Changes

The '''history of Ireland''' begins in the past. [[Ireland]] is now divided into the [[Republic of Ireland]], and [[Northern Ireland]] which is part of the [[United Kingdom]]. People began farming on Ireland thousands of years ago. The [[Celts]] moved there about 2,500 years ago. Ireland was divided into many small kingdoms. When [[Christians]] arrived, most Irish people became Christian. The [[Vikings]] and later the [[Normans]] invaded in the [[Middle Ages]]. Eventually, Ireland became part of the [[United Kingdom]], with [[Great Britain]]. In the 1920s, most of Ireland became a separate country, but Northern Ireland stayed in the United Kingdom.

The '''history of Ireland''' begins in [[Prehistoric Britain|prehistoric]] times. [[Farming]] activities began in [[Ireland]] thousands of years ago. Particularly, the [[Celts]] moved there about 2,500 years ago, who divided Ireland into several [[Kingdom|kingdoms]]. In the [[5th century]], [[Saint Patrick]] brought [[Christians|Christianity]] to Ireland, which is still the dominant [[religion]] on the island today. The [[Vikings]] and later the [[Normans]] [[Invasion|invaded]] in the [[Middle Ages]].

 

[[File:Celtic cross, Irish National Heritage Park - geograph.org.uk - 1251387.jpg|thumb|Celtic cross in Irish National Heritage Park]]

 

Ireland became part of the [[United Kingdom]] (UK). After the [[Irish War of Independence]], most of Ireland became [[Republic of Ireland|independent]], the [[Republic of Ireland]]. However, [[Northern Ireland]] stayed in the [[United Kingdom]]. It is still a part of the UK today.

== Prehistory ==

== Prehistory ==

Nobody knows exactly when the first people came to Ireland. Using [[radiometric dating]], scientists found that a [[bear]] bone with knife marks was 12,500 years old. It is likely that people lived in Ireland then.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35863186|title=Earliest evidence of humans in Ireland|date=2016-03-21|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-05-05|language=en-GB}}</ref> By 7900 BCE, [[hunter-gatherer]]s (people who ate wild plants and animals) lived in Ireland. This time was called the [[Stone Age]].<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Driscoll|first=Killian|date=2006|title=The Mesolithic and Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Ireland chapter 3|publisher=National University of Ireland, Galway|url=https://lithicsireland.ie/mlitt_mesolithic_west_ireland_chap_3.html}}</ref> Around 4000 BCE, they started making [[Farming|farms]] with animals and plants. They made [[pottery]], stone tools, wood houses, and large [[tomb]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/41404387|title=Landscapes of Neolithic Ireland|last=Cooney, Gabriel.|date=2000|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-16976-3|location=New York|oclc=41404387}}</ref> The [[Bronze Age]] started around 2500 BCE. People learned to make things out of [[metal]]s like [[bronze]], [[gold]], and [[copper]], but it was mostly only rich people who had them. People also started [[weaving]] and working with [[leather]]. Large rooms were built to store metal weapons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://microsites.museum.ie/BronzeAgeHandlingBox/bronze-age.html|title=The Irish Bronze Age {{!}} National Museum of Ireland {{!}} Bronze Age Handling Box|website=microsites.museum.ie|access-date=2020-05-05}}</ref> The [[Iron Age]] started around 600 BCE or earlier, when people started making [[iron]] tools. During the Iron Age, [[Celts]] came to Ireland, so they started speaking [[Celtic languages]]. The Celts brought their style of art with them.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51942607|title=Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland : Irish antiquities|last=National Museum of Ireland.|date=2002|publisher=Gill & Macmillan in association with the Boyne Valley Honey Co|others=Wallace, Patrick F., O'Floinn, Raghnall.|isbn=0-7171-2829-6|location=Dublin|oclc=51942607}}</ref> Between 1 and 400 CE, [[Roman Empire|Roman]] soldiers may have invaded Ireland, but Ireland did not join the Roman Empire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://irisharchaeology.ie/2011/11/roman-contacts-with-ireland/|title=Roman contacts with Ireland {{!}} Irish Archaeology|website=irisharchaeology.ie|date=10 November 2011|access-date=2020-05-05}}</ref> About five [[king]]s each ruled a large part of Ireland.<ref name="macneill phases">{{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48952/48952-h/48952-h.htm|title=Phases of Irish History|last=MacNeill|first=Eoin|year=1920|location=Dublin|pages=98–132}}</ref>

Nobody knows exactly when the first people came to Ireland. In 2016 [[Scientist|scientists]] used [[radiometric dating]] on a [[bear]] [[bone]] that had been found in an Irish [[cave]]. They found 12,500-year-old, man-made [[knife]] marks on the bone, showing that people lived in Ireland during the [[Palaeolithic|Paleolithic era]] (the first part of the [[Stone Age]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35863186|title=Earliest evidence of humans in Ireland|date=2016-03-21|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-05-05|language=en-GB}}</ref>

 

