Country Studies

Belfast

The history of Belfast as a settlement goes back to the Bronze Age.

The name comes from Irish Béal Feirste, meaning ’’mouth of the sandbacks’’

Belfast was made the capital of Northern Ireland in 1920.

Cardiff

Cardiff began as a Roman fort (in about 55 AD they built a fort on the site of Cardiff).

Cardiff was proclaimed the capital of Wales only in 1955 (Wales did not have an official capital before that).

Caerdyf (Welsh word)  has its origins in the words meaning “the fort of the Taff”

The River Taff is a large river in Wales.

Names of members

• England – ‘Engla land’, meaning the land of the Angles – a Germanic people who settled in Britain.
• Scotland – ‘Scoti’ – dark because of the mist.
• Wales – Volcae – walha, variably spelled as walask, walahisk, walhisk etc. 'strange, foreign, Romance.'
• Ireland – Éire – Ériu – a Gaelic goddess –