Irish history Essay

Rose Fitzgerald – wife of Joseph Kennedy, Sr. and matriarch of a U. S. political dynasty – was born of a proud Boston Irish family. Her last name however betrays origins that were other than Irish. In fact, the name â€Å"Fitz-Gerald† indicates that her first Irish ancestor to bear that name was the son of a Norman knight or nobleman who was begotten â€Å"in the wrong bed,† so to speak. Irish legends say that the island had been invaded several times before the arrival of the Celts around 250 B. C. E. (Austin, 2007). In historical times however, Ireland was virtually untouched for centuries; Romans never got to the island, nor did the early Germanic invaders that turned Romano-Celtic Britain into England starting around 450 C. E. By the time of the first Viking raid nearly 350 years later, the Celtic inhabitants of Ireland had retained their unique and ancient Celtic culture and language in a pure form for nearly a millennium. Even Christianity didn’t have a huge effect on the core culture, and there is evidence that suggests some druidic practices were integrated into early Celtic Christianity, which differed significantly from Roman Catholicism prior to the Council of Whitby (Griffin, 2000). Interestingly, Celtic languages historically are lost in the face of an invasion by a more aggressive culture. The Celtic language of Gaul was almost completely replaced by Latin, and in the face of Germanic invaders from the Continent, Brythonic (Welsh and Cornish) and Scots Gaelic retreated into the mountainous fringe of Britain. However, Scandinavians (from whom Normans were descended) invading Gaelic-speaking Ireland ultimately wound up adopting the language and the culture. This is probably due less to the durability of Irish culture than it is to Scandinavian adaptability. Wherever Scandinavian Vikings conquered and settled – from Russia to Normandy, or around the Mediterranean – they eventually became assimilated by the culture and language of those they had conquered. In the case of the early Norsemen, political conquest and colonization of Ireland was not a primary goal. For the first two centuries, raids were conducted for the purpose of booty. Only later, starting in the tenth century, did Norse Vikings begin building their port cities – Dublin, Wexford, Waterford and Cork – and begin to settle in. The purposes of the towns were to serve as bases from which raids on England could be launched. Archaeological evidence suggests that over the following two centuries, the Norse who started to spread out into the countryside around their towns were â€Å"heavily Hibernicized† (Oxford Companion, 1999). In the case of the Anglo-Normans however, there were additional factors – political, social and environmental – that led to the decline of their dominance and subsequent assimilation into Irish culture. The first Anglo-Normans in Ireland actually arrived as mercenaries two years prior to the â€Å"official† date of 1169. They had been hired by the ousted King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough in order to reclaim his throne. At the time, their was a great deal of internecine warfare in Ireland at the time over the throne and title of High King, providing what was basically an opportunity for the bastard offspring of Norman knights who otherwise would remain landless. Anglo-Norman intervention began in earnest with the arrival of over five hundred fighters between May of 1169 and August of 1170 (Oxford Companion, 17). Eventually – and despite attempted intervention (with papal blessing) on the part of King Henry II, Norman families such as Le Gros, Prendergast, FitzStephen, FitzGerald, FitzHenry and Le Poer had secured virtual kingdoms for themselves by 1200 (Wikipedia, 2007). Events in Ireland during the early 13th Century eventually led to the dissolution of these Norman principalities as the native Gaelic-speaking Irish began to reassert themselves. Part of the reduction of Norman influence in Ireland had to do with inheritance laws; land was divided among all sons, not just the eldest, which led to the reduction in size and power of Norman lands. Periodic famines also served to reduce Norman power in Ireland. Over the next hundred and fifty years, two additional events led to the decline of Norman power in Ireland. First was the invasion of Scottish king Edward Bruce, who rallied the Gaelic nobility against the Sassunach. The other was the Black Death 0f 1347-1350. This plague reduced the population of Europe by a third. Urban dwellers – such as the Anglo-Normans of Ireland – were affected in much greater numbers than those living in the countryside, which was the case of Gaelic-speaking Irish. As the English-controlled areas became confined to the lands in and around Dublin (called â€Å"The Pale†), the Hiberno-Norman lords in the hinterlands began to adopt the Irish language, allying themselves with the native Irish in politics and warfare, and remained Catholic despite the Reformation (Barry, 1988) . This process of