By 7900 BCE, [[hunter-gatherer]]s (people who ate wild plants and animals) definitely lived in Ireland.<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Driscoll|first=Killian|date=2006|title=The Mesolithic and Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Ireland chapter 3|publisher=National University of Ireland, Galway|url=https://lithicsireland.ie/mlitt_mesolithic_west_ireland_chap_3.html}}</ref> Around 4000 BCE, they started farming and keeping farm animals. Stone Age people in Ireland also made [[Tool|tools]], [[pottery]], wooden houses, and large [[tomb]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Landscapes of Neolithic Ireland|last=Cooney, Gabriel.|date=2000|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-16976-3|location=New York|oclc=41404387}}</ref>

The [[Bronze Age]] started around 2500 BCE. During this age, people learned to make things out of [[metal]]s like [[bronze]], [[gold]], and [[copper]]. They built metal [[Weapon|weapons]] and large rooms to store them in.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://microsites.museum.ie/BronzeAgeHandlingBox/bronze-age.html|title=The Irish Bronze Age {{!}} National Museum of Ireland {{!}} Bronze Age Handling Box|website=microsites.museum.ie|access-date=2020-05-05}}</ref> People also started [[weaving]] and working with [[leather]] during the Bronze Age.

The [[Iron Age]] started around 600 BCE or earlier, when people started making [[iron]] tools. During the Iron Age, Celts came to Ireland. They brought [[Celtic languages]], [[art]], and [[culture]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland : Irish antiquities|url=https://archive.org/details/treasuresofnatio0000unse_j3l4|last=National Museum of Ireland.|date=2002|publisher=Gill & Macmillan in association with the Boyne Valley Honey Co|others=Wallace, Patrick F., O'Floinn, Raghnall.|isbn=0-7171-2829-6|location=Dublin|oclc=51942607}}</ref>  

 

Between 1 and 400 CE, [[Roman Empire|Roman]] soldiers may have invaded Ireland, but Ireland did not join the Roman Empire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://irisharchaeology.ie/2011/11/roman-contacts-with-ireland/|title=Roman contacts with Ireland {{!}} Irish Archaeology|website=irisharchaeology.ie|date=10 November 2011|access-date=2020-05-05|archive-date=2020-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218225738/http://irisharchaeology.ie/2011/11/roman-contacts-with-ireland/|url-status=dead}}</ref> About five [[king]]s each ruled a large part of Ireland.<ref name="macneill phases">{{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48952/48952-h/48952-h.htm|title=Phases of Irish History|last=MacNeill|first=Eoin|year=1920|location=Dublin|pages=98–132}}</ref>

== Early medieval era ==

== Early medieval era ==

In the 300s CE, [[Christianity]] and [[writing]] were both brought to Ireland. [[Saint Patrick]] was famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland in the 400s, but he was not the first Christian in Ireland. For the next 300–400 years, more Irish people became Christian. Christian [[monk]]s from other countries came to Irish [[Monastery|monasteries]]. Some monasteries grew into towns.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/960040458|title=Early medieval Ireland, 400-1200|last=Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí.|date=4 October 2016|isbn=978-1-317-19270-1|edition=Second|location=New York|oclc=960040458}}</ref> The main buildings from 400-800 CE were round forts (raths or ringforts) made of dirt, with houses inside.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lynn|first=Chris|date=Summer 2003|title=Ireland in the Iron Age: A Basket Case?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20562668|journal=Archaeology Ireland|volume=17|issue=2|pages=20–23|jstor=20562668|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Most of the [[forest]]s were cut down to make farms.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60660189|title=A new history of Ireland|last1=Moody|first1=Theodore W.|last2=Martin|first2=Francis X.|last3=Byrne|first3=Francis J.|last4=Cosgrove|first4=Art|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1976|isbn=0-19-821737-4|location=Oxford [England]|oclc=60660189}}</ref> There were some new [[kingdom]]s in this time. The kingdom of Uí Néill in north Ireland took over the area called Tara, then ruled over all the other kingdoms. They were called the high kings.<ref name="macneill phases" />

Between 400 and 800 CE, most [[Building|buildings]] in Ireland were round [[forts]] made of dirt (called ''raths'' or ''ringforts''), with houses inside.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lynn|first=Chris|date=Summer 2003|title=Ireland in the Iron Age: A Basket Case?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20562668|journal=Archaeology Ireland|volume=17|issue=2|pages=20–23|jstor=20562668|via=JSTOR}}</ref> Most of the island's [[forest]]s were cut down to make farms.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A new history of Ireland|last1=Moody|first1=Theodore W.|last2=Martin|first2=Francis X.|last3=Byrne|first3=Francis J.|last4=Cosgrove|first4=Art|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1976|isbn=0-19-821737-4|location=Oxford [England]|oclc=60660189}}</ref>

[[File:Galloglass-circa-1521.jpg|thumb|289x289px|Gallowglasses — Irish warriors whose ancestors were Vikings]]

