HIST & MYTH: Ireland - An Overview from 400 A.D to 1922 A.D

Written by Ben Kesp.

A Brief Overview 

400 A.D to 800 A.D

Early Christian Period to the Viking Age

• Establishment of the Irish Church and recording of Irish mythology.

• Irish monasteries grew as a centre of learning within Europe and helped to preserve European Culture.

• Creation of insular Celtic Artwork and illuminated gospels. Examples: Book of Durrow; Book of Kells; Ardagh Chalice; Tara Brooch. 

• Ireland is divided into five main kingdoms, each ruled by an Irish dynastic family: Leinster, Munster, Connaught, Meath and Ulster.

The Irish Church

800 A.D to 1169 A.D

Viking Age to the Norman Invasion

• Establishment of the Viking city ports at Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick.

• Ongoing feuds among the Irish Royal Families to gain political control over Ireland. 

• Brian Ború becomes the first High King of Ireland, to govern a unitary state, aligned with the church for a short moment in history.

• Native Irish Kings and Norse (Viking) settlements co-exist. 

High King Brian Ború

1169 A.D to 1536 A.D

Norman Invasion to the reign of King Henry VIII

• The arrival of Strongbow (Richard de Clare 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Wales) to Ireland on an invite from Diarmait Mac Murchada, the former King of Leinster.  This marks the beginning of the Norman Conquest of Ireland. A union of marriage between Strongbow and Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster seals the strength of the Normans within the Kingdom of Leinster. 

• Proclamation of Waterford and Dublin as royal cities by King Henry of England. 

• Building boom of castles begins around the country.

• Creation of the Pale – a territory around Dublin controlled by the Normans and later the English. 

• The Irish Kings fight back and the Norman invasion failed to take Ireland. The Anglo-Normans switch sides becoming Irish in all ways of life except for those living within the Pale. 

Marriage between Strongbow and Aoife

1536 A.D to 1922 A.D

Tudor Conquest to the Irish Free State

• King Henry VIII is declared King of Ireland but is not recognised by the Irish Kings. 

• The Spanish Empire intervenes to assist the Irish Kings to quell the direct attacks by the English forces to take Ireland.

• Surrender & Regrant is offered to the Irish Kings to retain their vast estates and be given new titles if they swore allegiance to the English Crown. Many swore allegiance, creating the Protestant Ascendency that later became part of the new ruling elite classes of the Anglo Irish from the late 17th century. 

• With the Flight of the Irish Earls in 1607, the Kingdom of Ulster was left open for English plantation and rest of Ireland fell shortly after. 

• An Irish rebellion in 1916 attempts to overthrow British rule in Dublin. 

• 1922 sees the formation of the Irish Free State consisting of 26 counties, with the remaining 6 counties staying under British rule (Northern Ireland). 

Flag of the Irish Republic 

Images: Strongbow & Aoife; Irish Flag - Wikipedia

Images: Other taken from previous blog posts