First settlers in Ireland. They crossed from Scotland and settled in the area of where the town of Larne is today.

 

A second wave of settlers arrived. The legacy of these people is the megaliths, which they erected over their dead. The greatest of these is the world famous one at Newgrange, Co. Meath.

 

2000 B.C.

Ireland had abundant resources of copper and gold and the people, who had arrived in this period exported metal goods to Britain, France, Iberia, Crete and some other areas.

 

400 B.C.

The fair-haired Celts arrived in Ireland from the area of Europe between the rivers Rhine and Danube. They soon conquered most of the country and their language was an old form of what is now Irish Gaelic. They were farming people and their priests, who were also their teachers and judges, were called Druids. The Celts believed in a life after death, - " Tír na nÓg" - Land of Youth. The original provinces, sometimes called the five fifths of Ireland, were probably Ulster, Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Mide.

 

431

The coming of Christianity. Pope Celestine sent Palladius as first bishop to the Irish. The following year, Patrick, who is now our Patron Saint, and who had been taken to Ireland as a slave when a youth, returned as a bishop and spent the next thirty years travelling the country preaching and founding churches. Throughout the next centuries, Ireland sent missionaries to other European countries.

 

795

The Vikings invade Ireland.

 

1169

Norman Invasion of Ireland under Strongbow.

 

1171

Invasion by Henry II of England. He confirmed Strongbow as ruler of Leinster and after Henry left, the Normans continued their conquest of the rest of the country. But by 1300, they still did not control the whole country, as they had done in England. New Norman Settlers began to adopt the language of their Irish neighbours and indeed changed their own names to Irish Names.

 

1350

The Irish Kings begin to regain control of Ireland, until the only area under English rule was an area called the "Pale", situated in the east of the country, from Dundalk to Dalkey.

 

1541

Henry VIII of England is conferred with the title of King of Ireland by his Lord Deputy in Dublin.

 

1556

Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, sent colonies of English to Ireland in order to strengthen her power, but this plantation was not successful.

 

1601

The English win the Battle of Kinsale against a force of 4,000 Spaniards, who had arrived to help the cause of the Irish Kings.

 

1607

The beginning of the English plantations

 

1649

Invasion of Cromwell, Lord Protector of England and ruthless tyrant to Ireland.

 

1692-1727

The Penal Laws. These were a series of laws passed by the English government against the Catholic Church. They hoped Catholicism would die out. Other laws aimed to keep Roman Catholics poor and without power. When a Roman Catholic landowner died, his estate had to be divided equally among his sons. No Roman Catholic could purchase land or lease land for more than 31 years. A Roman Catholic could not carry arms or own a horse worth more than five pounds. Roman Catholics could not teach in a school or send their children abroad to be educated. No Roman Catholic could sit in Parliament or vote in a parliamentary election. Also, they could not take part in local government, or serve on a jury, hold any government office, or become a lawyer or army officer.

 

1791

A young Dublin lawyer, Theobald Wolfe Tone, founds the Society of United Irishmen.

 

1793

Most of the penal laws had been repealed and Catholics got the vote, but they could not become Members of Parliament.

 

1798

Risings all over Ireland, especially in Wexford and in Mayo, where a French force landed to help the Irish. Although initially successful, the Rebellion was put down.

 

1801

Ireland united with Britain, after British P.M., William Pitt stated that he would grant political rights to Catholics.

 

Daniel O'Connell, a Catholic Lawyer stood at a by-election in Clare, and was elected to Parliament.

 

1829

An act was passed allowing Roman Catholics to sit in Parliament and to hold all government offices except those of Regent, Lord Lieutenant, and Lord Chancellor. But, at the same time, the voting laws were changed and many tenants in Ireland lost the right to vote.

 

1899

Arthur Griffith, a Dublin journalist, started a weekly newspaper called "The United Irishman".

 

1905

Griffith founded a party called Sinn Fein (we ourselves) to propagate his views, but at first it had little success. He did not believe in the use of force to achieve political aims, but many of his followers did.

 

1916

April 23rd The Easter Rising. Irish Republican Brotherhood Volunteers hoisted the Republican flag over the General Post Office in Dublin, and Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. At first, the rising had little support, but the execution of the leaders caused the people to turn to Sinn Fein. In 1917, Sinn Fein declared itself in favour of an Irish republic. At the general election in the following year, Sinn Fein won 73 parliamentary seats. The Irish Parliamentary Party held only 6 seats. The Sinn Fein members assembled in Dublin on January 21, 1919, and formed a parliament, which they called Dáil Éireann. The Dáil reaffirmed the Republic that had been declared on Easter Monday and elected DeValera as its president. The Volunteers became the Irish Republican Army. The Dáil authorized the army to wage war on British troops in Ireland.

 

1921

A treaty is signed which divided Ireland into two - the six counties of the North and the twenty-six of the South.

 

1949

The Republic of Ireland is formally declared and it receives international recognition.

 

1973

The Republic of Ireland joins the E.E.C., now called The European Union

 

1985

The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement

 

1990

Mary Robinson becomes the first woman President of Ireland

 

1993

Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds and UK Prime Minister John Major signed the Downing Street Declaration an agreement setting out terms for peace in the North.

 

1998

An historical compromise is reached between the Republicans and Nationalists and the Loyalists and Unionists. The arrangement is termed - "The Good Friday Agreement".

 

1999

December - a new Northern Ireland Assembly is set up.