Page 114 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

112  BRIT AIN AND IRELAND

Direct English control was usually limited
to the “Pale,” the well-defended area
around Dublin. Matters changed when, in
1532, Henry VIII broke with the Catholic
church. Ireland became a battleground
between Irish Catholics and English
armies dispatched to crush resistance.
Irish lands were confiscated and granted
to Protestants from England and Scotland.
England’s conquest was completed with
O’Connell Street in Dublin just after the Easter Rising of 1916 Old Bushmills
William of Orange’s victory over James II Distillery Giant’s
The bellicose Celtic tribes were quick to in 1690. During the English Ascendancy, Londonderry Causeway
Troon,
embrace Christianity in the 5th century repressive Penal Laws denied Irish Dunglow Letterkenny (Derry) Coleraine A2 Cairnryan
N13
AD. Until the Viking invasions of the 9th Catholics the most basic freedoms, but N56 A5 A6 A29 A26
century, Ireland enjoyed an era of relative opposition to English rule was never Donegal American NORTHERN M2 Larne
Ulster-
Lough Neagh
peace. Huge monasteries were founded, totally quashed. Rossnowlagh Folk Park Omagh
where scholarship and the arts flourished. The Famine of 1845–8 was the bleakest A32 A4 IRELAND Belfast Liverpool,
The Vikings never succeeded in gaining period of Irish history. More than two Belmullet Sligo Lower Lough Erne Enniskillen M1 A1 Hillsborough Douglas
control of the island, but in 1169, the million either died or were forced to N59 N16 Armagh Portaferry
English arrived with greater ambitions. emigrate. A campaign for Home Rule Lough Conn N26 N17 Carrick- Newry Newcastle
N4 on-Shannon N3
Many Irish chiefs submitted to Henry II of gathered strength, but it took the war of Knock N5 Cavan N2 Dundalk
England, and his Anglo-Norman knights 1919–21 to force the issue. The Treaty of Westport REPUBLIC Monasterboice IRISH
Lough
carved out large fiefdoms for themselves. 1921 divided the island in two. The South Letterfrack Mask Roscommon Lough N55 Kells Drogheda M1 SEA
became the Irish Free State, gaining full Clifden N59 Lough N63 Ree OF Mullingar Newgrange
N17
KEY DATES IN IRISH HISTORY independence in 1937. The Catholic Connemara Corrib Athlone M6 M4 M3 M1 N2 Liverpool,
minority in Northern Ireland suffered Galway Clonmacnoise Castletown DUBLIN Holyhead
House
8th century BC Humans first inhabit Ireland ATLANTIC M6 Clonfert M7
IRELAND
600 BC Arrival of Celts from Europe and Britain under Protestant rule, and in the late OCEAN Aran N67 Lough Port Kildare Bray Dún Laoghaire
AD 432 St. Patrick brings Christianity to Ireland 1960s began to stage civil-rights protests. Islands Ennistimon Shannon Derg Laoise M9
M18
Glendalough
Ennis
795 First Viking invasion The situation quickly got out of hand. Kilkee N68 M7 Carlow Wicklow
999 Viking king of Dublin defeated by Irish High King, The British sent in troops and acts of Shannon Bunratty Castle M8 N77 Arklow
Limerick
Brian Boru terrorism and sectarian violence took Adare N24 Kilkenny N11
1169 Anglo-Norman invasion; Henry II of England the place of reasoned dialogue. N69 Tipperary Cashel New
proclaims himself overlord of Ireland Dingle Tralee N21 N20 Cahir N24 M9 Ross Slaney
1541 Henry VIII declared King of Ireland Language and Culture Killarney Mallow Waterford Wexford Pembroke,
1690 William of Orange defeats James II at Battle of Ireland was a Gaelic-speaking nation until Killorglin N72 M8 Fermoy N25 Rosslare Fishguard
the Boyne the 16th century, when English rule sent Caherciveen Kenmare Youghal
N22
1695 Penal Laws restrict civil rights of Catholics the language into decline. The Republic Sneem Bantry Cork Midleton
1801 Act of Union with Britain today is officially bilingual, and 35 percent N71 Cherbourg,
Roscoff
1828 Catholic Emancipation Act of adults claim to know some Gaelic. Skull Kinsale
1845–8 Potato Famine leaves one million dead Many speak it fluently, but perhaps only Skibbereen Roscoff
1916 Easter Rising
1921 Anglo-Irish treaty divides Ireland into the Irish 3 percent use it regularly. Some degree of
Free State and Northern Ireland knowledge is needed for careers in the
1937 The Irish Free State becomes entirely public sector. Irish culture, on the other
independent of Britain and is renamed Eire hand, is in no danger of being eroded.
1969 British troops sent to Northern Ireland The people have a genuine love of
1998 Good Friday Agreement sets out framework for legends, literature, and songs, and festivals
self-government in Northern Ireland play an important part in community life.
2005 Provisional IRA announces full ceasefire Traditional and modern music flourishes,
2008 Crisis in the banking system ends boom whether at well-attended concerts or
2013 An €85 bn bailout by the EU and IMF is paid off
impromptu sessions in the local pub.
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