New Ardmore

New Ardmore (Gaelic: Ardmór Nua, Kiravic: Inoardmóra) is a state of the Kiravian Federacy comprising an archipelago in the Sea of Odoneru southeast of Uruvun and west of Urcea. The majority of the population are of Celtic descent and share a common heritage with the Celtic peoples of the Levantian mainland, from whom they were isolated by the Germanic conquest of the lands that would become modern-day Helvianir. Due to the islands' isolation, New Ardmore is home to a unique culture but remains economically underdeveloped due a lack of natural resources and a historically poor integration with continental markets.

History
Though archæological evidence suggests that two distinct material cultures existed in neolithic Ardmore, the first documented inhabitants of the islands were Goidelic Celts who migrated to the archipelago from mainland Levantia, possibly in response to the loss of Celtic territory to Italic and Germanic peoples. From antiquity up to the early modern period, the majority of the population practiced a lifestyle of crofting agriculture, livestock raising (primarily sheep), and subsistence fishing. Christianity arrived on the islands during the seventh century anno Domini, and distinctive Insular Christian rites are preserved on the islands to this day.

During the period of migrations and invasions on the Levantian mainland that caused Celtic culture to be replaced by Anglo-Germanic culture across much of the western part of the continent, particularly those areas that would later be incorporated into the United Kingdom, Ardmore's poverty and distance from the mainland helped to discourage many would-be conquerors, and its hilly terrain and dense, thorny forests helped the indigenous population to defend themselves against the few invaders who were not so deterred. The independence of Ardmore became more precarious as the advent of gunpowder and improvements to naval technology began to cancel out the effects of the islands' natural defences. The looming spectre of invasion from the mainland via [name of nearby Helvianirian isles] was the main factor behind Ardmore's accession to the Confederate Republics of Kiravia, with the local clan chiefs hoping to emulate the Gaelic states of Northeastern Great Kirav that had joined forces with the Coscivian Empire against the Cromwelutes and later entered into a political union with them. On the Kiravian end, Ardmore was strategically and commercially valuable as an offshore platform for engagement with Levantia and helping to strengthen Kiravia's standing in the Odoneru.

The comparatively remote yet strategic location of the islands made them a haven for pirates and smugglers for some time. After Ardmore's incorporation into Kiravia, Kiravian authorities were often willing to turn a blind eye to these illicit maritime undertakings for the right price, and during times of war Ardmore was an important home port for privateers.

During the Kirosocialist period, New Ardmore was, like most of the Kiravian overseas states and territories in Ixnay, treated with. The Kirosocialist government in Kartika made relatively few efforts to enforce its political programme in Ardmore as it did in Great Kirav and Sydona, and much of the local population, influenced by the Celtic Romanticist literary and artistic movement, stood in staunch opposition to Kirosocialism. Ardmore thus became a back door of sorts for Levantine and Caphirian merchants looking to circumnavigate Kirosocialist trade barriers, as well as a sanctuary for political dissidents.

Government
The government of New Ardmore takes the form of a semi-presidential republic, with legislative power belonging to the Dáil Aird Mhór and executive power belonging to the Tánaiste (referred to as the "Governor" or "Chief Executive" in Kiravic) and Cabinet. The Dáil Aird Mór is a unicameral body elected biennially at-large by party-list proportional voting with a. The Chief Executive is directly elected every five years to a thrice-renewable term. New Ardmore is the only Kiravian state to employ a majority-bonus system, and one of twelve to limit the number of terms one can serve as Governor.

Power rotates periodically between two centrist parties, Fíanna Aird Mhór and Aontú.

Administratively, New Ardmore is divided into fifteen countyships. These are subdivided into burghs in built-up areas and hundreds in rural areas, both of which are in turn subdivided into.

Law
The legal system of New Ardmore is based heavily on principles and traditions, especially in matters of civil law or equity, and Brehon law was the main mechanism for social regulation and dispute resolution in Ardmore for most of its history, supplemented by canon law with the coming of Christianity. As statelike institutions began to replace clan-based governance, Ardmorean law took cues from Urcean jurisprudence while retaining most of its traditional character, and since integration with Kiravia it has been influenced by Cosco-Kiravian law.

New Ardmore adopted a moratorium on capital punishment in 21196. Between Ardmore's accesstion to the CRK and 21196, all executions were carried out by firing squad on a sandspit called Deadman's Point, located three kilometers from Ardagh.

Society
Ardmore has an culture with noticeable traces of Pretannic influence from early in its history, shaped by local geographic and climatic conditions, the Catholic faith, and contact with Coscivian civilisation by virtue of its status as a Kiravian federal subject. The state is rather homogeneous: 88% of the population of New Ardmore are ethnic Gaels. Most of the remainder are Coscivian-Kiravians or of Levantine backgrounds other than Gaelic. Ardmorean Gaelic, which is largely though not fully mutually intelligible with the varieties spoken in the Kiravian Gaeltacht, Faneria, and Fiannria and contains many archæic and endemic features, is spoken by 85.6% of the population as a first language. Kiravic Coscivian is an auxiliary official language and is widely understood in urban areas, though most long-term Coscivian residents in the islands find it necessary to learn Gaelic to get by.

Most Ardmorean Gaels do not have static surnames and are identified instead by patronymics and clan names (e.g. Séamus Mac Néill Ó Séaghdha, "Séamus, son of Neil, of the clan Séaghdha [lit. 'grandson of Séaghdha']"), whereas most other Gaelic communities, including those in Great Kirav and most - if not all - of Levantia, have converted such names into conventional surnames.

The overwhelming majority of the population is of the Roman Catholic faith, and Levantian Catholic authorities visiting the island report that virtually the entire population attends Mass on Sundays. Intense cultural isolation has allowed for the preservation of religious rites and practices - some deriving from Insular Celtic Christianity and some of local origin - that have disappeared elsewhere in the Catholic world. A smaller number of parishes in New Ardmore belong to the Insular Apostolic Communion and three to the Ancient Celtic Church in Kiravia.

Economy
The economy of New Ardmore was historically agrarian, and agriculture remains an important activity across much of the archipelago, although services now employ the majority of the Ardmorean workforce. Ardmoreans engaged in many maritime-related business ventures during the age of the sale, ranging from legitimate commerce, ship repair and oceanic fishing to smuggling, privateering, and piracy. These activities declined with advances in shipping technology, which led to a long-term economic downturn for the archipelago, but have since been replaced with growing tourism, distillation, and healthcare industries.

Remittances from Ardmoreans working in other parts of the Kiravian Federacy are crucial to the islands' economy, with up to 26% of Ardmorean households classified as remittance-dependent by the state's Department of Human Economics.