History of Ireland

Saint Brigid's Day
Saint Brigid’s Day - dates back to mid 7th century

The first of February is Saint Brigid’s Day and also around the time of Imbolc, a traditional festival marking the beginning of spring. There is some debate over whether Brigid was a real person. She has the same name, associations and feast day as the Celtic goddess Brigid, and there are many supernatural events, legends and folk customs associated with her.

Some scholars suggest that the saint is a Christianised form of the goddess. Others that she was a real person who took on the goddess' attributes. Early Christian monks could have adapted Brigid the goddess, and grafted her name and functions onto her Christian counterpart. It has also been suggested that Brigid was chief priestess at the temple of the goddess Brigid, and was responsible for converting it into a Christian monastery. After her death, the name and characteristics of the goddess became attached to the saint.

We call her Saint Brigid and my earliest memory ... Read MORE...

1556 - Queen Mary sends English people to settle land confiscated from Irish rebels in Laois and Offaly. Mary is the first monarch to successfully 'plant' English settlers in Ireland.

http://www.localhistories.org

1599 - August 15 - Nine Years War: Battle of Curlew Pass - Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.

historyorb.com

1607 - The flight of the Earls takes place. Many prominent men leave Ireland. Afterwards their lands in Ulster are confiscated.

http://www.localhistories.org

1610 - The first Protestant settlers arrive in Ireland

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1625 - March 27 - Charles I, King Of England, Scotland & Ireland, ascends English throne

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1641 - The Irish in Ulster rise in rebellion and kill Protestant settlers

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1647 - Parliament sends troops to seize Dublin

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1719 - Protestant dissenters are officially allowed to practice their religion.

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1727 - Ireland is struck by famine

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1740 - 1741 - A severe famine affects Ireland. About 400,000 people die.

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1770s - Protestants form secret societies, the Oak boys and the Steel boys to protest about rents and rates

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1778 - A Catholic Relief Act allows Catholics to lease land for 999 years. They are also allowed to leave their land to single heir.

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1780 - Protestant dissenters are allowed to hold Public office.

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1782 - Catholics are allowed to buy land. Most restrictions on Catholic education and the Catholic clergy are removed.

http://www.localhistories.org/irishtime.html

1783 - The Bank of Ireland opens

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1785 - January 19 - First manned balloon flight in Ireland

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1792 - Catholics are allowed to practice as lawyers. Catholics are allowed to marry Protestants.

http://www.localhistories.org/irishtime.html

1798 - May 24 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.

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1800 - Population of the Kingdom of Ireland (British Empire) - 5,200,000

1807 - Famine in Ireland

1817 - Famine and typhus in Ireland

1821 - 1822 - Famine strikes Ireland again

1829 - The Catholic Emancipation Act allows Catholics to enter parliament and to hold public office

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1830 - 1834 - Famine stalks Ireland again

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1839 - January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years.

wikipedia.org

1843 - The first railway in Ireland from Dublin to Kingstown opens

http://www.localhistories.org/irishtime.html

1845 - September 9 – Potato blight breaks out in Ireland: beginning of the Great Famine.
"The Famine began quite mysteriously in September 1845 as leaves on potato plants suddenly turned black and curled, then rotted, seemingly the result of a fog that had wafted across the fields of Ireland. The cause was actually an airborne fungus (phytophthora infestans) originally transported in the holds of ships traveling from North America to England.

Winds from southern England carried the fungus to the countryside around Dublin. The blight spread throughout the fields as fungal spores settled on the leaves of healthy potato plants, multiplied and were carried in the millions by cool breezes to surrounding plants. Under ideal moist conditions, a single infected potato plant could infect thousands more in just a few days.

The attacked plants fermented while providing the nourishment the fungus needed to live, emitting a nauseous stench as they blackened and withered in front of the disbelieving eyes of Irish peasants. There had been crop failures in the past due to weather... Read MORE...

