Stara Zagora, town, central Bulgaria. It lies in the southern foothills of the Sredna Mountains and on the fringe of the fertile Stara Zagora plain. The town has varied industries producing cotton, textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, agricultural implements, machine tools, and cigarettes as well as

Amaranthaceae: Major genera and species: the genera Alternanthera and Iresine each have several species that are cultivated as bedding plants for their attractive and colourful leaves.

Henry Ireton was an English soldier and statesman, a leader of the Parliamentary cause during the Civil Wars between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Ireton joined the Parliamentary army. In November 1642 he commanded a cavalry force in the indecisive Battle of

Canadian Football League: …Football Union (WIFU) and the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Though the IRFU still referred to their sport as rugby football, the member clubs played a gridiron style of football. The WIFU and IRFU became, respectively, the Western and Eastern conferences of the new league, which changed its name to…

Irgun Zvai Leumi, Jewish right-wing underground movement in Palestine, founded in 1931. At first supported by many nonsocialist Zionist parties, in opposition to the Haganah, it became in 1936 an instrument of the Revisionist Party, an extreme nationalist group that had seceded from the World

Panama: Resources and power: …long distributed by the state-run Institute of Hydraulic Resources and Electrification before it was privatized in 1998. Much of Panama’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams. The first plants were opened in 1975 at La Yeguada in Veraguas province and in 1976 on the Chepo River; the largest, at La…

Iksan, city, North Jeolla do (province), western South Korea. Located about 15 miles (25 km) east of the port city of Gunsan, it lies in the northern part of the Honam Plain, the largest granary of South Korea. Iksan city was formed in 1995 through the merger of the city of Iri with Iksan county.

Italy: Economic policy: …Mobiliare Italiano; IMI) and the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale; IRI), were set up to bail out failing firms and to provide capital for new industrial investment; they also provided trained managers and effective financial supervision. Italy thus acquired a huge, state-led industrial sector, which was…

HAARP: The main instrument is the Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI), an array of 180 radio antennas spread over an area of 0.13 square kilometer (33 acres).

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

West Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia, including the Bomberai and Doberai (Vogelkop) peninsulas on the western end of the island of New Guinea and, to the west, the Raja Ampat Islands—most notably Salawati, Waigeo, Batanta, and Misool. The province is bounded to the north by the

Félix María Samaniego: …former friend and fellow fabulist Tomás de Iriarte, and, because of an anonymous attack on Iriarte that contained criticisms of the church, Samaniego was imprisoned in a monastery in 1793.

palm: Ecology: …several species (Sabal palmetto and Iriartea deltoidea). Studies of pollination are difficult because of the large number of insects that are associated in some way with most palms. Few modern studies have been done, but obvious adaptations for insect pollination can be found in many palms. Bats have been found…

Iridaceae, the iris family of flowering plants (order Asparagales), comprising 66 genera and around 2,200 species. The family is nearly worldwide in distribution, but it is most abundant and diversified in Africa. Most species are native to temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. A few

Albrecht von Gräfe: He introduced (1857) iridectomy (surgical removal of part of the iris) for the alleviation of glaucoma, a disease resulting in opacity of the lens. He showed (1860) that blindness and visual defects connected with cerebral disorders are often traceable to optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve.…

coloration: Interference: …ultrathinly layered films, giving striking iridescence, even in diffuse light, as a result of the asynchrony between the wavelengths of visible light that enter and those that return.

iridescence, interference of light either at the surface or in the interior of a material that produces a series of colours as the angle of incidence changes. Best known are the colours seen in precious opal resulting from the interference of light by submicroscopic layers of nearly spherical

Zygmunt Krasiński: In his second important play, Irydion (1836; Eng. trans. Irydion)—the story of a Greek named Irydion who seeks vengeance on imperial Rome—Krasiński denies the validity of hatred as a source of righteous action.

