Scotland

Hailes (ball game) Hailes or clacken is a Scottish ball game which dates to the 18th century and achieved its widest popularity in the nineteenth. It has now virtually died out, replaced by football, except at the Edinburgh Academy, where an exhibition match is played annually. The game is similar to shinty but played with wooden bats known as clackens. John Hugh Lockhart at Abbotsford with clacken and ball The picture on the right, which appeared as the frontispiece to an 1829 edition of Scott's Tales of a Grandfather shows Scott's grandson, John Hugh Lockhart with a clacken and ball at Abbotsford. The design of the clacken, as described in the Encyclopaedia of Sport in 1898 as "a piece of wood about 18 inches long and has a head about 4 inches wide and ½ inch thick; just short of the head, the bat is thinned down to about ¼ inch from back to front, and again the head is thinned off towards the tip to make it easier to raise the ball from the ground." In his poems of 1804, W. and

Ireland Ireland (locally: /ˈɑːrlənd/; RP: /ˈaɪələnd/; GA: i/ˈaɪərlənd/; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remaining area and is located in the north-east of the island. The population of Ireland is about 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.[7] The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. Prehistoric Ireland saw the arrival of humans after 8000 BC. Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and education. History Prehistoric Ireland During the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice. Emergence of Celtic Ireland

Ireland Island in the North Atlantic Ocean Ireland ( YRE-lənd; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( Geopolitically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), an independent state covering five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2022, the population of the entire island is just over 7 million, with 5.1 million living in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain.[5] The geography of Ireland comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century AD. Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the field of literature. Etymology The names Ireland and Éire derive from Old Irish Ériu, a goddess in Irish mythology first recorded in the ninth century. History Prehistoric Ireland Gaelicisation Partition

Kilt One of the earliest depictions of the kilt is this German print showing Highlanders in about 1630 The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic (and more specifically Gaelic) heritage even more broadly. Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games and sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable informal male clothing in recent years, returning to its roots as an everyday garment. History[edit] The kilt first appeared as the great kilt, the breacan or belted plaid, during the 16th century, and is Gaelic in origin. Variants[edit] The name "kilt" is applied to a range of garments: Scottish kilt[edit] The modern Scottish kilt worn with formal evening wear (2009) Design and construction[edit] Fabrics[edit] Setts[edit]

Mexico Mexico ( i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México [ˈmexiko] ( )), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos ),[9][10][11][12] is a federal republic in North America. In pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before first contact with Europeans. Etymology After New Spain won independence from Spain, it was decided that the new country would be named after its capital, Mexico City, which was founded in 1524 on top of the ancient Aztec capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Mēxihco was the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, namely, the Valley of Mexico, and its people, the Mexica, and surrounding territories which became the future State of Mexico as a division of New Spain prior to independence (compare Latium). The suffix -co is the Nahuatl locative, making the word a place name. History Ancient cultures Archaic period Classic periods (1500 BC–700 AD)

Wales Country in northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmri] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.[10] It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, development of the mining and metallurgical industries transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation; the South Wales Coalfield's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales' population. Although Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain and, while a majority of the population in most areas speaks English as a first language, the country has retained a distinct cultural identity. Etymology History Prehistoric origins Roman era Post-Roman era Medieval Wales Statue of Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 or 1359 – c. 1416) at Cardiff City Hall

Tartan Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns. The Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring the warrior clans under government control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were only associated with either regions or districts, rather than any specific clan. The patterns were simply different regional checked-cloth patterns, chosen by the wearer's preference – in the same way as people nowadays choose what colours and patterns they like in their clothing, without particular reference to propriety. Etymology and terminology[edit] The English word tartan is derived from the French tiretain. Construction[edit] Diagram A, the warp Diagram B, the weft Diagram C, the tartan.

England England ( i/ˈɪŋɡlənd/) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.[1][2][3] It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies north west of England, whilst the Celtic Sea lies to the south west. The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England's terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. Toponymy The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means "land of the Angles".[10] The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. An alternative name for England is Albion. History Prehistory and antiquity The earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago.

Amsterdam Capital and most populous city of the Netherlands Capital city and municipality in North Holland, Netherlands Amsterdam ( AM-stər-dam, AM-stər-DAM,[9][10] Dutch: [ˌɑmstərˈdɑm] ( listen), lit. Amsterdam was founded at the Amstel, that was dammed to control flooding; the city's name derives from the Amstel dam.[16] Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, and became the leading centre for the finance and trade sectors.[17] In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered the oldest "modern" securities market stock exchange in the world. A few of Amsterdam's notable residents throughout its history include: painters Rembrandt and Van Gogh, the diarist Anne Frank, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza. History[edit] Prehistory[edit] Etymology and founding[edit]

Sport in Scotland Sport plays a central role in Scottish culture. The temperate, oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution of sport in Scotland, with all-weather sports like association football, rugby union and golf dominating the national sporting consciousness. However, many other sports are played in the country, with popularity varying between sports and between regions. Scotland has its own sporting competitions and governing bodies, such as the Camanachd Association,the Scottish Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby League. Highland games, the largest and most widespread multi-sport festivals of the 19th century,[1] are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. [edit] Ever since the 19th century, the two main football codes in Scotland are association football (which is more commonly referred to as just "football" or "fitba") and rugby union, though the former being significantly dominant since World War II. [edit] [edit]

Thailand Thailand (/ˈtaɪlænd/ TY-land or /ˈtaɪlənd/ TY-lənd;[11] Thai: ประเทศไทย, RTGS: Prathet Thai), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย, RTGS: Ratcha Anachak Thai; IPA: [râːt.tɕʰā ʔāːnāːtɕàk tʰāj] ( )), formerly known as Siam (Thai: สยาม; RTGS: Sayam), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama IX, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.[12] The king of Thailand is titled Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Adherent of Buddhism, and Upholder of religions.[13] Etymology SPPM Mongkut Rex Siamensium History 20th century Politics and government

Rick Steves' Travel Blog The Soup Dragons History[edit] The Soup Dragons formed in Bellshill, a town near Glasgow, in 1985.[1] The line up was Sean Dickson (vocals, lead guitar), Jim McCulloch (guitar, second voice) who replaced Ian Whitehall and Sushil K. Dade (bass). The original drummer, Ross A. Sinclair, left the group after the first proper album, This Is Our Art, to pursue a career in art, and was replaced by Paul Quinn. Discography[edit] Albums[edit] Singles[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]

Poland Poland i/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi),[7] making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people,[7] Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world,[9] the sixth most populous member of the European Union, and the most populous post-communist member of the European Union. Two decades later, in September 1939, World War II started with the invasions of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (as part of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). Etymology The origin of the name Polanie itself is uncertain. History Prehistory Piast dynasty Jagiellon dynasty