Sean O'neil (Athlone)
Posts : 2
Join date : 2015-11-13
 |  Subject: Top of the morning to you laddies! (Athlone App)  Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:45 am | |
| Name: Sean O’neil Representative of: Athlone, Republic of Ireland Gender: Male Age (in both human years and approximate age as a place): He appears 24, Age as a place is 324 years. Brief personality: Sean is depicted a cheerful and yet stubborn character. He is depicted to be really generous and caring, someone who will always be there to help out his friends. However, he gets upset easily and is shown to have anger issues, he has very strong ideals about righteousness and his unfortunately-violent outbursts are usually well-motivated. He can be rather rude and blunt about certain things and usually makes clever, witty comments and outbursts directed at others, much to the annoyance of England. He can be rather foul-mouthed and aggressive, many countries think that’s where England gets it from, but Sean is surprisingly good at house chores and cooking due to the fact that he was poor as a child and had to farm and do many things to keep himself alive. Sean believes in mythical creatures that are related to his country such as leprechauns. He, like England, will befriend most of these creatures to his native land and loves to tell others stories of these creatures passed down from generation to generation. He celebrates St. Patrick's day and Halloween in particular, however, he also loves Christmas. Sean has an interest in black magic and casting spells. He is very athletic in combat and sports also and can go through tough obstacles. Sean is very strong and has the ability to beat up a wild animal and wrestle a human that’s twice his size. Sean has a deep pride for his country and has a love for potatoes and Irish stew. Since Sean has a reputation for drinking the most liquor at an average year than most countries, he can hold his liquor longer than anyone else, but will still eventually get drunk. Sean owns a pet kelpie (a mythical horse that lives in the water) named Ruadhan and is very fond of the creature, the two are always seen together. It’s said that Ireland was originally scared of kelpies as they were known to trick people into riding on their backs and dragging them into the water to drown. However, when he found an injured kelpie in a lake, he decided to tame him and eventually managed to become the kelpie’s owner, the two have become best friends since. Sean likes to consider his people in terms of government and has tendencies to rant and conjure debates about different movements and laws which, in his mind, will either benefit or completely run his country down. He is however, very loyal to the political party Sinn Féinn. A very poor country in his youth, he was very dependent on his brother England during the 19th century-20th century. Because of Sean’s proclaimed neutrality, he doesn’t engage very much in wars, but makes his point that he’ll only fight when he really has to. However, he has a strong sense of surviving in war and has gained lots of victories over the years his country was growing. Also, because Sean doesn’t choose any sides during battles. Sean has a special job which was being responsible for creating peace treaties to settle conflicts with other countries which is also part of his neutrality. Sean is on good terms with most of the countries and doesn’t really have any enemies. Overall, he is allies with everyone in the EU along with America, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. Brief physical description: Sean has brownish-ginger hair that sometimes appear lighter or darker. He has light fair skin with slight visible on his face and bright green eyes. He also has a slightly visible scar on his left cheek, which England is responsible for during the time the two went to war over Ireland's independence. Sean has an average slim body. Like America, though he was a colony of England, he wasn't cursed to have thick eyebrows like the other colonies such as New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong. Sean has a light green baret as a headwear, it was revealed that the hat was given to him by his brother England as a birthday present when the two were on 'fair' terms. However, during times of war, Sean takes on a completely different outfit. Instead of his usual attire, Sean wears a dark green Irish army uniform with matching black boots, a dark green army cap and black fingerless gloves. He has a red armband which has the logo of the I.R A. Also, he likes to have his black army gun bag which holds a Steyr AUG; his signature weapon. Brief history: Athlone (Irish: Baile Átha Luain, meaning "town of Luan's ford") is a town on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree in Ireland. Located on the border betweenCounty Westmeath and County Roscommon, the development of the Athlone owes much to the location of a strategic ford (river crossing point) on the Shannon. - Foundation:
The ford at this point on the River Shannon has been in use since at least the Bronze Age, and the settlement (including an early Christian site) expanded around this river-crossing. The ford of Athlone was strategically important, as south of Athlone the River Shannon is impassable until Clonmacnoise (where the Esker Riada meets the Shannon), and north is Lough Ree.
