View source for Ireland

{{Infobox Country
|title1=Ireland
|image1=File:IrelandFlag.png
|caption1= 
|first_appearance=
|last_appearance=
|name=
|official_name=Ireland
|type=Country
|head_of_state=
|government=Unitary parliamentary republic 
|demonym=Irish
|official_anguage(s)=English<br>Irish
|other_language(s)=
|population=
|motto=
|anthem=
|march=
|currency=
|year_founded=
|continent=[[Wikipedia:Europe|Europe]]
|capital=[[Wikipedia:Dublin|Dublin]]
|largest_city=Dublin
|area=
|affiliation(s)=
|constituent_countries=
}}'''Ireland''' (Irish: '''''Éire'''''), also known as the '''Republic of Ireland''' (Irish: '''Poblacht na hÉireann'''), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of [[Wikipedia:Ireland|Ireland]].

In ''[[The Railway Series]]'', the [[Island of Sodor (RWS)|Island of Sodor]] is located in the [[Wikipedia:Irish Sea|Irish Sea]], which is also the case in ''[[Thomas & Friends]]'' and ''[[Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go]]''.

==History==
===''The Railway Series''===
An Irish missionary named [[St. Luoc|Luoc]] proved to be more successful. He and some companions set out for Man in coracles, but Luoc fell asleep, was blown off course, and ended up on the shore in Suddery bay. The locals treated him well and he built a "keeill". He preached to the locals, and a church, nowadays known as Suddery Cathedral, was built on the site. He is remembered in the city’s motto and coat of arms, the latter of which shows him as a bishop, standing in a coracle holding a crosier. Suddery later became the ancient capital of Sodor.

[[Godred MacHarold]] (known in legend as King Orry or Starstrider), the younger son of Harold, the Danish king of Limerick, was King of Sodor and Man from 979 to 989. Seizing his chance after the defeat of the Norse at the hands of the Irish, he harried Wales, then landed on Man. There, he pointed to the stars reflected in the water and said to the locals "There is the path running from my country to this place. That is my road to fame and fortune." Godred gave Sodor and Man ten years of peace, and his reign is remembered as a golden age. In Sodor, he is remembered affectionately as King Orry.

[[Earl Sigurd of Orkney]] fell at the battle of Clontarf in Ireland in 1014. His heir, [[Thorfinn]], was an infant at the time, and so [[Harold the Black|Harold]] took his chance and claimed Sodor and Man, ruling for twenty years before Thorfinn drove him out.

By the time Thorfinn's grip on power was loosening, Godred had set about regaining his father's former kingdom, leaving Ogmund in Sodor. With Sodor secure, Godred completed his goal of conquering the Isles, Dublin and finally Man at the battle of Sky Hill in 1079.

After Godred Crovan's death, the regency of Dublin decided to send Olaf, Godred's heir, to be brought up in the court of King Henry I. Sudrians took a poor view of this, however, and decided to break away. The move was approved by Magnus Barford, King of Norway, whose fleet, deployed in the area, was enough to prevent any reprisals from Dublin.

In the [[Sudric language]], Ireland is called '''Nerin''', and the Irish Sea is called '''Faarkey-Y-Nerin'''. The current Sudric language was brought over by Norsemen raised in Ireland who had acquired Middle Irish, such as Godred MacHarold. It can be presumed that Sudric's evolution from Middle Irish began after the Kingdom of Sodor declared independence from the Kingdom of Dublin and the Isles in 1099.

The [[North Western Railway (RWS)|North Western Railway]] was formed in 1914 by the Government-sponsored amalgamation of the three then-extant standard gauge railways on the island - the [[Sodor and Mainland Railway|Sodor and Mainland]], the [[Wellsworth and Suddery Railway|Wellsworth and Suddery]] and the [[Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway|Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge]], the latter two already in the process of amalgamation - as a strategic railway for coastal defence against possible danger from Ireland.

===''Thomas & Friends''===
While [[Victor]] was on a [[Steamships (T&F)#The Steamships|steamship]] from [[Cuba]] to Sodor, they stopped at Ireland, where a crane lifted [[Luke]] onto the ferry.

