An outline of Irish History

7/29/2019 An outline of Irish History

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A N O U T L I N E O F I R I S H H I S T O R Y

M i l e s t o n e s

P r e h i s t o r i c t i m e s

C e l t i c I r e l a n d

C h r i s t i an e r a ( S t P a t r i c k b r i n g s C h r i s t ia n i t y t o I r e l a n d - 4 3 2 )

Celtic Ireland (4th c. BC 12th c. AD) Small kindgoms/tribes, no unity, St. Patrick converts the Irish

Viking invasion (9th -10th c.) 1st towns are founded, International trade

Norman invasion (1169 -) Walled towns, Normans assimilate, Gaelic Revival

Protestant colonization (1550s) No to Protestantism, Penal Laws, Uprisings/Rebellions, Test Act

Union with Britain (1800) Emancipation, Famine, Emigration, Land Reform, No Home Rule

Independence, Partition (1921-) Civil War, Republic, Civil Rights Protests, 'The Troubles', IRA, Direct Rule

Self-government in NI (1999-) Ceasefire, 1st Protestant-Catholic Coalition Government

Megalithic tombs (Newgrange, Meath)

...built by Neolithic farming communities about 5000 years ago, the passage tombs have clear

astronomical alignments such as the Winter Solstice Sunrise.

an Ogham stone

4th c. BC Celtic tribes begin to invade: came from Central Europe, many were tall, red haired

5 kingdoms: Ulster, Meath, Leinster, Munster, Connaught + Tara (Tara: the seat of the high-

king)

Each kingdom was further subdivided into mini-kingdoms (tuath) ~ 150

Class society: king, druids, bards, poets, soldiers, craftsmen, farmers, herdsmen, slaves

No towns! but farms with large families

Religion: Druidism

"Writing": inscriptions or runes (Ogham stones) - Oghamwas an alphabet used primarily to

represent Gaelic languages.

Writing was introduced

~800 monasterieswere built:

Centres of education and religion (eg. Glendalough, Cashel - see below)

Produced invaluable manuscripts: Book of Kells (4 Gospels)

From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the dark ages - learning, scholarship, and culture

disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of Western civilization from Greek

and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works - would have been utterly lost were it not for the


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V i k i n g i n v a s i o n 9 - 1 0 t h c .

N o r m a n i n v a s i on 1 2 t h c .

P r o t e s t a n t c o l o n i t z a t i o n

St Patrick

holy men and women of the unconquered Ireland. Here, far from the Barbarian destruction of the

continent, that had viped off most libraries and collections, monks and scribes preserved the

written treasury of the West. (Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization)

Sent out missionaries to all over Europe who were instrumental in spreading the Christian faith

and classical learning: St.Columba established the monasteries of Derry + Iona (Sc), Coloman

came to Hungary (12th c)

Architecturally unique:

Round tower, Celtic Cross

Brian Boru

Their main target: monasteries (great treasures) decline of the great monasteries

Main merit: established the 1st towns in Ireland!! E.g. Dublin (in 841), Cork, Limerick, Wexford,

Waterford (all on the south-eastern coast) extensive international trade (slave, silver,etc) with

far away lands (Mediterranean, Baltic, etc.)

Brian Boru:

defeated the Vikings Vikings started to assimilate

United the country: 1st king of all Ireland (1002) (after him Ireland is divided again by powerful

warlords)

Internal power-struggle An Anglo-Norman army (1169 led by Strongbow of Wales) was invited by

the king of Leinster to help him become the king of all 5 kingdoms. They were paid with land.

Henry II of England (1171) becomes the overlord of Ireland on paper (the pope, who was English,

gave Ireland to Henry) a century later of Ireland (The Pale) belong to the Normans

Irish Revival: 14th-15th c Anglo-Norman influence shrinks to Dublin (the English are busy fighting

in France the Hundred Year Wars and then the Wars of the Roses) intermarrying among Normans

and Irish (inspite of laws forbidding it) Renaissance of Gaelic language and culture

Henry VIII

1st English king to control all Ireland and call himself king of Ireland


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Henry VIII

Elizabeth

O'Neill

Oliver Cromwell

James II

TO CONVERT IRELAND TO PROTESTANTISM

Convents + monasteries were closed (1539) Catholic churches and cathedrals are turned into

Anglican Churches (Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patricks Cathedral to this day are

Anglican churches in a country that is 95% Catholic!?)