iridium (Ir), chemical element, one of the platinum metals of Groups 8–10 (VIIIb), Periods 5 and 6, of the periodic table. It is very dense and rare and is used in platinum alloys. A precious, silver-white metal, iridium is hard and brittle, but it becomes ductile and can be worked at a white heat,

space debris: …on February 10, 2009, when Iridium 33, a communications satellite owned by the American company Motorola, collided with Cosmos 2251, an inactive Russian military communications satellite, about 760 km (470 miles) above northern Siberia, shattering both satellites.

mobile telephone: Satellite-based telephone communication: …for commercial service was the Iridium system, designed by Motorola, Inc., and owned by Iridium LLC, a consortium made up of corporations and governments from around the world. The Iridium concept employed a constellation of 66 satellites orbiting in six planes around Earth. They were launched from May 1997 to…

iridosmine, mineral consisting of an alloy of iridium and a smaller proportion of osmium. It occurs in gold-bearing conglomerates, as at the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and in gold sands, as in California and Oregon, U.S. Because of their hardness and resistance to corrosion, both natural and

iridovirus, any virus belonging to the family Iridoviridae. Iridoviruses possess large enveloped or nonenveloped virions (virus particles) that measure 120–350 nm (1 nm = 10−9 metre) in diameter. The capsid (the protein shell surrounding the viral nucleic acids) is icosahedral and contains linear

iridovirus, any virus belonging to the family Iridoviridae. Iridoviruses possess large enveloped or nonenveloped virions (virus particles) that measure 120–350 nm (1 nm = 10−9 metre) in diameter. The capsid (the protein shell surrounding the viral nucleic acids) is icosahedral and contains linear

iridovirus: …included in this family are Iridovirus, Chloriridovirus, Lymphocystivirus, Ranavirus, and Megalocytivirus. Type species of the family include invertebrate iridescent virus 6 (Iridovirus), which infects insects; lymphocystis disease virus 1 (Lymphocystivirus

Iriga, city, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is located in the central part of Bicol Peninsula, about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Naga. Iriga is named for the extinct volcano (3,976 feet [1,212 metres]) in whose shadow it stands. The land surrounding Mount Iriga is extremely rough and

Iriga: The land surrounding Mount Iriga is extremely rough and suitable mainly for abaca (Manila hemp) plantations. Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area. Inc. city, 1968. Pop. (2000) 88,893; (2010) 105,919.

Luce Irigaray is a French linguist, psychoanalyst, and feminist philosopher who examined the uses and misuses of language in relation to women. Irigaray was circumspect about revealing details of her personal life or upbringing; she believed that interpreters and critics within the male-dominated

Hipólito Irigoyen was an Argentine statesman who became his country’s first president elected by broad popular suffrage. He was driven from office during his second term by a military coup in 1930. Irigoyen became a lawyer, teacher, rancher, and politician and in 1896 took control of the

African dance: Work dances: …into dance patterns, and young Irigwe farmers on the Jos Plateau leap to encourage the growth of crops at festivals related to the agricultural cycle. Occupational guilds and professional organizations of experts, such as blacksmiths, hunters, or wood-carvers, have their own expressive dances.

match: In 1835 Jànos Irinyi of Hungary replaced potassium chlorate with lead oxide and obtained matches that ignited quietly and smoothly.

Kenya: Daily life and social customs: …areas inhabited by the Kikuyu, irio, a stew of peas, corn, and potatoes, is common. The Maasai, known for their herds of livestock, avoid killing their cows and instead prefer to use products yielded by the animal while it is alive, including blood drained from nonlethal wounds. They generally drink…

iris, (genus Iris), genus of about 300 species of flowering plants, including some of the world’s most popular and varied garden flowers. The diversity of the genus is centerd in the north temperate zone, though some of its most handsome species are native to the Mediterranean and central Asian

Iris Murdoch: …(1999; adapted as the film Iris [2001]). A selection of her voluminous correspondence was published as Living on Paper: Letters from Iris Murdoch, 1934–1995 (2016).

iris, (genus Iris), genus of about 300 species of flowering plants, including some of the world’s most popular and varied garden flowers. The diversity of the genus is centerd in the north temperate zone, though some of its most handsome species are native to the Mediterranean and central Asian