By 800 almost everyone was Christian.<ref>{{cite book|title = Calendar of Irish saints, the martyrology of Tallagh, with notices of the patron saints of Ireland, and select poems and hymns | author = Matthew Kelly | publisher = J. Mullany | date = 1857 | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_wbUCAAAAQAAJ |quote = pagan. | via = Internet Archive }}</ref> They were called Gaels and they spoke the [[Gaelic language]]. In 795, the [[Vikings]], [[sailor]]s from [[Scandinavia]], invaded and stole from many towns. The Vikings ruled over Irish kings. They built [[Dublin]] and other cities and towns on the coast. In 902 the Christian Irish armies pushed out the Vikings, but in 917 the Vikings came back to start a new kingdom of Dublin. Over time, Vikings started new kingdoms. In the 1000s and 1100s, the Vikings either left or became part of Irish culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ó Corráin|first=Donnchadh|date=1998|title=Vikings in Ireland and Scotland in the Ninth Century|url=https://celt.ucc.ie//Vikings%20in%20Scotland%20and%20Ireland.pdf|journal=Peritia|volume=12|pages=296–339|doi=10.1484/J.Peri.3.334}}</ref>

Around the 300 CE, [[Christianity]] and [[writing]] were both brought to Ireland. ([[Saint Patrick]] was famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland in the 400s, but he was not the first Christian in Ireland.) Christian [[monk]]s from other countries came to Irish [[Monastery|monasteries]]. Some monasteries grew into towns.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Early medieval Ireland, 400-1200|last=Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí.|date=4 October 2016|isbn=978-1-317-19270-1|edition=Second|location=New York|oclc=960040458}}</ref> 

 

Christianity spread throughout the island over the next few hundred years. By 800 almost everyone was Christian.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_wbUCAAAAQAAJ|title=Calendar of Irish saints, the martyrology of Tallagh, with notices of the patron saints of Ireland, and select poems and hymns|author=Matthew Kelly|date=1857|publisher=J. Mullany|quote=pagan.|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> They were called Gaels and spoke [[Gaelic language|Gaelic]]. [[File:Galloglass-circa-1521.jpg|thumb|289x289px|Gallowglasses — Irish warriors whose ancestors were Vikings]]

In 795 the [[Vikings]], [[sailor]]s from [[Scandinavia]], invaded and [[Looting|looted]] many towns. The Vikings ruled over Irish kings. They built [[Dublin]] and other cities and towns on the coast.  

 

In 902 the Christian Irish armies pushed out the Vikings, but in 917 the Vikings came back to start a new kingdom of Dublin. Over time, Vikings started new kingdoms.  

 

In the 1000s and 1100s, the Vikings either left or became part of Irish culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ó Corráin|first=Donnchadh|date=1998|title=Vikings in Ireland and Scotland in the Ninth Century|url=https://celt.ucc.ie//Vikings%20in%20Scotland%20and%20Ireland.pdf|journal=Peritia|volume=12|pages=296–339|doi=10.1484/J.Peri.3.334}}</ref>

Some new [[Kingdom|kingdoms]] appeared in this era. The kingdom of Uí Néill in north Ireland took over the area called [[Tara (Ireland)|Tara]], then ruled over all the other kingdoms. They were called the high kings.<ref name="macneill phases" />

Brian Boru, a King of Munster, fought against Leinster and became the high king in the early 1000s. After that, high kings came from the four provinces: [[Munster]], [[Leinster]], [[Ulster]], and [[Connacht]]. Each province also had its own king.<ref name="campbell irelands">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/900416071|title=Ireland's history : prehistory to the present|last=Campbell|first=Kenneth L.|date=5 December 2013|isbn=978-1-4725-6782-6|pages=Ch. 4|no-pp=y|oclc=900416071}}</ref>

In 1002 [[Brian Boru]], a King of [[Munster]], fought against Leinster and became the [[Lord of Ireland|high king]]. After that, high kings came from the four [[Province|provinces]]: Munster, [[Leinster]], [[Ulster]], and [[Connacht]]. Each province also had its own king.<ref name="campbell irelands">{{Cite book|title=Ireland's history : prehistory to the present|last=Campbell|first=Kenneth L.|date=5 December 2013|isbn=978-1-4725-6782-6|pages=Ch. 4|no-pp=y|oclc=900416071}}</ref>

== Norman era ==

== Norman era ==

[[File:Ireland 1450.png|thumb|300x300px|Ireland in 1450 showing lands held by native Irish (green), the Anglo-Irish (blue) and the English king (dark grey).]]

[[File:Ireland 1450.png|thumb|300x300px|Ireland in 1450 showing lands held by native Irish (green), the Anglo-Irish (blue) and the English king (dark grey).]]

