History of Ireland

The first occupants of the Ireland arrived on the island approximately at. Then came from the megalithic tribes, then Neolithic, which developed agriculture and the breeding. To the VI E, the Celtes will impose civilization laténienne. It is a company perfectly organized as clans, and speaking Gaelic in which the first poets compose of the songs and legends which constitute the indigenous inheritance.

Prehistory

See also: History of primitive Ireland

The oldest traces of the settlement of the island go back to, they were found in the county of Waterford. A Mesolithic migration of populations S is attested towards the LXVI E, it seems that it acts come people of Northern Europe, passed by the Scotland. They settled in the area of current the Ulster. Their lifestyle is a saving in predation (Chasse and fishing) which gradually will evolve to the Agriculture and the breeding. They know the use of polished stone tools, cultivate the ground and have cattle. It is a megalithic civilization which sets up Dolmen S with funerary vocation. New arrivals enters bring the Bronze Age. It is of this time that date the exploitation of copper mines in the areas of Cork and Kerry and of gold in the Wicklow.

Celts

It is towards -500 that the Celtes make their appearance in Ireland, their civilization on the island will last nearly thousand years. Their arrival was done by two different roads, current the the United Kingdom and the Spain. The Celtic Mythologie preserved besides the memory of this Spanish origin since, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of the Conquests of Ireland) , the Milesiens (i.e. the Gaèls) are known as wire of Míl Espáine. Before the introduction of the civilization of Tène (second Age of iron), the history of Erin is largely mythical.

The structure of the Celtic company takes again the diagram of the tripartite social structure of the Indo-Europeans at the top of which one finds a class sacerdotal made up of the Druide S, bards and Vate S. the druids have in load the religion, the sacrifice, justice, teaching, poetry, the divination; the bards are specialized in oral and sung poetry and must make the praise, the satire or the blame; the vates are soothsayers who devote themselves more particularly to the divination and medicine. In Ireland, the filid (bards) will become the most influential members of this sacerdotal class, of which one of the prerogatives is of advising the king. In Celtic civilization, the role of the king is not only to carry out the war, but especially to redistribute the richnesses and to say the justice, inspired by the druids. A long time these kings were only chiefs with the dubious capacity and the problematic successions. The second class of the company is that of the warriors and the third is that of the producers, craftsmen, farmers and stockbreeders. These clans gradually will amalgamate to constitute four kingdoms (or provinces): the Ulster, the Leinster, the Munster and the Connacht (Connaught). At the beginning of the 5th century, a laughed Ard Érenn (supreme king of Ireland) extends its capacity on all the island, it sits at Tara capital Meath. The other kings owe him the “ boroma ”, tribute payable in cattle - its non-payment involves wars whose mythology is made the echo, very as much as the Razzias.

The Romans, who occupy the Brittany (current England), will never occupy Ireland (which they call Hibernie ), populated populations too not easily assimilable and too far from the heart of the Empire.

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Christianization

The christianization of the Ireland mark end of the Celtic civilization, at least with regard to its mythology, because the structure of the company was maintained, with a prevalent sacerdotal class. The exact circumstances of the introduction of the Christianisme into the island are known little about, the more so as the relative texts with its initiator, Saint Patrick are largely hagiographic.

Padraig would have been born in 390 in a dubious place from the island from Brittany. It is the son of a civil servant britto-Roman. In 405, it would have been victim of a raid of Gaels and would have been taken along like slave in Ireland, under the reign of the laughed Ard Érenn, Niall Noigiallach. During six years of captivity, last to supervise the herds, its faith as a God would have been strengthened and once escaped, it would have continued its theological studies in Gaulle. The dates of its return in Ireland are dubious (between 432 and 490 according to the various theses) but the conversion of the island would have intervened under the reign of the king Loegaire, wire of Niall. Patrick is often described discussing with the druids and to try to convince them that its “druidic magic” is more powerful than theirs. The legend also reports that it made flee all the snakes and explains the principle of the Trinité by the clover sheet (the concept of triads was very widespread in Celtic mythology). Patrick died towards 461.

