# * 26-Counties: Most of Ireland; became independent from Britain after the Easter rising of 1916 and the war of independence fought by the IRA between 1919-1922; also called the `Free State', 'Eire' or 'the Republic'. * 2FM: Irish national pop radio station * 6-Counties: Also called 'the North'. Portion of Ireland under British government rule, which usually refers to it as 'Northern Ireland'. Called 'Ulster' by unionists, a deliberate error. A * Aer Rianta: State-sponsored body which manages Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports. * Aer Rianta International:Subsidiary of above operating in Moscow, Dubai and other overseas locations. * AIB: Allied Irish Bank. * Alliance Party: A small northern political party which wishes to maintain the union with Britain. Led by Lord Alderdice. * Andersonstown News: Weekly from West Belfast. Strongly nationalist. * ALONE: A charity focusing on the care of the elderly. * An Glor Gafa/The Captive Voice: Newspaper produced by Irish Republican Political Prisoners. * An Phoblacht/Republican News. The official newspaper of the Irish Republican Movement. * AP/RN: (See above) * APSO: Agency for Personal Service Overseas. * An Bord Bia: The Food Board - responsible for the marketing of Irish food products (except fish) overseas. * An Bord Gais Eireann: The Irish Gas Board - a State-sponsored body responsible for the distribution of natural gas. * An Post: The semi-state body operating the postal service. * An Taisce: National voluntary body monitoring heritage and environment. * Ard Chomhairle: Leadership or 'high council.' * Ard Fheis: Annual Convention, usually of a Political Party. * ASTI: Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland. B * BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation. Available in much of Ireland * Belfast Telegraph: Pro-Unionist daily newspaper. * BIM: Bord Iascaigh Mhara (State body with responsibility for promoting the fishing industry). * B&I: Originally the British and Irish Steamship Company. Now a ferry company owned by the Irish Continental line and with a number of services between Ireland and Britain. * B of I: Bank of Ireland. * Bord Failte: The Irish Tourist Board. * Bord na Mona: State-sponsored body responsible for peat production. * Bord Trachtala: State Board to assist Irish Exporters. * Bus Eireann: A subsidiary of CIE responsible for bus services outside of Dublin. C * Cabinet: Government decision making body. Chaired by Taoiseach. Government Ministers. The Attorney General and the Chief Whip are seated members but cannot participate in decision-making. * CAC: Continuity Army Council. Small new republican organisation engaged in armed actions. Claim to be "the true IRA". Goals are similar to those of RSF. * CAO: Central Applications Office - manages the process by which students are awarded places at third level colleges. Based in Galway. * Chief Whip: The TD appointed by the Taoiseach to ensure his/her colleagues are available when Dail votes occur. Also negotiates the order of Dail business with the Whips of the opposition parties. * CLMC: Combined Loyalist Military Command - a grouping of loyalist the loyalist paramilitary UVF, UFF/UDA and the Red Hand Commando * CIE: Coras Iompair Eireann (The State Transport Company). * Conradh na Gaelige: Organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of Irish language and culture. * Ceann Comhairle: Speaker (or Chairman) of the Dail (Parliament). * CONCERN: A Third World development agency. * Constituency: Electoral region, usually about 30,000-40,000 voters. * CSO: Central Statistics Office. * CSW: Council for the Status of Women see NWC National Women's Council. * Cumann: Local organisation or constituent 'society' of a larger organisation. D * Dail: Parliament of the 26-counties. * DART: Dublin Area Rapid Transport - the suburban rail service which operates between Howth and Bray (to be extended to Greystones by 1998) * Democratic Left: Left-wing political party but with some extreme right-wing policies; broke away from Workers' Party. * DCU: Dublin City University. * DL: See Democratic Left. * Drumcree: Site of major confrontations for past two years between Orange Order marchers and local nationalist residents. * Downtown Radio: Belfast-based radio station * DUP: Democratic Unionist Party - Extreme Unionist party. Led by Ian Paisley. E * Eire: See 26-Counties * ESB: Electricity Supply Board - State owned company which generates and supplies electricty throughout the Republic. * EU: European Union; formerly EC or EEC. F * FAI: Football Association of Ireland (Soccer's Governing body in the South). * FAIT: Bogus peace organisation, now in decline. Funded by the British government. * FAS: State-sponsored industrial training board; also involved in job placement. * FCA: Forsa Cosanta Aitiuil: Irish National Guard. * F.F.: Fianna Fail - 26-County Political Party; conservative, generally nationalist - led by Bertie Aherne. * F.G.: Fine Gael - 26-County Political Party; conservative, with more secular social policies; generally unionist. Led by John