In the 1100s, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair was the high king. He forced Diarmaid Mac Murchada, the king of Leinster, to leave his kingdom. Diarmaid asked [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], a [[Normandy|Norman]] king of [[England]], to help him get his land back. Henry agreed, so an army of Norman (and [[Wales|Welsh]]) knights invaded Ireland in 1167.<ref name="campbell irelands" /> Richard de Clare, called Strongbow, led the knights. Henry thought the Norman knights and Strongbow were too powerful, so he decided to take over Ireland. He traveled to Ireland with his own fleet in 1171. Henry conquered Ireland and gave it to his youngest son [[John of England|John]]. Henry thought John would never be king of England, so he made John Lord of Ireland. But John became king of England in 1199 after all his brothers died. After that, Ireland was ruled by the English king. Norman lords from England started taking over more of Ireland. They mostly lived near the east and south coasts, and some land was still ruled by Irish kings.

In the 1100s, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair was the high king. He forced Diarmaid Mac Murchada, the king of Leinster, to leave his kingdom. Diarmaid asked [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], a [[Normandy|Norman]] king of [[England]], to help him get his land back.  

 

Henry agreed and sent an army of Norman (and [[Wales|Welsh]]) [[Knight|knights]] to invade Ireland in 1167.<ref name="campbell irelands" /> Richard de Clare, called Strongbow, led the army. However, Henry decided Strongbow and the Norman knights and Strongbow were too powerful, so he decided to take over Ireland. He traveled to Ireland with his own fleet in 1171.

Henry conquered Ireland. He named his youngest son, [[John of England|John]], the [[Lord of Ireland]]. He had several older sons, and thought John would never become king of England. However, in 1199, John did become king of England after all his brothers died. After that, Ireland was ruled by the English king.  

 

Now that Ireland was controlled by England, many lords came from England to take Irish [[land]]. They built new [[Castle|castles]] and towns on the lands they took over.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Norman invasion of Ireland|last=Roche|first=Richard|year=1970|isbn=9780947962814}}</ref> These were usually near the east and south [[Coast|coasts]] (other parts of the island were still ruled by Irish kings). 

 

 

 

 

 

Ireland had a [[governor]] who was supposed to be [[Loyalty|loyal]] to the King of England. In the 1530s, Thomas Fitzgerald, the governor, rebelled against England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/biography/SilkenThomasFitzGerald10thEarlofKildare.php|title=Silken Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare - Irish Biography|website=www.libraryireland.com|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> He failed, and King [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] of England decided to rule the island himself instead of giving power to a governor. In 1541, he declared himself King of Ireland and began building military forts on the island.  

The Norman lords built new castles and towns in their land.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Norman invasion of Ireland|last=Roche|first=Richard|year=1970|isbn=9780947962814}}</ref> Many people came from England to Ireland for more land. The English, Norman, or Anglo-Norman lords broke up land into areas called [[Manorialism|manors]]. They put fences around farms so everyone would know who owned the farm. Farms were made better so they could grow more in a smaller area. The Anglo-Normans planted more [[wheat]] and raised more [[sheep]]. The [[population]] grew quickly.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Maple|first=John T.|date=November 1989|title=Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland and the Irish Economy: Stagnation or Stimulation?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24447603|journal=The Historian|volume=52|issue=1|pages=61–81|doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.1989.tb00774.x|jstor=24447603|via=JSTOR}}</ref> In 1297, Anglo-Normans started the [[Irish Parliament]], a gathering to make laws.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2014-06-18|title=750th anniversary of 1st 'Irish parliament' marked|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0618/624735-irish-parliament/|language=en}}</ref>

[[Settler|Settlers]], mostly [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] from England, also moved to [[Plantation|plantations]] in Ireland. They used English laws and took over a lot of the island. This caused conflicts with the native Irish Catholic people. During the Nine Years War in the 1590s, Irish soldiers from [[Ulster]] (the largest plantation) fought the English.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/ireland/reform.htm|title=The National Archives - Exhibitions - Uniting the Kingdoms?|last=Archives|first=The National|website=www.nationalarchives.gov.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> Unlike in the other provinces, settlers in Ulster were mostly [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]] from [[Scotland]].

Anglicanism was the official religion of the Church of England. English kings and the [[Parliament of England|English Parliament]] wanted the Irish people to be Anglican. They created the [[Church of Ireland]], a branch of the Anglican Church. The Penal Laws of the 1600s punished Irish people who did not follow the Church of Ireland. The Anglicans grew more powerful. This time was called the Protestant Ascendancy. That was the end of Gaelic Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancestryireland.com/history-of-the-irish-parliament/background-to-the-statutes/religion/|title=Religion|website=Ulster Historical Foundation|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-06|archive-date=2020-03-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311190723/https://www.ancestryireland.com/history-of-the-irish-parliament/background-to-the-statutes/religion/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the 1700s, the Catholic people of Ireland were poor [[peasant]]s. They were not allowed to own land. England forced them to export much of the food they produced. There was little left to eat other than [[Potato|potatoes]]; an average man would eat up to 14 pounds of them a day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Ireland Before the Great Irish Famine|url=https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/gifcbefore.pdf|website=New York State Department of Education}}</ref> There were [[Rebellion|rebellions]] against [[Landlord|landlords]] and English rule, but they mostly failed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofireland02leckuoft|title=A history of Ireland in the eighteenth century|last=Lecky|first=William E. H.|year=1896|pages=1–51}}</ref> In 1801, the [[Act of Union 1800|Acts of Union]] joined [[Ireland]] with [[Great Britain]], forming the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] (UK). The Irish parliament became part of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom parliament]] in [[London]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Biletz|first=Frank A.|date=1997|title=Alan J. Ward: The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland, 1782-1992|url=https://www.academia.edu/917622|journal=Law and History Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506221206/https://www.academia.edu/917622/The_Irish_Constitutional_Tradition_Responsible_Government_and_Modern_Ireland_1782-1992|archive-date=6 May 2020|via=academia.edu}}</ref>