WAR for land turns into war for 'religion' (religion defined alliances and enemies!)

1550s: 1st English settlers (Protestants)

1st Penal Laws force the Irish to convert to the Anglican Faith

Elizabeth

1560s Irish rebellions Spanish come to help: but the Spanish Armada is destroyed

1590s ONeills Rebellion in the North (Ulster): Irish victories

1601 Elizabeths army defeats the Irish (Battle of Kinsale) (thousands flee to Spain) Rebels'

lands (mainly in Ulster) given to English and Scottish Protestants (the Plantation) 40.000

Scots by 1618 !

1st time: All Ireland is centrally run by an English

Central Government

Had they not been divided by religion, the Scots, the

English and the Irish probably would have

intermarried and assimilated to the Irish as it had

happened in the 14-15th c with the Anglo-Normans

and the native Irish.

Charles I

(Instead of calling Parliament together in England to vote for new taxes in England) he imposed new

taxes on the Irish

1641 Protestant settlers were massacred in Ireland (many churches were destroyed) Catholics

temporarily regained their lost lands Charles needs money to raise an army against Ireland (fed

up with the English Parliament that wouldnt give him control) Civil War in England (1642-5)

Cromwells pay off (1649-52): invaded Ireland (massacred the population of Drogheda + Wexford)

Catholic landowners are forced to move west of the River Shannon most Irish land was in

Protestant (English, Scottish) hands from the 1650s until the 1920s! 60.000 Irish Catholics are sold

as slaves to the Caribbean's Population of Ireland is reduced from 1.5 million to half a million.

Charles II

More Irish boys and women are sold to work in slavery

James II

flees to Ireland when his daughter and son-in-law (William of Orange) are invited by Parliament to

take his place on the throne (Glorious Revolution 1688) William defeats the Irish fighting against

his father-in-law in the biggest battle ever fought on Irish ground: 1690 James II vs William (ofOrange) III: Battle of the Boyne Flight of the Wild Geese: Irish soldiers flee to France

Why does Northern Ireland (Ulster)have a Protestant majority today??

ONeills lands were in Ulster (Rebellions

lands confiscated)

Land is the most fertile in Ulster

That is where Protestants were settled 1st

and in the largest numbers even today

Ulster is divided by 'religion'


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William III

Penal Laws: all power given to the Protestants (10% of

population) To force conversion to Protestantism (1690

1790s) Catholics could NOT:

Inherit or buy land

Practice their religionsLive in larger towns

Attend Catholic schools (these were closed or turned into Protestant schools)

Go to University

Take office (teacher, lawyer, Member of Parliament, army)

Vote

Defend themselves (carry weapons)

Marry a Protestant

All Catholic priests had to leave the country death sentence for those who refused and to

those giving them shelter! (~1000 priests were exiled) French priests poured in as

missionaries risking their lifeCelebrating mass was illegal (including Christenings, Weddings, Funerals in old abbeys or

monasteries)

Attending the Anglican church service was compulsory (missing it cost 12 pence each Sunday)

Taking the Oath of Supremacy was mandatory:

Anyone reporting a priest or any offence against the Penal laws was rewarded

To evade the evils of the Penal Laws all that was required was to renounce the Catholic faith and

become an Anglican (Church of Ireland)! False converts were sifted out and punished

Despite the unbearable hardships the Irish Catholics did not give up their religion. They became

a landless, helpless, hopeless, uneducated and disenfranchised people in their own country, too

poor and weak to pose any threat to the oppressor Protestant foreign elite. And while their hard

work contributed to the prosperity of the English and Scottish rulers, the Irish had the lowest

living standards in all of Europe!