Iris, in Greek mythology, the personification of the rainbow and (in Homer’s Iliad, for example) a messenger of the gods. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, she was the daughter of Thaumas and the ocean nymph Electra. In Hesiod’s works, at least, she had the additional duty of carrying water from

iris, in anatomy, the colored muscular part of the eye surrounding the pupil, the small black opening in the center. The iris is located in front of the lens and behind the cornea. It is bathed in front and behind by a fluid known as the aqueous humor. The iris consists of two sheets of smooth

iris: Major species: pumila and the taller I. lutescens, both from dry rocky places in southern Europe.

blackberry lily, (Iris domestica), perennial flowering plant of the iris family (Iridaceae), a popular garden flower. It is native to East Asia and is naturalized in some parts of North America. Despite its name, the plant is not a true lily; it was formerly known as Belamcanda chinensis. The

Iridaceae, the iris family of flowering plants (order Asparagales), comprising 66 genera and around 2,200 species. The family is nearly worldwide in distribution, but it is most abundant and diversified in Africa. Most species are native to temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. A few

orris oil: …from the rhizomes of the Florentine iris (Iris germanica). Orris oil has a warm violetlike odour and is used in perfumes and lotions. Although the oil was once popular in candies, soft drinks, and gelatin desserts, its use in edible goods has declined because of the risk of allergic reactions…

iris: Major species: variegata, purple-blue I. germanica, and perhaps other southern European species. They are hardy rhizomatous types with sturdy swordlike leaves and tall stems (to 90 cm [3 feet]) of three to many flowers. With the introduction in 1900 of taller, heavier, larger-flowered I. mesopotamica, even larger hybrids were…

Iridaceae: Major genera and species: The water-loving Japanese iris (Iris ensata), frequently featured in Japanese watercolours. The yellow, or water, flag (I. pseudacorus) is a swamp plant native to Eurasia and North Africa; the blue flag (I. versicolor) occupies similar habitats in North America. Blackberry lily (I. domestica, formerly Belamcanda chinensis) is

iris: Major species: …1900 of taller, heavier, larger-flowered I. mesopotamica, even larger hybrids were created, many of them fragrant, in a full range of colours and combinations, often with brightly contrasting “beards” on the falls. Dwarf bearded irises, most of which flower in early spring, are for the most part varieties of the…

iris: Major species: …largely hybrids of pale blue Iris pallida, yellow I. variegata, purple-blue I. germanica, and perhaps other southern European species. They are hardy rhizomatous types with sturdy swordlike leaves and tall stems (to 90 cm [3 feet]) of three to many flowers. With the introduction in 1900 of taller, heavier, larger-flowered…

Iridaceae: Major genera and species: …yellow, or water, flag (I. pseudacorus) is a swamp plant native to Eurasia and North Africa; the blue flag (I. versicolor) occupies similar habitats in North America. Blackberry lily (I. domestica, formerly Belamcanda chinensis) is native to East Asia and is grown for its red-spotted orange flowers. Members of…

iris: Major species: …varieties of the almost stemless I. pumila and the taller I. lutescens, both from dry rocky places in southern Europe.

Evrótas River, nonnavigable river rising in the Taïyetos (Modern Greek: Táygetos) Mountains in the southern Peloponnese (Pelopónnisos), Greece. The principal stream of Laconia (Lakonía), it flows south-southeast through the agricultural Laconian plain between the Taïyetos and Párnon ranges and

Billy Bitzer: …close a scene; and the iris shot, in which the frame either is gradually blacked out in a shrinking circle, thereby ending a scene, or gradually opened in a widening circle, beginning a scene. He refined methods of taking close-ups and long shots and was one of the first cinematographers…

iris: Major species: The Siberian iris (I. sibirica), from grasslands in central and eastern Europe, has slender, straight stalks with clustered heads of violet-blue or white blooms. Similar but shorter and more sturdy, I. spuria has round falls, short standards, and rather lax foliage. The yellow, or water, flag…

iris: Major species: …but shorter and more sturdy, I. spuria has round falls, short standards, and rather lax foliage. The yellow, or water, flag (I. pseudacorus) is a swamp plant native to Eurasia and North Africa; the blue flag (I. versicolor) occupies similar habitats in North America.