The Gaelic Irish often tried to take control from the Anglo-Normans. In 1315, Edward Bruce, a lord from [[Scotland]], allied with the Irish to fight the Anglo-Normans. In 1318 the Anglo-Normans won the war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyireland.com/medieval-history-pre-1500/the-bruce-invasions-of-ireland-11/|title=The Bruce Invasions of Ireland|date=2013-01-22|website=History Ireland|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> But the Anglo-Norman rulers became weaker. By 1500, England only controlled a small part of eastern Ireland, called the Pale. In the rest of Ireland, people spoke [[Irish language|Irish]] and had Irish culture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Culture__Religion_in_Tudor_Ireland_1494-1558|title=Culture & Religion in Tudor Ireland, 1494-1558.|last=Jefferies|first=Henry A.|website=University College Cork, Ireland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416173828/http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Culture__Religion_in_Tudor_Ireland_1494-1558|archive-date=6 Apr 2008}}</ref>

From 1845-1852, there was a terrible famine in Ireland. A million people [[Starvation|starved]] to death, and another million [[Emigration|moved to other countries]]. The famine was caused by a [[Blight|plant disease]] which killed potato crops. This was disastrous because most Irish people depended on potatoes to survive. An average Irish man ate 12-14 pounds of potatoes per day.<ref name=":0" /> Even children under ten ate about 5 pounds of potatoes per day.<ref name=":0" />

Ireland had a governor (ruler) who was supposed to be loyal to the King of England. In the 1530s, Thomas Fitzgerald, the governor, rebelled against England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/biography/SilkenThomasFitzGerald10thEarlofKildare.php|title=Silken Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare - Irish Biography|website=www.libraryireland.com|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> Because of this, King [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] of England wanted more power. In 1541, he declared himself King of Ireland instead of Lord of Ireland. The English built military forts in Ireland. English [[settler]]s moved to areas in Ireland called plantations. They used English laws and took over a lot of Ireland. During the Nine Years War in the 1590s, Irish soldiers from Ulster fought the English.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/ireland/reform.htm|title=The National Archives - Exhibitions - Uniting the Kingdoms?|last=Archives|first=The National|website=www.nationalarchives.gov.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>

[[File:Population of Ireland and Europe 1750 to 2005.svg|thumb|320x320px|Population of Ireland in green. The population fell because of the Great Famine and people moving to other countries.]]

Most of the Irish people were [[Catholicism|Catholic]]. The settlers were mostly [[Protestantism|Protestant]]. In [[Ulster]], the largest plantation, settlers were mostly [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]] from [[Scotland]]. In the other provinces, the settlers were mostly [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] from England. English kings and the [[Parliament of England|English Parliament]] wanted the Irish people to be Anglican. They made the [[Church of Ireland]], a branch of the Anglican Church. The Penal Laws of the 1600s punished Irish people who did not follow the Church of Ireland. The Anglicans grew more powerful. This time was called the Protestant Ascendancy. That was the end of Gaelic Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancestryireland.com/history-of-the-irish-parliament/background-to-the-statutes/religion/|title=Religion|website=Ulster Historical Foundation|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>

In the 1700s, the Catholic people of Ireland were poor [[peasant]]s. They were not allowed to own land, and much of the food they produced was exported overseas by England. Forcing them to mostly eat potatoes. There were [[rebellion]]s against [[landlord]]s and English rule, but they mostly failed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofireland02leckuoft|title=A history of Ireland in the eighteenth century|last=Lecky|first=William E. H.|year=1896|pages=1–51}}</ref> In 1801, the [[Act of Union 1800|Acts of Union]] joined [[Ireland]] with [[Great Britain]], forming the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] (UK). The Irish parliament became part of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom parliament]] in [[London]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Biletz|first=Frank A.|date=1997|title=Alan J. Ward: The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland, 1782-1992|url=https://www.academia.edu/917622|journal=Law and History Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506221206/https://www.academia.edu/917622/The_Irish_Constitutional_Tradition_Responsible_Government_and_Modern_Ireland_1782-1992|archive-date=6 May 2020|via=academia.edu}}</ref>

Many Irish people were forced to leave their land because they could not pay [[Renting|rent]] to their [[Landlord|landlords]]. Some were forced to work in [[Poorhouse|poorhouses]] because of the Irish [[Poor Law|Poor Laws]] (created by the English government). England continued [[Export|exporting]] Irish crops  selling them to other countries ‒ throughout the famine. Critics have said that England should have left this food in Ireland so the people did not starve.