Jonathan Swift born of English parents in Dublin; Dean of St. Patricks Cathedral Sharply

criticizes the Penal Laws in his writings (eg.: Modest Proposal, 1724)

Huge famine in 1740s (300.000 dead)

1759 Arthur Guinness starts producing stout (black beer); Today Guinness is one of the biggest

beer companies in Europe. Concessions lead to the Revolution of 1798

Britain needed Irish soldiers to fight against America Reforms: Catholics can inherit land (1778

no danger: nothing to inherit!), Catholic priests can return to Ireland (1782), open Catholic

schools, practice law. The American War of Independence convinced the British of the

importance to give limited self-government to its colonies

1782 the Irish Parliament is granted legislative independence!

1793 (Catholic Relief Act):

Catholics can vote (but they could not vote FOR a CATHOLIC person Catholics cannot be

MPs, plus voting was open always in line with the English landlords wishes)

Could become sheriffs, jurors, officers (but could not obtain the necessary education)

Penal Laws Keeping the

faith against all odds!


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A c t o f U n i o n w i t h B r i t a i n a n d E m i g r a t i o n

Own weapons (under specific conditions) Protestants become alarmed

1795 Protestants establish the Orange Order: named after their hero, William of Orange, to defend

and preserve Protestants and their rule in Ireland.

(Still active in Northern Ireland in the 21st century! They organize big processions throughout

N.I. on 12 July every year to commemorate the victory of William of Orange over the Irish a

source of conflict between Catholic and Protestant sections of towns.)

Society of United Irishmen (formed by Protestants and Catholics in Belfast, 1791) aimed at making

Ireland a republic (following suit with France) through an uprising with French help turns into

civil war (1798 Catholics against Protestants) 30.000 casualties

Daniel OConnell

The Irish Parliament was suspended (MPs from Dublin went to sit in Westminster)

No Catholic MPs in Westminster Daniel OConnell The Liberator (a Catholic lawyer

educated in France oldest Dublin bridge and avenue are named after him + countless number of

streets) founds the Catholic Association

became a mass-based organization

aim: peacefully achieve the right for Catholics to be MPs + repeal the Union

Success in achieving Catholic Emancipation (1829):

Catholics can become MPs in (Westminster)

However, no home rule granted to Ireland (only in 1914, taking effect in 1921)

Irish Catholics no longer have to pay taxes (tithes) to the Anglican Church (1838)

1845-48 Famine: 1 million people starved to death

Potato crop was attacked by a fungus

People couldnt pay rent to the landlords had to leave the land + their home

1 million emigrated to the USA (Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada) on coffin ships (20%

of the people died before landing)

Others earned their miserable living digging ditches and building roads paid by the British

Government to relieve the desperate situation = resentment and anger towards the English for

standing by idly (England was doing very well economically)

1848 a failed uprising

IRB: Irish Republican Brotherhood: organization set up in Dublin 1858 sister organization

established in America (1859) seeking to establish Ireland as a republic through organizing an

uprising opposed by the Catholic Cardinal could not become a mass based organization!!!

1867 many Irish return from America to fight for independence put down

Ulster is industrialized at a rapid pace (leaving the south behind): shipbuilding, linen-making

The Irish Party became the Tip of the scale in British politics in the 1860s and onwards both

the Liberals and the Tories tried to gain their favour. No party could gain enough seats to win the

elections and form a government on their own.

1800 Act of Union with Britain

the United Kingdom is born


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C a m p a i g n f o r H o m e R u l e

P a r t i t i o n o f I r e l a n d

Charles Parnell

William Gladstone

Arthur Griffith

1870s campaign for Home Rule (Irish self-government: Parliament in Dublin for internal affairs~1782 - 1800) soon led by the charismatic leader Charles Parnell

The Irish question takes central role in British politics: William Gladstone PM: My mission is topacify Ireland and to settle the Irish question. (land reform)

1st Irish Land Act (well-meaning but ineffective, 1870)

Disestablished the Anglican Church in Ireland

Removed religious (entrance) tests at universities Catholics can get scholarships, become

professors!!

Secret Voting introduced at elections!!! (1872) Irish men can finally vote for Catholic radical

MPs without risking the fury of their Prot. landlord (and losing their tenure)

Threat of famine many landlords evict tenants Land War (Boycott) to force new reforms

(1879-82) Fair rent or boycott!