==Rolling Stock==
===Locomotives===
====''Thomas & Friends''====
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small" bordersize="none" widths="133">
File:MainLukeCGI.png|[[Luke]] {{Formerly}}
</gallery>

==Humans==
===''The Railway Series''===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small" bordersize="none" widths="133">
File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|[[St. Luoc]] {{Formerly}}
File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|[[Saint Machan]]
{{Formerly}}
</gallery>

===''Thomas & Friends''===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small" bordersize="none" widths="133">
File:MainMissJennyCGI2.png|[[Jenny Packard]] {{Formerly}}
File:NoImagePlaceholder.png|[[Sodor Construction Company Staff#Mr. Packard|Mr. Packard]] {{Formerly}}
</gallery>

==Appearances==
<tabber>
Television Series=
===''[[Thomas & Friends]]''===
====Specials====
* '''2018''' - [[Big World! Big Adventures!]] {{Mentioned}}
</tabber>

==Trivia==
* Ireland was possibly the second country that ''[[The Railway Series]]'' was published in after the United Kingdom.
* Three stories in ''The Railway Series'' were inspired by railway events which occurred in Ireland
** ''[[Edward the Blue Engine#Cows|Cows]]'' in the book ''[[Edward the Blue Engine]]'' is based on two events, one of them being in Ireland, involved a herd of cows charging and breaking a train on 28 November 1952.
**''[[Edward the Blue Engine#Bertie's Chase|Bertie's Chase]]'' in the book ''Edward the Blue Engine'' is based on an event which occurred in Ireland. The story was provided to the Rev. W. Awdry by Gerard Fiennes, who later became General Manager of the Western and Eastern Regions of British Railways.''
**The collision between George and Sir Handel in ''[[Gallant Old Engine#Steam-Roller|Steam-Roller]]'' in the book ''[[Gallant Old Engine]]'' was based on an event that took place in Muskerry, County Cork, Ireland in 1927.
* The orange mobile crane in ''The Railway Series'' book [[Thomas Comes Home]] was revealed to be called '''[[Minor Vehicle Characters (RWS)#Murphy|Murphy]]''' by [[Clive Spong]] and likened him to an "Irish navvie cliché".{{Ref|name=01Salty|[https://web.archive.org/web/20240721101554/https://archive.md/RSGrN Happy New Year!]". ''Twitter''. 01Salty. 1 January 2023. Archived from [https://x.com/01Salty1/status/1609468068132163587 the original] on 21 July 2024. "The orange crane, I imagined as MURPHY - sort of Irish navvie cliché."}}
*In ''[[Thomas & Friends]]'', there have been some characters that have spoke with Irish accents including;
**[[Tom Tipper (T&F)|Tom Tipper]] in the US narration of [[Mind that Bike]].
**[[Patrick (cement mixer)|Patrick]] the cement mixer in the US narration.
***Around 2013, Irish actor and comedian [[Wikipedia:Ardal O'Hanlon|Ardal O'Hanlon]] was asked to voice Patrick, however he declined the role, implying that Patrick was at some point intended to return in the CGI series.{{Ref|https://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_edinburgh/2013_15_ardal_ohanlon_terry_alderton/}}
**[[Salty (T&F)|Salty]] in the US narration of the [[Series 6|sixth series]].
**[[Freddie]] in the UK narration of the [[Series 12|twelfth series]].
**[[Connor]] and [[Caitlin]].
**[[Oliver (excavator)|Oliver]] the excavator in the CGI series.
*[[Alec Baldwin]]'s first daughter is called '''[[Wikipedia:Ireland Baldwin|Ireland Baldwin]]'''.
*On 30 April 1999,<ref>[https://youtu.be/D3ZczgboxAg Fat Controller Interview RTE 1999 Web Quality]</ref> [[Sir Topham Hatt (T&F)|The Fat Controller]] from ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' (portrayed by [[Simon Fisher-Becker]]) visited ''[[The Den]]'', meeting presenter [[Wikipedia:Damien McCaul (presenter)|Damien McCaul]] and puppets [[Wikipedia:List of The Den characters#Soky|Soky]] and [[Wikipedia:Dustin the Turkey|Dustin the Turkey]]. {{YouTube|Pqz1B5iAYvw}}
**Near the end of his visit, Damien tells the viewers you can see The Fat Controller at the RDS in Dublin at the weekend (1 and 2 May 1999).
*According to the character notes for the script of the ''[[Thomas and the Magic Railroad]]'', [[Patch]] was originally intended to be Irish. In some raw footage from filming on the Isle of Man, McMains can be heard attempting a minor Irish accent, including using the term "Mum" to refer to his mother, although in the finished film Patch's nationality appears to be American.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW_6bNgf-Io]
*The [[Thomas Saves the Day (Live Show)|Thomas Saves the Day]] live show was performed in the RDS in Dublin in 2008.
*The song [[Blue Mountain Mystery (song)|Blue Mountain Mystery]] featured in [[Blue Mountain Mystery|the special of the same name]] is performed as an Irish folk song.
**Additionally, some background music in the special is reminiscent of Irish music.
*In a Leaving Certification exam paper for Design & Communication Graphics, the 2006 [[Wooden Railway]] [[Sodor Suspension Bridge (T&F)|Sodor Suspension Bridge]] is used as an
*In the UK dub of ''[[Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go]]'', [[Skiff (AEG)|Skiff]] speaks with an Irish accent.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Inhabited areas]]
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Ireland]]
[[Category:Landmarks]]
[[Category:Real Landmarks]]