== Irish language ==

Ireland's Great Famine hurt Irish speakers the most, because they were poor. In 1831, the government had already forced [[Primary school|primary schools]] to teach in [[English language|English]], not Irish. Children were punished if they spoke Irish in school. People had to speak English if they wanted a good [[job]]. During the famine years, even more Irish-speaking people switched to English.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ó Ceallaigh|first1=T.J.|last2=Ní Dhonnabháin|first2=Áine|date=2015|title=Reawakening the Irish Language through the Irish Education System: Challenges and Priorities|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1085869.pdf|journal=International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education|volume=8|issue=2|pages=179–198}}</ref>

In 1831, the government forced primary schools to teach in [[English language|English]], not Irish. Children were punished if they spoke Irish in school. People had to speak English if they wanted a good [[job]]. From 1845-1849, a disease killed potato plants, which caused the Great Famine, or the [[Irish Potato Famine]]. About a [[million]] people [[Starvation|starved]] to death, and a million more [[Emigration|moved to other countries]]. The famine hurt Irish speakers the most, because they were poor. More people switched from speaking Irish to English.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ó Ceallaigh|first1=T.J.|last2=Ní Dhonnabháin|first2=Áine|date=2015|title=Reawakening the Irish Language through the Irish Education System: Challenges and Priorities|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1085869.pdf|journal=International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education|volume=8|issue=2|pages=179–198}}</ref> Some say people starved because crops in Ireland were [[Export|sold to other countries]]. These crops could have fed people in Ireland. Many Irish people were forced to leave their land because they could not pay rent to the landlords. Some had to work in [[factories]] set up by the government, because of the Irish Poor Laws. From the 1870s to the 1890s, there was violence between the Land League and the government. The Land League wanted lower rent and they wanted to buy land.<ref name="allen ch 1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jw1|title=1916: Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition|last=Allen|first=Kieran|publisher=Pluto Press|year=2016|isbn=9780745336374|location=London|pages=1–26|doi=10.2307/j.ctt19b9jw1|jstor=j.ctt19b9jw1}}</ref>

In 1886, the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] tried to create an Irish parliament within the government of the United Kingdom. This idea was called [[Irish Home Rule|Home Rule]]. However, the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] did not allow Ireland to have Home Rule. From the 1870s to the 1890s, there was violence between the Land League and the government. The Land League wanted lower rent and they wanted to buy land.<ref name="allen ch 1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jw1|title=1916: Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition|last=Allen|first=Kieran|publisher=Pluto Press|year=2016|isbn=9780745336374|location=London|pages=1–26|doi=10.2307/j.ctt19b9jw1|jstor=j.ctt19b9jw1}}</ref> In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the British government made it easier for Irish people to buy land.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Guinnane|first1=Timothy W.|last2=Miller|first2=Ronald I.|date=1997|title=The Limits to Land Reform: The Land Acts in Ireland, 1870–1909*|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/452292|journal=Economic Development and Cultural Change|volume=45|issue=3|pages=591–612|doi=10.1086/452292|jstor=10.1086/452292|hdl=10419/160647|s2cid=17477539|issn=0013-0079}}</ref>

== 20th century ==

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the British government made it easier for Irish people to buy land.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Guinnane|first1=Timothy W.|last2=Miller|first2=Ronald I.|date=1997|title=The Limits to Land Reform: The Land Acts in Ireland, 1870–1909*|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/452292|journal=Economic Development and Cultural Change|volume=45|issue=3|pages=591–612|doi=10.1086/452292|jstor=10.1086/452292|hdl=10419/160647|s2cid=17477539|issn=0013-0079}}</ref> In 1886 the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] tried to make a new parliament for Ireland. This idea was called [[Irish Home Rule|Home Rule]]. However, Parliament did not allow Ireland to have Home Rule. Around 1900, Irish people were split into Nationalists, who wanted Home Rule or [[independence]], and Unionists, who wanted to be ruled by Britain. Nationalists were mostly Catholics who lived in [[rural area]]s. Unionists were mostly Protestants who lived in cities. The Unionists worried they would lose their [[rights]] if Ireland had its own government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/home_rule_movement_01.shtml|title=BBC - History - British History in depth: Irish Home Rule: An imagined future|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref> In some parts of Ireland, Unionists were mostly rich. But in Ulster, many Unionists were workers who wanted the [[upper class]] to have less power.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1102734362|title=Two Irelands beyond the sea : Ulster unionism and America, 1880-1920|last=Flewelling, Lindsey|year=2018|isbn=978-1-78962-936-1|oclc=1102734362}}</ref>

In 1912 some people in Parliament tried again to get Home Rule. About 500,000 Unionists in Ulster signed a [[petition]] against Home Rule called the Ulster Convenant. They also formed an [[army]] called the Ulster Volunteers. Irish Nationalists formed an army called the Irish Volunteers. By 1914, the government was too worried about [[World War I]] to think about Home Rule.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/about-ulster-covenant|title=About the Ulster Covenant|date=2015-12-01|website=nidirect|language=en|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref> Both Nationalists and Unionists fought in British military units in World War I.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277203829|title=Belfast Boys : how Unionists and Nationalists fought and died together in the First World War|last=Grayson, Richard S.|date=2009|publisher=Continuum|isbn=978-1-84725-008-7|location=London|oclc=277203829}}</ref>