Peasants burnt the harvest, maimed the cattle, dug symbolic graves for the landlords in front of

their homes, etc to demand fair treatment from them (landlords had been raising the price of the

rent for the allotted land at their whim, evicting tenants and giving the land to other peasants,

etc.)

Revival of Irish Gaelic culture! (language, sports, history, legends)

Gaelic Athletic Association: immensely successful at reviving Gaelic football and hurling. Any

GAA member who went to even just watch a foreign sport (cricket, football) was disqualified

Gaelic League: to revive the Irish language in the entire nation

Parnell leads the Irish Party (85 MPs in 1885) in Westminster: they become the tip of the scale

at elections both the Tories and the

Liberals want to please the Irish (the party that the Irish join in a coalition will form

government!!)

PM Gladstones 2nd Land Act 1881 (more effective than the previous one)

(The Irish tenants were promised fair rent, fixed tenure, and the freedom to sell their right to rent

the land brleti jogot tovbb lehet adni a fldesr beleegyezse nlkl.)

1st Home Rule Bill for Ireland! (1886) splits the Liberal Party PM Gladstone resigns!

2nd H.R.Bill rejected by House of Lords Gladstone resigns (1893) IRB explodes a bomb in the

House of Commons - London 1885

Sinn Fein (We Ourselves) founded by Arthur Griffith: Irish MPs should stay in Dublin and set up

an Irish Parliament (without waiting for permission - HR.Bill - from London) (they will only dare

to do so in 1918)

3rd H.R.Bill rejected by the Lords it automatically became law but was suspended due to World

War I

Ulster Protestant population afraid of independence from Britain (= losing power and having to

pay for centuries of oppression) Large scale illegal armament: preparing to fight for their

right to remain within the UK


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Michael Collins

Aemon De Valera

1916 Easter Rising: World War - the British are distracted perfect timing? Fenians occupy

the Post (Office (on OConnell Street) and declare Irelands independence and hoist the Irish

tricolour flag. 5 days later a British gunboat sailed up the Irish Sea and the River Liffey and

bombarded Dublin (while Irish soldiers were fighting together with the English in the same

trenches in France, the English bombarded their capital) 16 leaders executed (some could

escape: Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, Eamon De Valera,) nationalist sentiments stronger

than ever

1918 elections: Sinn Fein won all the seats outside of Ulster decide to set up their own

parliament in Dublin (the Dail)!! + bloody clashes in Belfast WAR!

1919-21Anglo-Irish War (War of Independence): guerrilla war

Nationalists Fighting for an independent Irish Republic; Led by Michael Collins

vs

Unionists Protestants fighting to remain within the Union

watch: Michael Collins (the movie)

1920 1st Bloody Sunday (Gaelic Match)

1921 (Dec.)Anglo-Irish Treaty: Partition (political division) of Ireland

Signed by Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Lloyd George (British PM)

Ireland is divided: 6 counties in Ulster remain within the UK

Ulster gets Home Rule (self-government)

26 counties become independent from Britain but remain a dominion have to remain

within

the Commonwealth and loyal to the English monarch

Irish Free State (= dominion status, instead of a republic! civil war)

1921-22 Civil War: initiated by Aemon De Valeras party (Sinn Fein) which would not sign or

accept the terms of the Treaty demanding a republic

Michael Collins is the Commander of the Irish forces and the President of the Irish Free State (for

10 days before he is killed)

W.B. Yeats is the 1st Irish to receive the Noble Prize (1923) in literature

G.B. Shaw gets the Nobel Prize in literature

De Valera dissolves Sinn Fein establishes the Fianna Fail Party wins the elections

De Valera is PM for 16 years then President for 14 (1959-73)

Opposition: Fine Gael Party (United Ireland)

New Constitution (1937) (mainly the work of De Valera)

Irelands new official name: EIRE (pronounced as air in English)

The territory of the state was declared to be the whole island of Ireland

But Irish laws applied only to the 26 counties


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C i v i l R i g h t s m o v e m e n t i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d

The head of the state is the President (~republic!)

