Ring, County Waterford
Encyclopedia
Ring is a Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...

 region on a peninsula in the western half of County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...

, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, approximately seven miles south of Dungarvan
Dungarvan
Dungarvan is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. Dungarvan is the county town and administrative centre of County Waterford. The town's Irish name means "Garbhan's fort", referring to Saint Garbhan who founded a church there in the seventh century...

 town.

Ring has many town lands but the main village is situated in Baile na nGall. It is a rapidly growing area that contains three schools, 2 primary schools (including the Coláiste na Rinne boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...

 Gaelscoil
Gaelscoil
A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....

) , 1 secondary , a restaurant, five pubs, a post office and a chain food shop. It also has two fishing piers/harbours (Baile na nGall and Helvick), two beaches (Connigar - and Baile na nGall) and a cove in Helvick.

Boarding school

Coláiste na Rinne is a boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...

 Gaelscoil (or Irish College)
Gaelscoil
A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....

 in Ring. It is a popular destination for teenagers taking summer school
Summer school
Summer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....

 courses in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

. During term time it accommodates sixth class and some seventh class students. (Seventh class is a non-compulsory year between sixth class of Primary school and First Year of Secondary School. Very few primary schools in Ireland offer a seventh class.) As Coláiste na Rinne is a Primary boarding school many students go on to secondary level boarding schools from here.

Many of the visiting students are accommodated by local families, many of whom only speak Irish at home. As such it is seen as a good way to improve the visitors' quality of spoken Irish.

Name

The official name of the area is An Rinn (Pronounced: "On Rine"), however the colloquial name in English for the area is Ring. Both An Rinn and Ring were present on the local road-signs until 2005, where the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency since 1992 and was previously a member of Seanad Éireann.-Early life:...

 changed policy, resulting in the English language version being removed from sign-posts. Due to the similarity of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 names - the impact was minimal.

Irish Language

The Irish language plays an important role in the area, and also to people within the region enabling them to immerse in the Irish language, which is pivotal for improving their linguistic abilities. However in recent times, English has seen widespread use in the area. The strongest age-group of Irish speakers is the 10-14 age category, of which 50.8% use the language on a daily basis outside of educational institutions. However, only 30% of the population on average uses the Irish language on a daily basis.

See also

  • Munster Irish
    Munster Irish
    Munster Irish is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Munster. Gaeltacht regions in Munster are found in the Dingle Peninsula Gaeltacht of west Kerry, in the Iveragh Peninsula in south Kerry, in Cape Clear Island off the coast of west Cork, in West Muskerry; Coolea,...

  • Rinn Ó gCuanach CLG
    Rinn Ó gCuanach CLG
    Rinn Ó gCuanach CLG is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Irish speaking area of An Rinn , Co. Phort Láirge , Ireland. The club enters teams of both GAA codes each year, which includes two adult Gaelic football teams and two adult Hurling teams in the Waterford County Championships...

  • List of towns and villages in Ireland
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