By around 1900, Irish people were split into Unionists (who wanted to be ruled by Britain) and Nationalists (who wanted Home Rule or [[independence]]). Nationalists were mostly Catholics who lived in [[Rural area|rural areas]]. Unionists were mostly Protestants who lived in cities. They worried they would lose their [[rights]] if Ireland had its own government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/home_rule_movement_01.shtml|title=BBC - History - British History in depth: Irish Home Rule: An imagined future|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref> In some parts of Ireland, Unionists were mostly rich. But in Ulster, many Unionists were workers who wanted the [[upper class]] to have less power.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Two Irelands beyond the sea : Ulster unionism and America, 1880-1920|last=Flewelling, Lindsey|year=2018|isbn=978-1-78962-936-1|oclc=1102734362}}</ref> In 1912, some members of the U.K. Parliament tried again to get Home Rule for Ireland. About 500,000 Unionists in Ulster signed a [[petition]] against Home Rule called the Ulster Convenant. They also formed an [[army]] called the Ulster Volunteers. Meanwhile, Irish Nationalists formed an army called the Irish Volunteers.

In 1916, there was a rebellion by Irish people who wanted to be independent. Britain stopped it quickly but many Irish were angry.<ref name="allen ch 1" /> They elected [[Sinn Féin]], an independence party, to most Irish seats in Parliament. Sinn Féin members refused to go to London to join Parliament. Instead they started a new assembly in Dublin called the [[Dáil Éireann]] (or Dáil). Sinn Féin said that Ireland was now independent. In 1918 they organized the Irish Volunteers into the [[Irish Republican Army]] (IRA). From 1919-1921, the IRA fought a war against the British ([[Irish War of Independence]]) to be a separate country. In 1920 the British government decided to divide Ireland into [[Southern Ireland]] (The Provisional Government), which was about 5/6 of the island, and [[Northern Ireland]]. The Dáil and Britain signed a treaty in 1922 to make Southern Ireland into the [[Irish Free State]]. It was still connected to the UK, but it had more freedom. However, the IRA wanted to fully leave the UK. They fought a war ([[Irish Civil War]]) against the Irish Free State government. The IRA stopped fighting in 1923.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jw1|title=1916: Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition|last=Allen|first=Kieran|publisher=Pluto Press|year=2016|isbn=9780745336374|location=London|pages=60–81|doi=10.2307/j.ctt19b9jw1|jstor=j.ctt19b9jw1}}</ref>

In 1916, there was a rebellion by Irish people who wanted to be independent. Britain stopped it quickly, but many Irish were angry.<ref name="allen ch 1" /> They elected [[Sinn Féin]], an independence party, to most Irish seats in the U.K. Parliament. Sinn Féin members refused to go to London to join Parliament. Instead they started a new assembly in Dublin called the [[Dáil Éireann]] (or Dáil). Sinn Féin said that Ireland was now independent. In 1918, they organized the Irish Volunteers into the [[Irish Republican Army]] (IRA). From 1919-1921, the IRA fought a war against the British ([[Irish War of Independence]]) to be a separate country. In 1920 the British government decided to divide Ireland into [[Southern Ireland]] (The Provisional Government), which was about 5/6 of the island, and [[Northern Ireland]]. The Dáil and Britain signed a treaty in 1922 to make Southern Ireland into the [[Irish Free State]]. It was still connected to the UK, but it had more freedom.

== After division ==

== After division ==

During most of the 20th century (1900-1999), the Republic of Ireland was over 90% Catholic. The people and the government were socially conservative. Divorce, contraceptives, and abortions were not allowed until the late 20th century.<ref name="hollis">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45308793|title=The history of Ireland|last=Hollis|first=Daniel Webster|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-31281-8|location=Westport, Conn.|pages=5–10|oclc=45308793}}</ref> In 1927 the Republic of Ireland government created the Electricity Supply Board to manage [[electricity]]. By the 1960s, 80% of [[Rural area|rural]] families had electricity. The Single Electricity Market was created in 2007 to supply all of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ireland2050.ie/past/electricity/|title=Electricity|website=Ireland 2050|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507233711/http://ireland2050.ie/past/electricity/|archive-date=7 May 2020|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref>

The IRA were not happy with the Irish Free State treaty. They wanted Ireland to fully leave the U.K. Immediately, they began fighting the Irish Free State government in the [[Irish Civil War]]. The war ended when the IRA stopped fighting in 1923.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt19b9jw1|title=1916: Ireland's Revolutionary Tradition|last=Allen|first=Kieran|publisher=Pluto Press|year=2016|isbn=9780745336374|location=London|pages=60–81|doi=10.2307/j.ctt19b9jw1|jstor=j.ctt19b9jw1}}</ref>