Conservatively Catholic:

The integrity of the family was to be protected Divorce was made illegal

Freedom of speech, assembly was granted but subject to public order and morality

The place of women was to be within the home. Mothers shall not be obliged by economic

necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties within the home.

Freedom of religion granted to a list of religious groups

World War II: Ireland remained neutral (did not support Britain!)

1949 Ireland is a Republic! Withdraws from the British Commonwealth.

System of Apartheid: separate schools, neighbourhoods, sports teams for the Catholic andProtestant communities

1968 Catholic Civil Rights Movement peaceful marches demanding equal treatment in:

Employment

Housing

Reorganisation of the Police force: 95% of policemen were Protestants!

Clashes between Catholics and Protestants on the streets British soldiers are sent to Northern

Ireland (Belfast and Derry especially)

The IRA begins its killing and bombing campaign to force the British government to pull back its

soldiers

1971-75 the policy of internment (IRA) terrorist suspects can be arrested without any proof or

process many peaceful civil rights activists arrested (The movie: In the Name of the Father true

story)

1972 30th January Bloody Sunday mass demonstration in Derry against internment; British troops

shoot into the crowd To teach a lesson to the young Derry hooligans.

watch: Bloody Sunday true story

3 days later: IRA burns down the British Embassy in Dublin

March: riots British PM transfers complete control from Belfast to London

21st July: Bloody Friday 20 bombs explode all over Belfast within 1 hour (130 injured + 9 killed)

19 bombs in other N.Irish towns

1973 Ireland + the UK join the European Economic Community (Today: European Union)

1984 bomb aimed at Margaret Thatcher (she is saved, but 5 die and many more wounded)

1993 Downing street declaration: Ulster will join the Republic of Ireland only if and when the

majority of the voters would decide for reunification on a referendum (principle of self-

determination) Signed by the British and Irish PM

IRA announces a cease-fire!! (1994) Talks begin between IRA + politicians

Rapid economic growth in the Republic Celtic Tiger


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S e l f - g o v e r n m e n t i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d

Oct. 1997 First (official) meeting between an IRA leader and British PM since 1921

April 1998: Good Friday Agreement: signed by(left to right) Tony Blair (Br PM), Bertie Ahern(Ir PM), Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein), David Trimble (UUP)among others.

The main provisions:

1. New Northern Irish Assembly in Belfast

2. Coalition government (Catholics and Protestants together in gov.) All key decisions will be

taken only with cross-community support.

3. Several North/South Ministerial Councils will be set up (cross-border bodies)

4. Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons (terrorist groups hand in weapons)

5. Changing the composition of the NI police (also its ethos, symbols, etc)

6. Modify (amend) the Irish Constitution (1937): The territory of the state should not be declared

to be the whole island of Ireland

7. Release political prisoners... (Yes, that means releasing terrorists as well)

Referendums on approving or rejecting the Good Friday Agreement

NI: 71% approved the Agreement

Republic of Ireland: 95% endorsed it

Elections for the NI Assembly (25 June 1998)

First Minister: David Trimble (Ulster Unionist Party)

Deputy First Minister: Seamus Mallon (Social Democratic and Labour Party)

Oct. 1998 David Trimble and John Hume receive the Noble Prize in Peace for their role in

bringing the two sides together to negotiate

Dec. 1999 NI Assembly receives devolved power from Westminster

Feb. 2000 NI Assembly government is suspended: IRAs failure to decommission its guns

May 2000 powers devolved again

July 2001 David Trimble resigns... NI government is dissolved yet again...


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l e a r n m o r e :

History of Ireland

Ireland's history in maps

s o u r c e s :

Foster, R. F. The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland. Oxford University Press. 1989

The History Book of Ireland by Richard Tames (Gill&Macmillan) 1995How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill (New York, 1995)

Facts About Ireland by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland

Guide to British and American Culture. Oxford University Press 1999

http://www.umn.edu/irishlaw/intro.html (2001.11.26) On the topic of Penal Laws

http://www.rootsweb.com/~fianna/history/index.html

Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin: The Making of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998

An outline of Irish History

Documents

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