â€Å"Hibernicization† was well underway by 1400; it so troubled the English authorities in Dublin that they passed laws in 1367 in an attempt to stop those of English (Norman) descent from intermarrying with the Irish and adopting the language and culture. The statutes had little effect, however because of the Dublin government’s limited authority outside of The Pale. Archaeological evidence of Norman occupation of the Irish countryside includes the remains of numerous â€Å"mottes,† or remains of castles, scattered throughout the country. However, there are some places where Normans are indicated to have lived in written records such as the Irish Annals, where remains of these â€Å"mottes† are not found. It is possible that â€Å"ringworks† – earthen forts – may have been present in these areas (McNeill, 1999). An archaeological dig at Caherguillamore in County Limerick sheds some light on daily life in Ireland during the late Middle Ages. The construction and layout of the houses discovered in this area is similar to those on feudal Norman manors one would expect to find in France and England (Barry, 1988). They appear to be long houses with a central hearth, typical of Scandinavian construction which Normans retained long after becoming culturally and linguistically French. A coin found at the site from the reign of Edward I dates the houses’ construction to the decades on either side of 1300. There does not appear to have been any sort of genre as â€Å"Norman-Irish† or â€Å"Norman-Gaelic† literature, although the latter term was used in the 1940’s by Austin Clarke to describe poetry such as Feuch fein an obair-se a Aodh , which, while strongly Irish in its subject matter and structure, bears some resemblance to the â€Å"courtly love† poems of the French troubadours, which whom most Norman nobility would have had some familiarity with (Carney, 1955). This cross-pollination seems to have gone both ways; Bebedeit’s Voyage of Saint Brendan, dedicated to the wives of Henry I, was adapted from the Irish saga Navigatio Sanctis Brendani, an account of what may have been an early Irish voyage to North America in the 5th Century (Harper-Bill, 2003). Beyond this, there is little in the way of true â€Å"Anglo-Norman-Irish† literature or prose. According to an article in The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, there were three reasons for this. First of all, the vernacular language of Ireland – Irish Gaelic – was difficult for English speakers then as now, and very few inside The Pale would have bothered to learn it. Secondly, those Norman-English living within The Pale were busy trying to hold on to what they had in the face of rebellion by the native Gaels. The Third reason has to do with the entire assimilation issue: separated from their kinsmen in England and on the Continent, surrounded by native Irish speakers, it was inevitable that the Anglo Normans living outside The Pale should be drawn away from the Anglo-French literary traditions and into the Irish Gaelic forms (Bartleby, 2005). The Scandinavian influence – particularly that of the Normans – on European history can hardly be underestimated. The Vikings and their Norman descendants were a dynamic people who, for all their violent ways, created energetic societies wherever they went. Had William the Conqueror failed in 1066, English would presently sound a great like Dutch or German, and the socio-political landscape would look very different today. This energy may be exactly what has allowed Irish culture to survive, despite seven centuries of what was often harsh, cruel and even murderous oppression on the part of the Protestant English beginning around 1600. This vigorous culture was ultimately transplanted to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the U. S. especially, people of Irish descent read like a â€Å"Who’s Who† of American history. The fact that the Irish who came to the U. S. – who were initially despised and discriminated against violently – eventually rose to prominence and produced some of the greatest political leaders and literary figures in the nation owe their energy in part to the contribution of Scandinavians and their Anglo-Norman descendants. Works Cited The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. (1907–21). (Vol. XIV). The Oxford Companion to Irish History. (1999). ). Oxford: Oxford University Press A Companion To The Anglo Norman World.(2003). ). Suffolk: Boydell Press. Norman Ireland. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 April 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Norman_Ireland Barry, T. B. (1988). The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland. London: Routledge. Carney, J. (1955). Studies in Irish Literature and History. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Griffith, P. (2000). Celtic Cross Development. Retrieved 2 April 2007, from http://www. bluhorizonlines. org/cros/cros2. html Mcneill, T. (1999). Castles in Ireland: Feudal Power in a Gaelic World. London: Routledge.