iris: Major species: …pale blue Iris pallida, yellow I. variegata, purple-blue I. germanica, and perhaps other southern European species. They are hardy rhizomatous types with sturdy swordlike leaves and tall stems (to 90 cm [3 feet]) of three to many flowers. With the introduction in 1900 of taller, heavier, larger-flowered I. mesopotamica, even…

Iridaceae: Major genera and species: …Eurasia and North Africa; the blue flag (I. versicolor) occupies similar habitats in North America. Blackberry lily (I. domestica, formerly Belamcanda chinensis) is native to East Asia and is grown for its red-spotted orange flowers. Members of Iris also yield orrisroot (a substance used in the manufacture of perfumes, soaps,…

iris: Major species: English iris (I. xiphioides), so named because of its popularity in British horticulture, bears bright blue flowers. Dutch irises are sturdier, earlier-flowering hybrids created in the Netherlands.

iris: Major species: Spanish iris (I. xiphium), violet with yellow or yellow-spotted falls, grows in damp sandy places. English iris (I. xiphioides), so named because of its popularity in British horticulture, bears bright blue flowers. Dutch irises are sturdier, earlier-flowering hybrids created in the Netherlands.

art market: Art as investment: …year by the sale of Irises to Australian entrepreneur Alan Bond for $53.9 million and again in 1990, when Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito purchased Portrait of Dr. Gachet for $82.5 million.

Irises, a pair of painted six-panel gold-ground folding screens created in the early 18th century by Japanese artist Ogata Kōrin. It is among the most influential and iconic examples of Japanese painting. Kōrin was born into a wealthy family, who owned a textile shop in Kyōto that was patronized by

Montserrat: History of Montserrat: …was colonized in 1632 by Irish Catholics from nearby Saint Kitts (Saint Christopher), who were sent there by Sir Thomas Warner, the first British governor of Saint Kitts. More Irish immigrants subsequently arrived from Virginia. Plantations were set up to grow tobacco and indigo, followed eventually by cotton and sugar.…

corned beef: …was instead likely to involve Irish bacon, a kind of ham, in a culinary culture that favoured pork over other meats. In America, however, Irish immigrants found that beef was abundant and inexpensive, and they discovered as well that their Jewish neighbours in New York and other immigrant centres ate…

Sean O’Casey: He also joined the Irish Citizen Army, a paramilitary arm of the Irish labour unions, and drew up its constitution in 1914. At this time he became disillusioned with the Irish nationalist movement because its leaders put nationalist ideals before socialist ones. O’Casey did not take part in the…

Irish Civil War, conflict in Ireland from June 1922 to May 1923 between those who supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921), which ended the Irish War of Independence, and those who opposed the treaty. The treaty, which created an independent Irish Free State within the British Empire, was

Raymond Deane: …Young Irish Composers (now the Association of Irish Composers). In 1973 he composed Embers, a string quartet that remains one of his best-known and most-important works. Between 1974 and 1977 Deane studied with Gerald Bennett at the Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland, and with Karlheinz Stockhausen at the State Academy…

Ireland: Labour and taxation: …unions are affiliated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). The level of unionization in Ireland is fairly high, encompassing roughly one-third of the total workforce. There are also several employers’ unions (industrial organizations), organized on both a craft and a regional basis. The employers’ central negotiating organization is…

Irish elk, (Megaloceros giganteus), extinct species of deer, characterized by immense body size and wide antlers, commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene deposits in Europe and Asia (the Pleistocene Epoch began 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago). Despite its distribution

Irish elk, (Megaloceros giganteus), extinct species of deer, characterized by immense body size and wide antlers, commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene deposits in Europe and Asia (the Pleistocene Epoch began 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago). Despite its distribution

John Hawkes: …horse; The Frog (1996); and An Irish Eye (1997), whose narrator is a 13-year-old female orphan. He also published The Innocent Party (1966), a collection of short plays, and Lunar Landscapes (1969), a volume of short stories and novellas. Humors of Blood & Skin: A John Hawkes Reader was published…

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of

Irish Republican Army: …the core of the official Irish Free State Army, and the latter group, known as “Irregulars,” began to organize armed resistance against the new independent government.

