometres (92,043 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the 7th largest population of the European Union with 20,121,641 people (October 2011). Its capital and largest city is Bucharest – the 6th largest city in the EU. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, Romania began its transition towards democracy and a capitalist market economy.
Etymology[edit] The use of the name Romania to refer to the common homeland of all Romanians—its modern-day meaning—is first documented in the early 19th century. Bulgaria. Coordinates: Bulgaria i/bʌlˈɡɛəriə/ (Bulgarian: България, IPA: [bɐɫˈɡarijɐ]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България, IPA: [rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ]), is a country located in south-eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 14th-largest country. Bulgaria's population of 7.4 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering, and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources.
The country's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991. History[edit] Prehistory and antiquity[edit] Athens. The city of Athens has a population of 664,046[1] (796,442 in 2004)[10] within its administrative limits and a land area of 39 km2 (15 sq mi).[11] The urban area of Athens (Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus) extends beyond the administrative municipal city limits, with a population of 3,074,160 (in 2011),[12] over an area of 412 km2 (159 sq mi).[11] According to Eurostat, the Athens Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 7th most populous LUZ in the European Union (the 4th most populous capital city of the EU), with a population of 4,013,368 (in 2004).
Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland. The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western civilization. The city also retains Roman and Byzantine monuments, as well as a smaller number of Ottoman monuments. Etymology[edit] History[edit] Statue of Theseus. Geography[edit] Edinburgh. Edinburgh ( i/ˈɛdɪnbərə/;[4] Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital city of Scotland, situated in Lothian on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.
It is the second most populous city in Scotland and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom.[5] The population in 2012 was 482,640.[6] Edinburgh has been recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, but political power moved south to London after the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and the Union of Parliaments in 1707. After nearly three centuries of unitary government, a measure of self-government returned in the shape of the devolved Scottish Parliament, which officially opened in Edinburgh in 1999. The city is also home to many national institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. Edinburgh is rich in associations with the past and has many historic buildings, including Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St.
Hill of Ward. The Hill of Ward (Irish: Tlachta, formerly Tlachtgha)[1] is a hill in County Meath, Ireland. It lies between Athboy (to the west) and Ráth Chairn (to the east). During medieval times it was the site of great festivals, including one at which winter fires were lit at Samhain, the forerunner of the modern Halloween. It is associated with the figure Tlachtga, a druidess in Irish mythology who is said to have given birth to triplets on the hill.
The Hill of Ward is the site of an Iron Age earthen ringfort, which was in later times associated with the Kings of Mide of and of Munster. The hill featured in Irish tales of Tlachtga and her father Mug Ruith, who was said to have ridden his flying machine roth rámach over it. The hill got its English name from a landowner, Ward, who had been evicted from his land during the invasion of Oliver Cromwell in 1649. References[edit] Jump up ^ Placenames Database of Ireland External links[edit] Aerial views of Hill of Ward Coordinates: Glasgow. Coordinates: Glasgow (/ˈɡlɑːzɡoʊ, ˈɡlæz-/;[4] Scots: Glesca; Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu) is the largest city in Scotland, and the 4th largest in the United Kingdom, and, as of the 2011 census, the Scottish city with the highest population density with 3,395 people per square kilometre.[5] It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians.
Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become one of the largest seaports in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric and royal burgh, and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major centre of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century the city also grew as one of Great Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America and the West Indies. History[edit] Early origins and development[edit] Trading port[edit] Industrialisation[edit] Glasgow George Square in 1966.