Bruton. * Forbairt: State body chartered to develop indigenous industry also incorporates EOLAS which was responsible for technical support of industry, plus research and standards. * FOSF: Friends of Sinn Fein (Cairde Sinn Fein) - US based lobby and fund-raising organisation for Sinn Fein. * Foyle: The Derry region and river/estuary G * GAA: Gaelic Athletic Association (Governing Body for Hurling, Gaelic Football, and Handball). * Gaeltacht: Irish Speaking Regions. * Garda: Police - Full name is Garda Siochana ("Guardians of the peace"). Gardai is the plural of Garda. * GOAL: A Third World development agency. * GORTA: A Third World development agency focusing on rural development. * GUBU: Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre, unprecedented - was first coined by Dr Cruise O'Brien, a right-wing unionist. Used to describe corrupt or delinquent Irish government practices. H * H-Blocks; components of Long Kesh prison; site of 1981 hunger strike I * Iarnrod Eireann: A subsidiary of CIE responsible for train services. * IBEC: Irish Business and Employers' Confederation. * IBOA: Irish Bank Officials Association. * ICA: Irish Countrywomen's Association. * ICMSA: Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association. * ICTU: Irish Congress of Trade Unions. * IDA: Ireland Industrial Development Authority (State body chartered to attract foreign industry.) * IDB: Industrial Development Board (British state body chartered to attract foreign industry to the 6-counties). * IFA: Irish Farmers Association. * IFA: Irish Football Association (Soccer's Governing body in the 6-Counties). * IMI: Irish Management Institute. * INA: Irish Northern Aid - US-based Republican support organisation. * INLA: Irish National Liberation Army (small republican socialist organisation engaged in armed actions). * INTO: Irish National Teachers' Organisation. * IPLO: Irish People's Liberation Organisation (Breakaway group from INLA). * IRA: Irish Republican Army - army of Irish Volunteers engaged in armed struggle against the British forces in Ireland. * IRFU: Irish Rugby Football Union. * Irish News: Pro-SDLP daily newspaper * IRSM: Irish Republican Socialist Movement (includes the INLA and a political party, the IRSP) * IRTC: Independent Radio and Television Commission (Government appointed). * ITV: Independent Television. Available in much of Ireland as UTV. L * Labour Party: Small 26-County political party; left of centre on many issues. Led by Dick Spring. * LEDU: Group chartered with developing small indigenous industries throughout the North. (Local Employment Development Unit). * Long Kesh: Large prison housing most 6-county political prisoners; the H-Blocks are located here. * List system: Voting system used in May 6-County elections - seats assigned based on vote per party (in each constituency). * Loyalism: A sort of Unionism, traditionally more disposed to violence; proponents are 'loyal' to Great Britain. Includes a number of paramilitary organisations which have worked in collusion with British forces. M * Maze: British name for Long Kesh * MEP: Member of the European Parliament. * MI5: British military 'intelligence' organisation; operates undercover in Ireland, often in collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. * MP: Member of (the British) Parliament. N * NIE: Northern Ireland Electricity - company which delivers electricity supply throughout the North. Privatised in the early 1990's. * NIWC: Northern Ireland Women's Coalition * NIO: Northern Ireland Office - the administrative headquarters for the North, headed by Britain's direct ruler and a team of British Government Ministers. * NUI: National University of Ireland (UCD, UCC and UCG). * NWC: National Women's Council - Umbrella body for various women's organisations (formerly known as the Council for the Status of Women). O * Oireachtas: Name to cover both houses of the 26-County Parliament (ie. The Dail and the Seanad) and the President. * Orange Order: Extreme anti-Catholic religious/political organisation in 6-Counties; opposes 'popery', Unionist/Loyalist in political allegiance. Led by Martyn Smyth. * OPW: Office of Public Works (Responsible for State-owned buildings - old and new). P * PANI: Police Authority of Northern Ireland - Body partly responsible for setting policing policy in the 6-Counties. * PAF: Protestant Action Force. A small new loyalist paramilitary organisation, not part of the CLMC. * PAYE: Pay As You Earn - the system whereby people in employment, as opposed to the self-employed, have all their taxes deducted from their wages or salary. * PD: Progressive Democrats - Political party founded in the late 80's by Fianna Fail dissidents; policies variable. * PR: Proportional Representation - voting system employed in 26-Counties, namely STV - single transferable vote. * PRSI: Pay Related Social Insurance - a further deduction from the pay of people in employment to cover certain health and unemployment benefits. * PUP: Progressive Unionist Party - small fringe unionist party associated with the UVF. Q * QUB: Queen's University, Belfast. R * Radio Ulster: Belfast-based BBC radio station. * Red Hand Commando: Another loyalist paramilitary organisation, part of the CLMC. * Republican Movement: Describes the principle modern incarnation of the Irish republican tradition which draws on 18th century French republicanism and historical Irish influences, including Wolfe Tone, the United Irishmen, Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Easter Rising. Includes Sinn Fein and the IRA. * RDS: Royal Dublin Society (established originally to promote agriculture). * RIR: Royal Irish Regiment - British Army regiment formed in 1992 with the amalgamation of the UDR and Royal Irish Rangers. * RSF: Republican Sinn Fein - small breakaway Republican political party. Goals are similar to those of the CAC. * RTC: Regional Technical College - third level colleges situated in various cities and offering certificate, diploma and degree courses. * RTE: Radio Telefis Eireann (The state-owned broadcasting authority). RTE1 and Network2 are its two television channels. * RUC: Royal Ulster Constabulary - British militarised police force in the 6-Counties. * RVH: Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. S * Saoirse: Republican lobby group for freedom and justice for Ireland's political prisoners of war. * SAS: Special Air Services (An undercover wing of the British Army, some of whose members operate in the 6-Counties, largely above the law). * SDLP: Social Democratic and Labour Party (A nationalist political party in the 6-Counties). * Seanad: Senate (or upper house of Parliament) - must approve all legislation before it can become law. Styled on the British House of Lords. * Sinn Fein: A legal and independent political party within the Republican movement working to bring about a just and lasting peace in Ireland through peaceful political action. Led by Gerry Adams * SIPTU: Country's largest trade union (Services, Industrial Professional Technical Union). * Sky TV: British satellite TV station owned by Rupert Murdoch * Stena-Sealink/Stena-Sealink Line: Swedish-owned ferry company operating on various routes between Ireland and Britain. * Stormont: Buildings employed by many attempted 6-County parliaments. Seat of British rule in Ireland. * STV: SIngle transferable vote - see PR. T * Taoiseach: Prime Minister (Head of Government - the President is Head of State) * Tanaiste: Deputy Prime Minister. * TCD: Trinity College, Dublin. * T.D.: Teachta Dala (Member of the Dail). * Teagasc: State-sponsored agricultural research body. * Telecom Eireann: The semi-state body operating the telephone service. * Teoranta (Teo): Limited as in Limited company. * This Week: Popular RTE radio news programme. * TOM: Troops Out Movement - British based organisation working to bring about a withdrawal of British forces from Ireland. * Tories: British Conservative Party of government in Britain; supports continuing British occupation in Ireland. Led by John Major. * Trocaire: The Catholic Church's Third World development agency. U * UCC: University College Cork. * UCD: University College Dublin. * UCG: University College Galway. * UL or UoL: University of Limerick. * UDA: Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary organisation in the 6-Counties synonymous with the UFF; work largely in co-operation with undercover British forces. * Udaras na Gaeltachta: State-sponsored body responsible responsible for the development of industry and the language in Irish speaking areas. * UDC: Urban District Council. * UDP: Ulster Democratic Party - small unionist party with one or two elected councillors. Associated with the UDA/UFF. * UDR: Ulster Defence Regiment (Now renamed - a regiment of the British Army which operates in the 6-Counties. Many of its members were part-time and it was almost completely made up of Protestants). Amalgamated into the RIR. * UFF: Ulster Freedom Fighters (A loyalist paramilitary organisation. Synonymous with the UDA. * UKUP: United Kingdom Unionist Party. Small new unionist Party. * Ulster: Province of Ireland. Nine counties, including the 6-Counties and Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. * Unionism: Political philosophy supporting maintainence of British rule of the 6-Counties. * United Kingdom: Defined by British government as Britain and its offshore islands but also the 6-counties. * USI: Union of Students in Ireland. * UTV: Ulster Television - the independent commercial television channel serving the 6-Counties, part of ITV * UUP: Ulster Unionist Party - largest unionist party. Led by David Trimble * UVF: Ulster Volunteer Force (Loyalist paramilitary organisation). Allied to the PUP. V * VEC: Vocational Education Committee. * VHI: Voluntary Health Insurance Board (A State-sponsored company). W * WP: Workers' Party (a small left-wing political party).
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A glossary of terms and acronyms in daily use in Ireland, with an emphasis on the 6-counties. Taken from a variety of sources and slightly updated from the last time this was distributed. Additions or corrections welcomed.