Irish harp, traditional harp of medieval Ireland and Scotland, characterized by a huge soundbox carved from a solid block of wood; a heavy, curved neck; and a deeply outcurved forepillar—a form shared by the medieval Scottish harp. It was designed to bear great tension from the heavy brass strings

Home Rule, in British and Irish history, movement to secure internal autonomy for Ireland within the British Empire. The Home Government Association, calling for an Irish parliament, was formed in 1870 by Isaac Butt, a Protestant lawyer who popularized “Home Rule” as the movement’s slogan. In 1873

Irish Sweepstakes, one of the largest lotteries promoted internationally; it was authorized by the Irish government in 1930 to benefit Irish hospitals. A private trust was formed to run the lottery and market tickets throughout the world. During the 57 years of its existence, the contest derived

Ireland: The rise of Fenianism: …in 1870 introduced the first Irish Land Act, which conceded the principles of secure tenure and compensation for improvements made to property.

Land League, Irish agrarian organization that worked for the reform of the country’s landlord system under British rule. The league was founded in October 1879 by Michael Davitt, the son of an evicted tenant farmer and a member of the Fenian (Irish Republican) Brotherhood. Davitt asked Charles

Ireland: The Home Rule movement and the Land League: …most important achievement was the Land Purchase Act of 1903, which initiated the greatest social revolution in Ireland since the 17th century. By providing generous inducements to landlords to sell their estates, the act effected by government mediation the transfer of landownership to the occupying tenants.

Irish language, a member of the Goidelic group of Celtic languages, spoken in Ireland. As one of the national languages of the Republic of Ireland, Irish is taught in the public schools and is required for certain civil-service posts. Grammatically, Irish still has a case system, like Latin or

Goidelic languages, one of two groups of the modern Celtic languages; the group includes Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic. The Goidelic languages originated in Ireland and are distinguished from the other group of Insular Celtic tongues—the Brythonic—by the retention of the sound q (later

Irish literary renaissance, flowering of Irish literary talent at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century that was closely allied with a strong political nationalism and a revival of interest in Ireland’s literary heritage. The renaissance was inspired by the nationalistic pride

Abbey Theatre, Dublin theatre, established in 1904. It grew out of the Irish Literary Theatre (founded in 1899 by William Butler Yeats and Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, and devoted to fostering Irish poetic drama), which in 1902 was taken over by the Irish National Dramatic Society, led by W.G.

Abbey Theatre: In 1903 this became the Irish National Theatre Society, with which many leading figures of the Irish literary renaissance were closely associated. The quality of its productions was quickly recognized, and in 1904 an Englishwoman, Annie Horniman, a friend of Yeats, paid for the conversion of an old theatre in…

Irish literature, the body of written works produced in Ireland or by Irish writers. This article discusses Irish literature written in English from about 1690; its history is closely linked with that of English literature. Irish-language literature is discussed in Celtic literature. After the

Thomas Moore: His major poetic work, Irish Melodies (1807–34), earned him an income of £500 annually for a quarter of a century. It contained such titles as “The Last Rose of Summer” and “Oft in the Stilly Night.” The Melodies, a group of 130 poems set to the music of Moore…

Irish moss, (Chondrus crispus), species of red algae (family Gigartinaceae) that grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of the British Isles, continental Europe, and North America. The principal constituent of Irish moss is a gelatinous substance, carrageenan, which can be

Abbey Theatre: In 1903 this became the Irish National Theatre Society, with which many leading figures of the Irish literary renaissance were closely associated. The quality of its productions was quickly recognized, and in 1904 an Englishwoman, Annie Horniman, a friend of Yeats, paid for the conversion of an old theatre in…

Charles Stewart Parnell: The Home Rule League and the Land League: …under firm discipline, subordinating the Irish National League (the successor to the Land League) to the Home Rule Party in Parliament.

