A Brief History of Ireland

St Patrick is probably Ireland’s most well-known religious and historical figure.

One of Ireland’s three patron saints (the others are St Colmcille and St Brigid), St Patrick started life as a Welsh slave born to Roman parentage and brought to Ireland in the 5th century. He later escaped, travelled to Rome to study Christianity, became a priest and then a bishop, and, after training, was dispatched to Ireland to Christianise the polytheistic ‘pagans’.

At the time, Ireland was “Pagan,” worshipping a plethora of gods and goddesses. The Romans never settled in Ireland, though they did visit and trade with it extensively, and therefore did not introduce either their Roman gods or Christianity. A bishop named Palladius had previously tried to Christianise Ireland in 432 AD without success.

The Nine Years’ War

The Nine Years War (1593 – 1603) was a seminal moment in Irish History and provides the backdrop for what led to the exile of over 90 of Ireland’s finest Chieftains of the 16th century,  which became known as The Flight of the Earls.

The war was led by an alliance of Ulster Chieftains Hugh O’Neill of Tír Eoghain (Tyrone) and Hugh Roe O’Donnell of Tyrconnell (Donegal), gathering support from as far as Spain to put a stop to the intruding British forces. Successful in early skirmishes of the Nine Years War, the Earls had victories in Monaghan in the Battle of Clontibret (1595) and in Armagh at The Battle of Yellow Ford (1598). They were bolstered in support by Gaelic Lords such as Hugh Maguire (Fermanagh), Brian O’Rourke (West Breifne), Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare (West Cork), Fiach McHugh O’Byrne (Wicklow), to name a few.

The Cromwellian Invasion 

Cromwell’s army arrived in 1649 to put “troublesome” Gaelic and Anglo-Irish back in their place after the 1641 Irish Rebellion and the 1642 Confederate Irish War. The English Civil War was over, the king was deposed, and the rebel Irish were a thorn in England’s side. 

Within weeks, Cromwell’s forces controlled most of Ireland’s East through violence, murder, burning and pillaging, leaving a trail of death and destruction in his army’s wake.

Rebels and participants were executed, or had their lands confiscated and were shipped off as indentured servants to the West Indies. Others were forced to flee or become tenants on the poorest lands in the West of Ireland.

Cromwell was a fanatical Protestant, viewing Catholicism as disgraceful and abhorrent, forbidding them from residing in towns and paying his soldiers by dispossessing Catholic landowners to give their land and castles to distinguished Crown soldiers.

Seen as ethnically cleansing the Gaelic people and replacing them with the English language, laws and customs, it put a strain on Irish-British relations.

The Williamite Campaign 

Catholic King James II was overthrown by his Protestant daughter Mary and son-in-law William, leading to the Williamite War of 1688–1691.

Though overthrown, former King James II still maintained a loyal base in Ireland, as many Irish Catholics had hoped he would address the widespread instances of religious persecution. Obviously, this was something the new monarchs felt needed dealing with.

The war, which took place largely in the northern half of Ireland, began with a few small skirmishes and came to a head with the Siege of Derry (1689). This battle ended in a defeat for the Jacobites (defenders of James II), and the Williamites took hold of many important towns in Ulster.

The two-year war ended after a series of notable battles, such as the Battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Limerick (1690) and finally the Battle of Aughrim (1691), in which the Williamites were victorious. This ended the war and led to the signing of the Treaty of Limerick.

The Treaty of Limerick ensured the Jacobites could remain in Ireland and hold their lands in return for swearing allegiance to the English crown. This didn’t last long, though, as it is often said that “the ink was not dry on the Treaty” before the English broke it.

The Penal Laws

In 1695, the Penal Laws were forced on Irish Catholics and Protestant dissenters.

Penal Laws placed restrictions on the Irish people, including: forbidding Catholics and Presbyterians from practising their religion, significant limitations on the education systems, as well as prohibiting the Irish language, the right to vote, working in government or public office.

Catholic and Presbyterian schools were forbidden, so people set up unofficial secret schools in private homes or hidden outdoor locations – the “Hedge Schools.“

As non-Anglican religious services were also banned, Mass Rocks began to pop up, and a majority still stand today. These were places where locals would gather in secret to celebrate mass, with large rocks used as altars. It was a dangerous practice, and anyone caught, particularly the priest, would be put to death.

The majority of these laws were relaxed between 1778 and 1793, with the last of them removed in 1829.

The 1798 Rebellion

Another uprising against the austere British regime was the 1798 Rebellion, a reaction to the harsh Penal Laws.

With infamous rebel members such as Theobald Wolfe Tone, Henry Joy McCracken and Samuel Neilson, the Belfast-based United Irishmen grew into a large uprising. Crossing religious divides, this group was comprised Catholics and Protestant dissenters. In contrast, the mainly-Protestant loyalists to the English Crown established The Orange Order in 1795, named after Dutch Williamite leader, William of Orange.

Clashes took place as tensions escalated, pushing the United Irishmen to enlist the help of a common enemy of Britain: the French, who came to their aid in 1798 under the leadership of General Humbert.

The British experienced a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Carrignagat when young Irish Lieutenant Teeling destroyed a significant British gunner, forcing the English forces to retreat to Co Sligo.

The 1798 Rebellion was eventually quashed after a decisive British victory at the Battle of Ballinamuck in 1798. While the French soldiers were pardoned, the Irish soldiers were executed.

The Act of Union was introduced in 1800, effectively creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, abolishing the Irish government, and replacing it with the British parliament.

The 1800s brought a revival of the Gaelic language, music, sports and traditions. Douglas Hyde was a founding member of the 1876 Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (Cumann Buan-Choimeádta na Gaeilge), the first brick on which the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) was founded on in 1893 by Eoin MacNeill.

The society was brought about to develop national interest in the Irish Language and culture – folklore, sports, dance, arts and music. Weekly meetings were organised where people would gather to speak Irish, take courses and discuss the culture in order to combat the ongoing Anglicisation.

It’s worth noting that the Gaelic League was the first cultural society to allow female members. They were even allowed to sit on branch committees and have a say in club affairs. Journalist Mary E. Butler was a member of the executive, and she suggested the organisation’s name.

Though the Gaelic League focused on teaching Irish at home, it successfully campaigned to reintroduce the Irish language to schools (Irish had been banned from schools during the Penal times, and the 1831 introduction of National Schools further enforced English). Discover more about the Irish language here.

In 1899, the weekly newspaper An Claidheamh Soluis (The Sword of Light) was established, eventually edited by a young Padraig Pearse from 1903-1909. Pearse is considered the first modernist writer in Irish and was a famous revolutionary leader in the Easter Rising.

Other organisations of equal importance were:

• Cumann Lúthchleas Gael 1884 (Gaelic Athletic Association)
• An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha 1927 (The Irish Dancing Commission)
• Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann 1935 (Irish Folklore Commission)