The Impact of E-Commerce on International Business Essay

The Impact of E-Commerce on International Business - Essay Example And e-commerce often becomes handy in making products or services available to the consumer that may not be available in his country/area of residence. In simple words, e-commerce makes international markets easier, cheaper, and faster for the vendor as well as the consumer. But it must be admitted that e-commerce has its own disadvantages too, especially while coming to Internet security and delay in receiving the product ordered. The study on â€Å"Impact of E-Commerce on International Marketing† conducted by Payman, Rosamaria, Marco, Anand, Robert and Xiaowen in 2006 defines e-commerce as follows: â€Å"Electronic commerce primarily consists of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products or services over electronic communications systems such as the Internet and other computer networks like extranets, e-mail, e-books, databases and mobile phones† (Payman, Rosamaria, Macro, Anand, Robert, and Xiaowen). All kinds of commerce including B2B, B2 C and C2C activities are performed in a number of ways including electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, online marketing, etc. As per the above mentioned study (Payman et al.), a voluminous sale of $12.2 billion took place in 2003 via e-commerce. Today, the World Wide Web has emerged as the exclusive venue of e-commerce ventures as it is the most widespread communication network of the world. A number of e-commerce companies took their shape in 1990s, but the â€Å"dot.com† collapse of 2000 and 2001 was a major setback for them. It was at the beginning of the new millennium that e-commerce received the popular attention and acceptance which it boasts about today. The extent and expansion of e-commerce relies cliquishly on the expansion of technology. E-Commerce is widespread in almost all the developed countries but it is still in primary stages of growth in many industrialized countries and is apparently non-existent in a good proportion of the third world count ries. Electronic Commerce is, of course, a new methodology in global trade and commerce. A paper by Kuzic, Fisher and Scollar that studies the impact of e-commerce in Australia points out that e-commerce has its own tangible and intangible benefits. As Kuzic, Fisher and Scollary state, e-commerce is mainly â€Å"enhanced business efficiency, a boost in the automation of processes, transformation of traditional market chain, retained and expanded customer base, reduced operation costs and acquisition of a niche market† which are regarded as the tangible benefits; and, â€Å"enhancing education and well-being of consumers, consumer loyalty, competitive advantage and convenient shopping† are the intangible advantages. Many of these are clearly benefits that no other way of trading involves. E-Commerce is beneficial not only for the merchant but also for the consumer because it offers a wide range of products to choose the best from, and the remarkable speed of the process es cannot be found anywhere else. Compared to traditional markets, the transactions take place between the seller and buyer directly and no intermediates are present contrary to the traditional markets. When we think how the international market has been benefited out of e-commerce, a common opinion

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Auditing - Essay Example It means that the internal control process helps to ensure that the company's financial reporting i.e. the preparation of annual and interim financial statements along with the earning reports is done with utmost responsibility and integrity. Because the published financial statements go a long way in influencing the decisions of various stakeholders, it is the most crucial responsibility of internal control system to provide assurance with respect to the reliability of financial information. The third objective is to ensure that all the legal requirements as well as laws and regulations pertaining to the organization are met (Internal Control - Integrated Framework, retrieved 24.01.07). It is one of the most important responsibilities of management to ensure the fair financial reporting under GAAP. This includes the company's balance sheet, income statement and the statement of cash flows with material considerations, as mentioned in Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 69. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (Section 302) also requires the company's management to ensure fair reporting of financial information in the financial statements (McEnroe, 2005). ... The internal audit system of TPC should also meet the above mentioned objectives. The company's auditing objectives can be met with the help of a proper channel of communication which guides the audit team towards the accomplishment of these objectives. To gauge the extent to which the organization achieves these objectives, the internal control system should be combined with sufficient control tests. These tests can help TPC to check any possible deviations from the internal control system's operational, financial and regulatory objectives (Internal Control - Integrated Framework, retrieved 24.01.07). The internal auditor team should check the effectiveness and lacking of the internal control system on a regular basis so as to figure out any discrepancies and make corrections (Willis and Lightle, 2000). Reference List Internal Control - Integrated Framework. COSO: The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2007 from the World Wide Web:http://www.coso.org/publications/executive_summary_integrated_framework.htm Willis, D.M. and Lightle, S.S. (2000). Management Reports on Internal Controls. Journal of Accountancy. Retrieved January 23, 2007 from the World Wide Web:http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/oct2000/willis.htm McEnroe, J.E. (April, 2005). Beyond GAAP: Issues Involving the Sarbanes-Oxley Certification Language, the CPA Journal, Retrieved January 26, 2007 from the World Wide http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2005/405/perspectives/p18.htm Weirich, T.R.., Arndt, T.L., Ciesielski, J.T. (Sept., 2005). Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Section 404: Basics on Internal Control Reports. The RMA Journal. Retrieved January 26,

Knowledge-Sharing Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledge-Sharing Tools - Essay Example A blog may be run from individual diaries to aims of media programmes, political campaigns as well as corporations in addition to from one infrequent author to a big community of authors. Most blogs are interactive and facilitate visitors to write and leave comments resulting in a community of readers focused on the blog whereas others are not interactive (Pellen & Miller, 2013). There are several benefits associated with blogs. Thus, blogs can be used as a principal source of news since they are suitable for sharing particularly breaking news with a large online audience, immediate reporting of conferences and events. Thus event updates which go out to people are current and offer personal perspective. The other advantage of a blog is that it can be used for conversations and can be utilized as a springboard to debate as well as voice opinions (Pellen & Miller, 2013). By its very nature, a blog can act as an avenue for individuals to pause from conventional communication approaches that seem to match the organizational red tape (Hastings & Domegan, 2013).Blogs also allow the hearing of human voice via reviews, commentaries and interviews which have been written by real people on the basis of first-hand experience. Consequently a blog that is well-written usually bonds with readers on a personal level, implying that it is the personal voice of the blogger that is ‘heard’. The other benefit of a blog is for personal and project information management meaning that a blog can act as a daily digest of news and activities. A blog is a one-stop shop for one’s videos, photos, web links and documents (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Lastly a blog is beneficial in the sense that it facilitates knowledge sharing since blogging dictates that writers offer adequate links to extra information and resources. Such information is distilled, selected as well as organized to assist in elucidating and improving the understanding of the