In this context, the conversion of the country was done only by that of the filid , which became the carriers of the new religion, in a peaceful way. Of Roman rite, the rite was celtisé to privilege a Monachisme which will become a reference in Europe. Clonard, Clonmacnoise, Glendalough will be important centers of spirituality. The church of Armaght is founded towards 445. At the 6th century, it is the foundation of the monastery of Bangor (558) by Comgall and that of the island of Iona by Colomba, which will be the home base of the evangelization of the Scotland. It is only at the 7th century that the Synode of Whitby (664) rejects the Irish rites with the profit of the Roman rites.

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Vikings

At the 8th century, the population growth and wars of succession involve, seems it, of the Scandinavian people, Norwegian and Danish, to leave their territories. The Varègue S leave towards the east and found in Russia of the embryos of States, the Viking S (of the norrois will fara í víkingu : to leave in forwarding and víkingar which indicates those which leave) break on British Isles in the West and the continent in the South.

The Ireland saw a intellectual golden age by the dynamism of its religious institutions, but on the political plan the island is divided between hundred and a hundred and fifty tuatha (clans), each one being directed by a rí (king). These chiefs themselves are fixed with the king of one of the five provinces (Ulster, Connacht, Munster, Leinster and Meath). The Ard rí (supreme king) is more one honorary title that a real authority.

It is in this context of instability that the Vikings arrive in the island. The first attested forwardings are of 795, they burn the church of the island of Lambay as well as the monasteries of Inisbifin and Inismurray; this last will undergo a new attack in 807. As of 812 the raids concentrate on the west coast, then on the shores of the Irish Sea. At the beginning of the Années 820 the turn of the island is accomplished. During forty years, the Vikings will multiply the raids and the raids, privileging the monasteries, not for religious reasons, but because richer in treasures. During the Years 830, they go up the rivers and penetrate inside the grounds which they devastate. In 836, they borrow the river Shannon and plunder Connaught. The following year, two fleets of an about sixty Drakkar S each one, recognize the Liffey and Boyne, the territories are systematically devastated, the massacred inhabitants. Many are the examples of their misdeeds. The winter 840 - 841 mark a stage, since for the first time the Vikings spend the season in the island and settle in strengthened places which become also places of trade: Dublin, Annagassan, then thereafter, Wexford, Cork, Limerick, to quote only some establishments. It is as many cut off bases which allow forwardings towards the interior, whose culminating point seems to be the year 845, so much so that one speaks about invasion. The other side of the coin is that the kings Celtes can sometimes contain them and to besiege them.

Under the English crown

After the victory of Brian Boru with the Battle of Clontarf, in 1014, Ireland knows a short period of independence. But at the end of the 12th century, England undertakes its conquest. After being itself limited to the west of the island, in 1494, the English crown its domination declares on all the island (law Poynings). In 1541, Henri VIII takes the title of king d' Irlande. Colonization by the confiscations of grounds develops then. (cf Plantations in Ireland).

A great revolt bursts in 1641, broken by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 (massacres of Drogheda and Wexford). The Irishmen benefitted from the First revolution English to try to recover their independence. Cromwell unloads in Dublin (during the summer 1649) with its soldiers, the “Coasts of Iron” and organizes a true massacre. According to the sources, between one the third and half of the population of the island is massacred. After its defeat, the Ireland is subjected to the authority and with the laws of England and the grounds of the north of the country are confiscated and allotted to colonists come from Scotland and England.

Jacques II, catholic king driven out of the throne of Protestant England, tries to regain a footing in Ireland and there east demolishes with the Bataille of Boyne (1690), the fate of Ireland still worsens. In 1704, Guillaume III promulgates “criminal laws” anti-catholics.

A new rising takes place in 1798, nourished as well by the emancipation of the the United States as for the example of the French revolution (it is commemorated by the song The Wind That Shakes the Barley ). Repression is terrible and on August 1st, 1800, in reaction, England proclaims a “act of union” linking Ireland in the United Kingdom completely.