- Bridge and Defenses:
By the 11th century, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (King of Connacht) had built a wooden bridge at Athlone, approximately 100 metres south of the current bridge. This was defended by the earliest recorded fort on the site - built on the west bank of the river in 1129. On a number of occasions both the fort and bridge were subject to attacks, and towards the end of the 12th century the Anglo-Normansconstructed a motte-and-bailey fortification here. This was superseded by a stone structure built in 1210 by Justiciar John de Gray. Becoming known as Athlone Castle, this 12-sided donjon dates from the 13th century. Other parts of the castle were largely destroyed during the Siege of Athlone and the external defences were subsequently rebuilt and enlarged. The currently visible battlements and cannon emplacements were installed to prevent a French fleet from sailing up the River Shannon and establishing a bridgehead in Lough Ree (likewise south of Athlone at Shannonbridge, near Clonmacnoise). The castle was later damaged by a lightning strike on the powder store. The castle was also home to a small garrison, and provided housing for several families until the 1980s. These quarters now house part of the castle museum. During the wars that took place in Ireland during the seventeenth century, Athlone held a strategic position, holding the main bridge over the Shannon into Connacht. In the Irish Confederate Wars 1641–1653, the town was held by Irish Confederate troops until it was taken late in 1650 by Charles Coote, who attacked the town from the west, having crossed into Connacht at Sligo. Forty years later, during the Williamite war in Ireland, the town was again of strategic importance, being one of the remaining Jacobite strongholds after they had retreated west following the Battle of the Boyne. At the first battle of Athlone in 1690, the Jacobite forces of Colonel Richard Grace repelled an attack by 10,000 men led by Commander Douglas. The following year the Siege of Athlone saw a further assault in which the troops of King William III eventually prevailed against the outnumbered defenders. The current bridge was built in the 19th century to replace the old bridge which was becoming dangerous to the increasing volume of traffic. Originally the bridge had a moveable section which was decommissioned in the mid 20th century. Also during the mid-19th century, the Board of Works built a weir wall south of Athlone to improve the navigation of the river.
- Other Structures:
- Custume Barracks:
The town's barracks occupies a large area of the west bank of the River Shannon. It is named after a Sergeant Custume who, during the 1691 Siege of Athlone, led a dozen volunteers (of whom 2 survived) out under the Dutch guns to tear down a wooden bridge. The barracks was the headquarters of the Western Command of the Irish Defence Forces until a reorganisation in 2013. It remains the headquarters of several infantry, artillery and engineering regiments of the defence forces. The original entrance to the barracks was where the current Garda station is today.
- Other Fortifications:
Other fortifications in the area include the ruins of a battery just to the north of Athlone (in an area now a nature reserve) and a large artificial hill called "The Batteries" upon which council housing has been built. The Connaught side was defended by a fosse which no longer exists. The noted tenor John McCormack was born in here in 1884 at the Bawn.
- Oldest Pub:
Known as Sean's Bar today, "Luain’s Inn", is considered by some to be Ireland's oldest pub. It was established on the West Bank of the River Shannon on Main Street sometime around the year 900. In 1970, during renovations, the walls of the bar were found to be made of wattle and wicker, dating back to the 10th century. The bar holds records of every owner since its inception, including when Boy George owned it briefly in 1987.
- Workhouse:
On the east side of town, off North Gate Street, is an intact example of a Famine-era workhouse. The building, renamed St Mary's Hall, now hosts several youth groups and includes a large meeting room. Within sight of the workhouse building is a historic abbey.
Religious affiliation (if any): Roman Catholic Any special powers or abilities (if any): Like England, he can talk to mythical creatures, Can use magic. |
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