History Of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Great Britain. The island of Ireland is composed of two countries: The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

History

The first human settlements on the island were made in about 700 BC. The Celts began to invade Ireland. These were a group of Indo-European who had spread from central Europe into Italy and Spain. They then moved westward through France and Britain into Ireland. Known as Gaels The basic units of the Gaelic society were the tuatha, which were petty kingdoms. They remained independent of each other but shared the same common language, Gaelic They were courteous people, and loved feasting, music, and storytelling. The influence of the Celts is clearly marked in Irish folklore, and myths.

In AD 432, Saint Patrick imported Christianity to Ireland. According to legend, Irish raiders captured him; during that time, he was a slave brought from his native country of France. After only six years he escaped, and returned to France. It is not sure why, but he went back to Ireland, and dedicated the rest of his life to challenging the druids, which were Celtic priests, and converting the kings of Ireland to Christianity. It is believed he spent forty days and nights in prayer, during this time it rained constantly. In his prayers, he banished all poisonous creatures, including snakes, from Ireland. Legend also has it that he picked a shamrock from a grassy plain, and holding it up, explained to the crowd how its three leaves symbolized the Trinity of Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Ever since then, the Shamrock has been the symbol of Ireland.

Centuries later, in 1171, the Anglo-Normans of England invaded Ireland under the order of King Henry II. This initiated 750 years of British domination. Under the rule of the Anglo-Normans, monasteries flourished, and many great churches and abbeys were built. One of the oldest of these chapels is Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo, where mass has been celebrated continually fore more than seven centuries.

During Queen Elizabeth's rule, the English hoped to establish a colony in Ireland, this began the "planting" of Protestants in the Catholic country. Support in grew for the Protestants. Consequently, the Act of Union was passed by the British Parliament, and in 1801, Ireland was officially made part of Britain. Ireland itself was now a land of thoroughly divided people: a minority Protestant ruling class, and a politically powerless Catholic majority.

In 1845, a fungus wiped out the main food source, potatoes. This led to the great famine, which lasted until 1851. During the six-year period, at least one million people starved to death, and another million emigrated to Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Several decades later, on Eastern Monday in 1916, the Irish Republican Army, or IRA, staged protest against the British drafting Irishmen for The Great War. The uprising of these rebels lasted merely five days before they were caught, and executed. The public in Ireland felt sympathy for these martyrs, and as a result, was anti-British.

In 1922, after several discussions, weary delegates agreed to a treaty providing an Irish Free State with a dominion status. This meant that the six Ulster counties of Northern Ireland would remain within the United Kingdom, which includes Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

In 1949, southern Ireland distanced itself from the Northern power, and became the Republic of Ireland. It refused to become part of the British Commonwealth. A President and a Prime Minister govern the Free Sate, named Eire.

Geography

Ireland is an island located in the western North Atlantic Ocean, the area covers 27,136 square miles and its population is estimated at 3,500,000. The bordering countries are Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is smaller than Scotland and made up of smaller islands off the coast. There are many hills, plateaus, mountains, plains and lowlands. The lowlands and plains are mainly covered with farms, pastures and old lakes form peat bogs. Climate Ireland is known for its rainy weather and it can rain for most of the year in some parts of the country. Due to the position of Ireland off the sea, the average temperature in the summer is cool, while the winter is mild. The weather in Ireland is milder than other countries. Snow falls only on a few days in winter and melts very quickly, because of the North Atlantic current. The coldest temperature averages 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest month is July with a temperature