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Emigration and revolt

The 19th century is marked by a massive emigration of the Irishmen (several million) in direction of America, emigration increased by the consequences of the terrible famine which prevails in Ireland between 1846 and 1848. This famine is the object of controversies besides, the Irish nationalists considering that it is deliberately that the British crown let the Irishmen die of hunger.

But at the end of the 19th century, the movement for independence takes again force, the Irish elected officials at the British Parliament are made the echo of it. A succession of land reforms starts to restore grounds with the Irishmen. In 1905, the Sinn Féin independence is founded. On its side, James Conolly founds the first Irish socialist newspaper: Workers' Republic . Irish trade unions develop.

In 1914, the “Home Rule” is voted, giving an autonomy relating to the island. Nevertheless the suspensive capacity of the House of Lords then the release of the 1st world war will prevent it from being implemented.

During the war, in 1916, under the direction of the Irish Republican Brotherhood of the Sinn Féin and the Irish Citizen Army of James Conolly, the Insurrection of Easter 1916 with Dublin bursts, which proclaims the Republic in the name of God and of the disappeared generations. It is crushed at the end of one week. But Sinn Féin withdraws an increased popularity from it: it gains the elections of December 1918 triumphantly, constitutes an Irish Parliament (the Dáil Éireann ) and proclaims independence. The British capacity dissolves the Parliament. A new rising bursts, which will last three years.

Independence

See also: War of Irish independence

The December 6th 1921, of the negotiations between the English government and the Irish nationalist leaders lead to the treated of London, which makes of Ireland, amputated by the Ulster, a Dominion within the British empire, the '' Irish free state '', which will obtain a constitution in October 1922. In fact, the partition of the island was done on economic criteria, the Ulster being the area most developed at the time; it includes/understands 6 counties, including 2 with a catholic narrow majority. This treaty was ratified little by the Dáil in December 1921, but was rejected by a vast majority. That involved the Civil war of Ireland which lasted until 1923, opposing the followers of a continuation of the fight to obtain the complete independence of the island and the partisans of the compromise of 1921.

During its first years, this new State was controlled by the winners of the civil war. However, in 1932, Fianna Fáil , the party of the opponents to the treaty, directed by De Valera, gains the elections (it will remain with the capacity until 1948). In 1933, De Valera, become president of the council, makes abolish the oath with the sovereign of England.

In 1937, it makes adopt a new constitution which re-elects the State in Eire or English and French, Ireland (foreword to the Constitution) . A treaty concluded in 1938 with England, leaving him its naval bases in Ireland, ratifies this independence. Ireland remained neutral during the Second world war, prohibiting even officially in England the military use of its ports and airports.

In February 1948, it is the party Fine Gael which gains the elections. The coalition government which it constitutes with the workers party proclaims the Irish Republic, on April 18th, 1949, leaving the the Commonwealth.

See also: Conflict north-Irish

Sources

See also: Bibliography of Ireland

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Catalog of films

  • the Informer of John Ford, starting from the book éponyme of Liam O' Flaherty, which treats fight for independence.
  • Michael Collins of Neil Jordan, (Lion of Gold to the Mostra of Venice in 1996), based on the life of the historical leader of WILL GO.
  • the wind rises of Ken Loach (Palme of Gold to the Cannes festival in 2006) tells the fights which led to the treaty of 1921 and terrible the Irish Civil war which followed.
  • Dance hall At Lughnasa , written by Brian Friel, shows the life of countryside in Donegal after the partition of Ireland.
  • In the name of the father of Jim Sheridan, 1994
  • Bloody sunday of Paul Greengrass, Bear of gold of the Best film in Berlin in (2002) and which treats civil war of 1972.

See too

External bonds

  • Ireland, of the origins to christianization by Jean Guiffan, In charge of teaching at the university of Nantes.
  • the Irish diaspora by Jean Guiffan, In charge of teaching at the university of Nantes.
  • Text of the proclamation of the Republic
  • historical Files of the XII with the XX° century by Fabrice Peutrec and in collaboration with association Solidarity Ireland

Random links:Inversion | Saint Chalice | Villiers-seam | Marcel Cabon | LaShawn Merritt | Sept_ressorts,_Pennsylvanie