Northern Ireland was governed by the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] from 1922 until 1972. It was a Protestant country, according to James Craig, its first [[Prime Minister|prime minister]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction|url=https://archive.org/details/modernirelandver00pase|last=Paseta|first=Senia|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2003|isbn=9780192801678|pages=[https://archive.org/details/modernirelandver00pase/page/102 102]-104}}</ref>  

The Republic of Ireland and the UK joined the [[European Economic Community]], which became the [[European Union]] (EU), in 1973. In the 1990s, the Republic of Ireland became part of the European Single Market. People are allowed to travel and sell things between countries in the European Single Market.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1096288096|title=Ireland in the European eye|year=2019|isbn=978-1-911479-02-4|editor-last=Holfter, Gisela M. B.|pages=52–72|oclc=1096288096|editor-last2=Migge, Bettina}}</ref> In the late 20th century the [[economy]] grew quickly, and changed from mostly farming to mostly [[Service sector|services]] and [[industry]].<ref name="hollis" /> The UK, including Northern Ireland, left the European Union in 2020, but the UK and the Republic of Ireland agreed not to control border crossings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-51271807|title=What are the implications of Brexit for NI?|last=Campbell|first=John|date=2020-01-28|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-05-08|language=en-GB}}</ref>

The Irish Free State got a new [[constitution]] in 1937, which created the [[Government of Ireland]]. In 1949, Ireland left the [[British Commonwealth]] and became the [[Republic of Ireland]] (sometimes just called "Ireland").<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/70-years-since-ireland-became-a-republic-4597795-Apr2019/|title=Today marks 70 years since Ireland became a republic|last=Aodha|first=Gráinne Ní|website=TheJournal.ie|language=en|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref>[[File:Grand-Hotel-Following-Bomb-Attack-1984-10-12.jpg|thumb|244x244px|The Irish Republican Army [[bomb]]ed the Grand Brighton Hotel in 1984 during The Troubles.]]

In 1973 the Republic of Ireland and the UK joined the [[European Economic Community]], which became the [[European Union]] (EU). In the 1990s, the Republic of Ireland became part of the European Single Market. People are allowed to travel and sell things between countries in the European Single Market.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ireland in the European eye|url=https://archive.org/details/irelandineuropea0000unse_k6e2|year=2019|isbn=978-1-911479-02-4|editor-last=Holfter, Gisela M. B.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/irelandineuropea0000unse_k6e2/page/n73 52]–72|oclc=1096288096|editor-last2=Migge, Bettina}}</ref> In the late 20th century, the [[economy]] grew quickly, and changed from mostly farming to mostly [[Service sector|services]] and [[industry]].<ref name="hollis">{{Cite book|title=The history of Ireland|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofireland00holl|last=Hollis|first=Daniel Webster|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-31281-8|location=Westport, Conn.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofireland00holl/page/n28 5]–10|oclc=45308793}}</ref> The UK, including Northern Ireland, left the European Union in 2020, but the UK and the Republic of Ireland agreed not to control [[border]] crossings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-51271807|title=What are the implications of Brexit for NI?|last=Campbell|first=John|date=2020-01-28|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-05-08|language=en-GB}}</ref>

During most of the [[20th century]] (1900-1999), the Republic of Ireland was over 90% Catholic. The people and the government were [[Social conservative|socially conservative]]. [[Divorce]], [[Birth control|contraceptives]], and [[Abortion|abortions]] were not allowed until the late 20th century.<ref name="hollis" /> In 1927, the Republic of Ireland government created the Electricity Supply Board to manage [[electricity]]. By the 1960s, 80% of [[Rural area|rural]] families had electricity. The Single Electricity Market was created in 2007 to supply all of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Electricity|url=http://ireland2050.ie/past/electricity/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507233711/http://ireland2050.ie/past/electricity/|archive-date=7 May 2020|access-date=2020-05-07|website=Ireland 2050}}</ref>

== History Of Ireland Media ==

== History Of Ireland Media ==

File:Newgrange.JPG|[[Newgrange]], built c. 3200 BC, is an Irish [[passage tomb]] located at [[Brú na Bóinne]].

File:Newgrange.JPG|[[Newgrange]], built c. 3200 BC, is an Irish [[passage tomb]] located at [[Brú na Bóinne]].

File:Glendalough monastery.jpg|[[Kevin of Glendalough|Kevin's]] monastery at [[Glendalough]], [[County Wicklow]]

File:Glendalough monastery.jpg|[[Kevin of Glendalough|Kevin]]'s monastery at [[Glendalough]], [[County Wicklow]]

File:KellsFol292rIncipJohn.jpg|A page from the [[Book of Kells]] that opens the [[Gospel of John]]

File:KellsFol292rIncipJohn.jpg|A page from the [[Book of Kells]] that opens the [[Gospel of John]]

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[[Category:Pages created with the Article Wizard from 2020]]

[[Category:Pages created with the Article Wizard from 2020]]