Third Estate Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Third Estate Paper - Essay Example The first estate comprised religious leaders and the clergy who were the smallest minority, but wielded a great deal of powers and influence in the country. The clergy is known to have owned up to one fifth of the land in France, and had great influence on the monarch. These were exempted from paying taxes and were assigned a number of workers in the churches. The second estate was the ruling class who had immense control and effect upon the third estate and worked to ensure that the rights of members of the third estate were infringed upon to avoid any form of opposition. Because of the unfair treatment members of the third estate received from the first and second estates, there arose revolutionists among them and through the works of the likes of Sieyes, they revolted against the political system, bringing the caste system down, leading to the declaration of human rights, and since the a just and fair society. 2.0. Discussion. The events elaborated in this paper took place before the French revolution in the years preceding 1788. The political situation at this time was dominated by the first and second classes, which were the Catholic Church and the monarch respectively. The knowledge prevailing at this time was that the clergy and nobility were ordained by God and that no one had the right to question whatever they did as they were ‘holy’ and only answerable to God. Noble authority was guided by four characteristics: that it was holy, paternal, absolute, and ruled with a reason. It was, then to be revered by everyone (Hibbert 283). This was the period preceding the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Catholic Church. The church was so influential that the papacy dictated every aspect of human life including ethical, moral, religious, and political organization of the society. The church, therefore, grew alongside secular powers, with the two depending on each other mutually for their existence. The persons of this time were largely cl assified into three groups: those who fought (the nobility), those who prayed (the church), and those who labored (the peasantry). The greatest concern for the three groups was power and influence. The church and nobility attained this by instilling ideologies of fear among the third estate that they were a special select by God and that serving them amounted to serving God. For a long tie, they managed to scare the people of the lower class until the time of the Investiture Controversy that saw the second class question the powers and authority of the church. They overthrew the church and took its place in the first estate. The third class, o the other hand, was busy looking for ways it could overthrow the nobility to form a nation of their own where there would be equality among all (Bienvenu 351). In the late 16th century, relations between the king and Estate Generals began to deteriorate, leading to the epoch events where Estate Generals began to break off form the main kingdom power. These further led to the onset of the French Revolution characterized by weeks and months of civil unrest, especially by members of the third estate. The revolution was brought to an end after the first and second estates agreed to include representatives from the third estate in the governing body and reforms

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 23

Reflection - Essay Example The development of the sporting activity was promoted by the technological advancement after the world war two, it was further supported by the car industry involvement in the sporting activity like Ford. From the video, it is relatively clear that the sporting activity was promoted by the increased interest of the teenagers in Southern California from the year 1937. These were further promoted by the development of the southern California timing association that was involved in organizing events. Young people in schools were crazy with the sporting activities with each student wanting to own a car. Those who had cars spent most of their time in the garage to ensure that they had working cars that can be used for car racing. The parents and the authorities could not be able to stop the behaviour that was getting rampant among youths in South California. It can be said, with relative conviction that the current view of the sporting activity is different from what people thought of it in the past. The drag racing had gained a bad reputation among parents, police and media. This was due to the fact there were a number of accidents that were involved at that time. The fatal one was when Bruce, Nick and Dennis lost their lives while racing in Los Angeles. Further the activity was not a sport, hence did not get that attention of a sporting activity. The racing activity attracted people who were there just there for fun. For instance, at this time, there was no timing of the events, there were no prices given to the winners and entrance fee. People participated just to win and have fun. Thus, I think that that was the reason as to why there was a poor reputation of the sporting adding to the fact that there were a number of road accidents associated with it. The period post-World War II, gave rise to more sophisticated cars that were developed from the then technological advancement. Most vehicle producing companies had invested in

MGT Week 9 SA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGT Week 9 SA - Research Paper Example When a particular question has to be answered, as in the case study of Florida State University, triangulation methods are suitable. The mixed approach study revealed how different methodologies can be combined to enhance research results’ validity. Qualitative researches are more suitable for exploring broad matters whether it is a perspective or a particular question while quantitative researches are more useful for results that can be measured or calculated. Observation is a key tool that is used in qualitative researches for getting the required information. Personal observation in qualitative research methodology adds reliability to the results because minor details are taken into account that are normally missed out in quantitative methodology. When a mixed approach is used to carry out the research, benefits of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are combined which enhance the research. For example, use of observation and interviews in addition to surveys helps the researchers uncover more facts to draw the conclusions