1848 - July 29 - Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt - in Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.

historyorb.com

1867 - Fenian rising in Ireland

1869 - The farmers in Ireland are complaining of great losses of potatoes, by disease.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
March 20, 1869

1869 - A handbill, of which the following is a copy, was lately posted in sundry places in London:
"TO ALL FENIANS.
"Vive la Republique!
"The Queen will visit the city in state on Saturday, and on that day she will be shot. She seldom gives a chance. The opportunity won't be lost!
"GOD SAVE IRELAND!"

But the Queen was not shot, though she graced the opening of the Holborn viaduct with her presence.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
November 27, 1869

1870 - A cable dispatch on the 28th says the Pope has issued a special elimination against the Fenians, both in America and Ireland.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
February 5, 1870

1870 - In Ireland landlords are often "warned" now-a-days by finding graves dug in their front yards.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
May 14, 1870

1871 - It is a curious fact, demonstrated by a recent British census, that the population of Ireland is actually less than the number of Irish who are now in the United States.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
July 8, 1871

1887 - Michael Davitt is credited with the positive assertion that Ireland will have home rule within three years.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
January 8, 1887

1887 - The story of Ireland is best told by the following figures furnished by Mulhall, one of the most reliable statisticians of the day.
He says that during Victoria's reign there have died of starvation in Ireland 1,255,000 people; there have been evicted for non-payment of rent, 3,365,000; and there emigrated, 4,185,000.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
June 4, 1887

1888 - About five thousand immigrants arrived in New York on the 9th, about one-half the number coming from Ireland.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
June 16, 1888

1889 - At Clongorey, Ireland, thirteen tenants were evicted from their holdings on the 29th ult.,
and after the tenants had been driven from the houses twelve of the buildings were destroyed by the agent.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
April 6, 1889

1895 - Ireland
"Ireland, ir’land, the more western of the two principal islands of which the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is composed, between lat. 51° 25' and 55° 23' N. and lon.6° 20' and 10° 20' W. It has the Atlantic on all sides except the E., where it is separated from Great Britain by St. George's Channel, the Irish Sea, and the North Channel. Length, from Fair Head to Mizzen Head, about 300 miles; greatest breadth, 170 miles. Area, including the adjacent islands, 32,393 square miles. Pop. in 1871, 5,412,377; in 1881, 5,174,836; in 1891, 4,706,162..."
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

1900 - Population of Ireland - 4,470,000

1915 - May 7 – WWI: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania: British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by Imperial German Navy U-boat U-20 off the south-west coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 civilians en route from New York to Liverpool.

wikipedia.org
May 7, 1915

1922 - December 6 – The Irish Free State officially comes into existence.
George V becomes the Free State's monarch. Tim Healy is appointed first Governor-General of the Irish Free State and W. T. Cosgrave becomes President of the Executive Council.
wikipedia.org
December 6, 1922

1976 - Irish women are finally able to own their own homes outright.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history

2023 - Ireland is a fantastic destination with a rich tapestry of history, culture, and natural beauty. Here's a list of places to go and things to do, covering various aspects of this beautiful country:
1. Dublin: Ireland's capital city is a must-visit. Explore Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, visit the Guinness Storehouse, and take a stroll through Temple Bar for a taste of Dublin's nightlife.

2. Cliffs of Moher: These iconic cliffs on the western coast provide some of the most breathtaking views in Ireland. Don't forget your camera!

3. Ring of Kerry: This scenic drive takes you through some of Ireland's most picturesque landscapes. Be sure to stop in the towns of Killarney, Kenmare, and Cahersiveen along the way.

4. Giant's Causeway: Located in Northern Ireland, this natural wonder features thousands of hexagonal basalt columns. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and a great spot for geology enthusiasts.

5. Blarney Castle: Visit this historic castle in County Cork and kiss the Blarney Stone for the gift of eloquence. The beautiful gardens surrounding the castle are worth exploring as well.

6. Killarney National Park: This park is home to lakes, forests, and... Read MORE...