Brief History of Ireland

3000BC Construction of the Megalithic tombs at
 Newgrange begins.

700BC The Celts arrive from parts of Gaul and
 Britain.

350AD  Christianity reaches Ireland.

432    St. Patrick arrives in Ireland and
 confronts King Laoghaire who allows him to spread
 the word of Christianity in Ireland.

700-800 Monastic culture is at its height.

795 Invasion by the Vikings.

1014   Brian Boru defeats the Vikings at Clontarf.

1169    Dermot MacMurrough, the exiled king of
 Leinster, seeks help from 'Strongbow'.

1172    King Henry II of England is declared Feudal
 Lord of Ireland by the Pope.

1366    Statues of Kilkenny belatedly forbid
 intermarriage of English and Irish. Gaelic culture
 unsuccessfully suppressed.

1534-40 Insurrection by Lord Offaly fails.

1541    Henry VIII proclaimed King of Ireland.

1558-03 Plantation of Ireland commences under the
 reign of Elizabeth I.

1595-03 Failed uprising of Hugh O'Neil.

1607   Flight of the Earls and leading Ulster
 families go into exile.

1641  King Charles I's policies cause
 insurrection in Ulster and Civil War in England.

1649  Cromwell invades Ireland.

1653  Cromwell's opponents stripped of land
 under the Act of Settlement.

1689-90 Deposed James II flees to Ireland and is
 defeated at the Battle of the Bon.

1704  The Penal Laws enacted: Catholics are
 barred from voting, education and the military.

1775  American War of Independence instigates
 Irish unrest.

1782  Grattan's Parliament persuades English to
 declare Irish independence, but in name only.

1795    The Orange Order is founded.

1798    Uprising by Wolfe Tone and the United
 Irishmen is crushed.

1801    Ireland becomes part of Britain under the
 Act of Union.

1829    Catholic Emancipation Act passed after
 Daniel O'Connell elected as MP.

1845-49 The Great Famine claims over 1 million
 lives through starvation and disease. Emigration
 over the next 10 years results in departure of a
 further 1 million people.

1879-82 The Land War is instigated by Parnell who
 encourages the boycott of repressive landlords.
 The 3 'F's are gained for the peasantry: Fixity of
 Tenure, Fair Rent, Freedom to sell their holding.

1914   The Implementation of Home Rule is
 postponed because of the outbreak of World War I.

1916    The Easter Rising is led by Pearse,
 Connolly and others. The 7 leaders are executed
 which shifts public opinion in favour of the
 rebels.
1920-21 Michael Collins masterminds the War of
 Independence between Britain and Ireland. The
 Irish Free State is created (excluding the 6
 Northern Counties).

1922-23 Civil war breaks out between the Free
 State Army and the Irregulars (the IRA).

1926 Fianna Fail party formed and led by
 DeValera.

1932    DeValera elected Taoiseach of Ireland.

1939-45 Ireland remains neutral during WW2 despite
 the offer of a United Ireland having been made to
 DeValera if Ireland enters the war on behalf of
 the Allies.

1948 Ireland declared a Republic by Costello.
 Northern Ireland is declared a separate entity.

1969    Rioting between Catholics and Protestants.
 Civil Rights marches. British troops called in
 to keep order.

1971    Provisional IRA begins campaign to oust
 British troops from Ireland.

1972    Republic of Ireland joins the European
 Community.

1985    Anglo-Irish Agreement signed.

1994    Peace Declaration and IRA ceasefire.

1998 'Good Friday' agreement reached promising
 the creation of a Northern Assembly.

2002 Northern parliament is suspended

1995-2005 Economic boom in Ireland