A Brief History of Ireland
Early History to 1601
The history of Ireland is sad, valiant, and courageous. Her people have been brave, and unconquerable. The history of Ireland extends back to prehistoric times and is accented by invasions, starvation, defeats and persecution.
For twelve centuries the Irish have fought to win their liberty until finally, in 1937 they won their independence from Great Britian. Ancient writings tell us how the three sons of Mileadh came to Ireland from Spain around 350 BC. The brothers, with their armies met and conquered the resident people in Ireland called the Tuatha De Danann. These people were tribes of scholars and warriors whose bronze arms were no match for the newer Spanish iron. The sons of Mileadh were a Celtic race and are sometimes called the Milesians.
The Tuatha De Danann were superior to the other resident tribes of Ireland, and were wise in the ways of speech, arts, manners, and the art of war. The chiefs of the De Danann were advised by the Druids whom they brought with them to Ireland. The Druids were thought to have magical powers, and insight into the next life, after death. Early Roman writings also records Druid activity, including those of Julius Caesar.
Soon, the powerful Celts from Gaul, or what is now France, conquered the island, and ruled for about fifteen centuries. They called themselves the Gaels, while the Romans knew them as Scots, or "raiders." These Scots named Ireland Eriu, (Erin) and the Romans called Ireland Hibernia. These Celts divided Ireland into petty kingdoms, each of which were ruled by a high chief, or king. They were a somwhat advanced society for the time, even having an advanced law called the Brehon Codes which protected the poor from the rich.
Constant warfare prevented the kingdoms from ever aligning until the time of Conn of Connacht. He was made the first High King of Ireland, sometime in the 3rd century. The race of Conn lasted eight centuries. As the Roman Empire wasted away in the early fifth century, the Celts of Ireland made raids upon Roman Britian, which by this time offered little resistance. They began to settle in Britian in large numbers.
The Norman Conquest
Niall, the last ruler of Conn made raids as far away as Gaul, where he took even Roman citizens as prisoners. It was on one such raid that a young boy of sixteen was taken captive and brought back to Ireland. His name was Patricius. Patricius was born around 390BC, and was the son of a Roman official. He was forced to serve as a slave in 405 AD in the area of Antrim. Six years later, and after countless hours of meditation and religious experiences, Patrick escaped to France. He spent the next years learning Roman Catholicism, and becoming a priest. In 432 AD he returned to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity. Patrick brought Latin language, and Christian teachings to the people, and quickly transformed them to the center of learning for the whole world.
While the rest of Europe plunged into the Dark Ages, Ireland was free from chaos, instead churning out scholars, and priests. This lasted for about three and a half centuries, and was known as the Golden Age of Ireland. Then, in the latter part of the 8th century Ireland faced another threat. The Vikings.
Each year, after the first spring climate settled, the Irish knew the could expect company. Before dawn, without warning several long ships would beach upon the shores of Ireland. Quietly, the invaders would slip into towns, and monastaries then unleash the sudden crazed frenzy of an attack. These were the Vikings, and they were primarily from Norway, and Denmark. The Swedes, and Finish Vikings travelled eastward into Russia, and penetrated rivers into the heart of Europe. The Vikings were somewhat considered giants by the other Europeans, as they were in fact usually quite tall compared with the average short European. Hitting the monasteries was a favorite Viking target as they were rich with gold, and only guarded by fat, unarmed monks. The assaults eventually became invasions as many more Vikings flocked to the call. Historians believe that there were food crisis in Norway, and after a few unexpectedly cold winters, the Norwegian Vikings were forced to resettle. In Norway, a male was expected to serve in spring and summer raids aboard Viking ships, while the females raised children, and took an important role in daily activities. In fact, the Viking society was one of the first in Europe to recognize women as more a value than just a mate.
Brian Boru was the hero of Ireland. He fought against the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. There, he led a contigent of Irish against the Danes, and some Norse armies. The battle was a bloody contest, which saw the Irish victorious. The Carrolls fought fiercely there as well. Boru's victory brought the end of the Viking raids, but also saw many Viking families stay and settle in different parts of Ireland. Today, many names in Ireland are in fact Viking words, not Irish.
The Norman Conquest was a terrible beginning to Irish history. The Normans, from Normandy and England were descendants of former Vikings from Norway. They were expert fighters, and had superior weapons. It was in this time, around the 12th century that many kingdoms in Ireland disappeared. The O'Carrolls of Oriel were one such example, however the O'Carrolls of Ely held out for another three hundred years.
No English king before Henry VIII cared to add the title of King of Ireland to his name. They regarded the Irish as wild, beasts of men. Henry had Ireland invaded and her churches destroyed and looted. Henry wanted only Protestantism in his kingdom. It was under Edward VI that the English government ordered a proclaimation that Ireland was to be officially Protestant. The Irish chiefs were stripped of their hereditary titles, and in most cases their land. The English began a program of resettlement which saw the Irish moved by the hundreds of thousands from their lands to other distant counties. The English then settled those stolen lands with English. The massacres continued under Mary Tudor, and again even worse under Queen Elizabeth. This was perhaps the saddest time in Irish history.
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