Abbey Theatre: In 1903 this became the Irish National Theatre Society, with which many leading figures of the Irish literary renaissance were closely associated. The quality of its productions was quickly recognized, and in 1904 an Englishwoman, Annie Horniman, a friend of Yeats, paid for the conversion of an old theatre in…

Charles Stewart Parnell: Parnell’s fall: …party (also known as the Nationalist Party) found itself in an agonizing dilemma. Parnell was determined to hold the leadership and defy Gladstone. If the party upheld Parnell, they would be destroying the Liberal alliance, and with it the hopes of Home Rule in their generation. If they rejected Parnell,…

Irish needle lace, lace made with a needle in Ireland from the late 1840s, when the craft was introduced as a famine-relief measure. Technically and stylistically influenced by 17th-century Venetian needle lace, it arose in several centres through the enterprise of individuals, especially the

Charles Stewart Parnell: Parnell’s fall: …party (also known as the Nationalist Party) found itself in an agonizing dilemma. Parnell was determined to hold the leadership and defy Gladstone. If the party upheld Parnell, they would be destroying the Liberal alliance, and with it the hopes of Home Rule in their generation. If they rejected Parnell,…

Ireland: The rise of Fenianism: …were propagated in the newspaper The Irish People, and in 1865 four Fenian leaders—Charles Joseph Kickham, John O’Leary, Thomas Clarke Luby, and Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa—were sentenced to long-term imprisonment for publishing treasonable documents. During the next two years, plans gradually developed for a projected nationwide rising, financed largely by funds…

Great Famine, famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845–49 when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop failures were caused by late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant. The causative agent of late blight is the water mold

Dublin: Transportation: Irish Railways (Iarnród Éireann), a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE), the national transport company, provides suburban services and intercity connections with the rest of the country and Northern Ireland. City bus services provide extensive service. Dublin’s international airport is just north of the city…

Irish Rebellion, (1798), an uprising that owed its origins to the Society of United Irishmen, which was inspired by the American and French revolutions and established in 1791, first in Belfast and then in Dublin. The membership of both societies was middle-class, but Presbyterians predominated in

reel: The Irish reel, or cor, is distinguished by more complex figurations and styling and may be either a solo or a set dance to reel music. Reels are danced, less commonly, in England and Wales and, as the ril, in Denmark. Popular reels include the Irish…

Irish Republican Army (IRA), republican paramilitary organization seeking the establishment of a republic, the end of British rule in Northern Ireland, and the reunification of Ireland. The IRA was created in 1919 as a successor to the Irish Volunteers, a militant nationalist organization founded

Easter Rising: …several other leaders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was a revolutionary society within the nationalist organization called the Irish Volunteers; the latter had about 16,000 members and was armed with German weapons smuggled into the country in 1914. These two organizations were supplemented by the Irish Citizen Army, an…

Irish Rebellion, (1798), an uprising that owed its origins to the Society of United Irishmen, which was inspired by the American and French revolutions and established in 1791, first in Belfast and then in Dublin. The membership of both societies was middle-class, but Presbyterians predominated in

diplomatics: Physical appearance of documents: The Irish script, a half uncial (uncials are rounded letters) and a minuscule script, spread to Anglo-Saxon England and thence to the European continent. Under the Carolingian rulers, a particularly clear and attractive minuscule book hand (Caroline minuscule) was developed; modifications of this gradually became used…

Irish Sea, arm of the North Atlantic Ocean that separates Ireland from Great Britain. The Irish Sea is bounded by Scotland on the north, England on the east, Wales on the south, and Ireland on the west. The sea is connected with the Atlantic by the North Channel between Northern Ireland and