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Irish Acronyms
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 northern political party which wishes to maintain the union with
Britain but without the extreme attitudes of the loyalist parties.
ALONE
A charity focusing on the care of the elderly.
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 Éireann
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.
Árd Fheis
Annual Convention, usually of a Political Party
ASTI
Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland
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 here and Britain.
B of I
Bank of Ireland
Bord Fáilte
The Irish Tourist Board
Bord na Móna
State-sponsored body responsible for peat production
Bord Tráchtala
State Board to assist Irish Exporters
Bus Éireann
A subsidiary of CIE responsible for bus services outside of Dublin
Cabinet
Government decision making body. Chaired by Taoiseach. Government
Ministers, the Attorney General and (I think) the Chief Whip are
members.
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.
CIE
Coras Iompair Éireann (The State Transport Company)
Ceann Comhairle
Speaker (or Chairman) of the Dail (Parliament)
CCE
Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann (Irish Musicians Organisation)
CII
Confederation of Irish Industry (defunct since Jan., 1993)
CONCERN
A Third World development agency
CSO
Central Statistics Office
CSW
Council for the Status of Women see NWC National Women's Council
Dáil
Parliament
DART
Dublin Area Rapid Transport - the suburban rail service which operates
between Howth and Bray (to be extended to Greystones by 1998)
Democratic Left
Extreme Left-wing party - broke away away from Workers' Party when
Soviet-style socialism went out of fashion.
DCU
Dublin City University
DL
See Democratic Left
EOLAS
Formerly the IIRS = Institute for Industrial Research and Standards.
EOLAS has now been subsumed by Forbairt.
ESB
Electricity Supply Board - State owned company which generates and
supplies electricty throughout the Republic
ESRI
Economic and Social Research Institute
FAI
Football Association of Ireland (Soccer's Governing body in the South)
FÁS
State-sponsored industrial training board; also involved in job
placement
F.F.
Fianna Fáil (Country's largest Political Party)
F.G.
Fine Gael (Country's second largest Political Party)
FIE
Federation of Irish Employers (defunct since Jan., 1993)
Forbairt
State body chartered to develop indigenous industry also incorporates
EOLAS which was responsible for technical support of industry, plus
research and standards.
GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association (Governing Body for Hurling, Gaelic
Football, and Handball).
In Gaelic Games (hurling and football) scores are expressed in goals and
points. Three points are equal to one goal. Eg. A team scoring 0-9 (nine
points) beats a team scoring 2-2 (two goals and two points). Points are
given when the ball goes over the cross-bar and between the posts. To
score a goal the ball must go under the bar and between the posts.
Gaeltacht
Irish Speaking Regions
Garda
Police - Full name is Garda Siochana
Gardaí
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. The four words were used by Charles Haughey when it was
discovered that a wanted murderer was living at the home of the Attorney
General.
Iarnrod Éireann
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 (State body chartered to attract foreign
industry to Northern Ireland).
IFA
Irish Farmers Association
IFA
Irish Football Association (Soccer's Governing body in the North)
IMI
Irish Management Institute
IMPACT
Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union
INLA
Irish National Liberation Army (Illegal para-military Organisation)
INTO
Irish National Teachers' Organisation
IPLO
Irish People's Liberation Organisation (Breakaway group from INLA)
IRA
Irish Republican Army (Illegal para-military Organisation)
IRFU
Irish Rugby Football Union
IRSP
Irish Republican Socialist Party (Political wing of the INLA)
IRTC
Independent Radio and Television Commission (Government appointed)
ISME
Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (breakaway group from SFA)
ISPCC
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
IWEA
Irish Wind Energy Association
LEDU
Group chartered with developing small indigenous industries throughout
the North. (Local Employment Development Unit?)
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
MP
Member of (the British) Parliament
NIE
Northern Ireland Electricity - company which delivers electricity supply
throughout the North. Privatised in the early 1990s
NIO
Northern Ireland Office - the administrative headquarters for the North,
headed by the Northern Secretary 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)
Oireachtas
Name to cover both houses of the Irish Parliament (ie. The Dáil and the
Seanad) and the President
OPW
Office of Public Works (Responsible for State-owned buildings - old and
new)
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 80s by Fianna
Fail dissidents).
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.
RDS
Royal Dublin Society (established originally to promote agriculture. Now
owns extensive property in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin where it
stages the Dublin Horse Show.
RIR
Royal Irish Regiment - British Army regiment formed in 1992 with the
amalgamation of the UDR and Royal Irish Rangers.
RTC
Regional Technical College - third level colleges situated in various
cities and offering certificate, diploma and degree courses
RTÉ
Radio Telefís Éireann (The state-owned broadcasting authority). RTE1 and
Network 2 are its two television channels.
RUC
Royal Ulster Constabulary (The police force of Northern Ireland)
SAS
Special Air Services (An undercover wing of the British Army, some of
whose members operate in Northern Ireland)
SDLP
Social Democratic and Labour Party (The major nationalist political
party in the North. They are opposed to violence.)
Seanad
Senate (or upper house of Parliament) - must approve all legislation
before it can become law.
Sean-nós
Traditional singing style - literary "old style" (pronounced shan-noce).
SFA
Small Firms Assocation (subsidiary of IBEC).
SFADCO
Shannon Free Airport Development Company (A State-sponsored body, with
the same aims as the IDA whose efforts are concentrated in the Shannon
region)
Sinn Féin
The political wing of the IRA.
SIPTU
Country's largest trade union (Services, Industrial Professional
Technical Union).
Stena-Sealink
Stena-Sealink Line - Swedish-owned ferry company operating on various
routes between Ireland and Britain.
Taoiseach
Prime Minister (Head of Government - the President is Head of State)
Tánaiste
Deputy Prime Minister
TCD
Trinity College, Dublin
T.D.
Teachta Dála (Member of the Dáil)
Teagasc
State-sponsored agricultural research body
Telecom Éireann
The semi-state body operating the telephone service.
Teoranta (Teo)
Limited as in Limited company
Trócaire
The Catholic Church's Third World development agency
UCC
University College Cork
UCD
University College Dublin
UCG
University College Galway
UL or UoL
University of Limerick
UDA
Ulster Defence Association (An extreme loyalist group in the North who
act as a front for UFF). Made illegal in 1992.
Údarás 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 fringe 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 operated in the North. Many of its members were part time and it
was almost completely made up of Protestants). Replaced by RIR.
UFF
Ulster Freedom Fighters (An illegal loyalist para-military group) -
synonymous with the UDA.
UNIFIL
United Nations International Forces in Lebanon (The Irish Army has
members serving in the Lebanon).
USI
Union of Students in Ireland
UTV
Ulster Television - the independent commercial television channel
serving the North.
UVF
Ulster Volunteer Force (An illegal loyalist para-military group).
VEC
Vocational Education Committee
VHI
Voluntary Health Insurance Board (A State-sponsored company)
WP
Workers' Party (a small extreme left-wing political party)
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