Timeline Ireland

Ireland's roots

Ancient causes of the Ango-Irish problem

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Celtic Cross

THE IRISH QUESTION

From the Potato Famine to the Irish Independance

1867

1914

1919

1893

1921

1912-14

1916

Beginning of World War I

1845-52

1886

1920

2nd Home Rule Act Attempt

Beginning of Irish War of Independance

Fenian Uprising

Irish Estate is Established

Approval of the Irish Home Rule

Easter Rising

The Potato Famine

1st Home Rule Act Attempt

Bloody Sunday

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Irish legacy

A brief summmary of Irish question in contemporary history

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Bloody Sunday

1921

End of Irish War of Independance

- The war of independance concluded with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established 26 counties in the south of Ireland as the Irish Free State, with dominion status within the British Empire, while granting “Home Rule” to six predominantly Protestant counties in the north (Ulster), which remained a self-governing part of the United Kingdom - Dissension among nationalists over the agreement resulted in the Irish civil war (1922-23)

1845-52

The Potato Famine

- By the early 1840s almost half the Irish population, particularly the rural poor, was depending almost entirely on the potato for nourishment. The crop was ruined by a disease called late blight, caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans - The British government provided minimal relief to the starving Irish, limited to loans and soup kitchens. About one million people died from starvation or famine-related diseases, and perhaps as many as two million emigrated. Population continued to decline thereafter

Ireland culture

Ancient causes of the Anglo-Irish problems

- In 1800, following the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the Irish and the British parliaments enacted the Acts of Union. The merger created a new political entity called United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - Ireland struggled to follow the english industrial revolution

1919

Beginning of Irish War of Indipendance

- In January 1919 political disputes resulted in a military conflict that pitted Irish nationalists (republicans), who were pursuing independence from the United Kingdom, against British security forces and Irish loyalists (unionists), who sought to preserve Ireland’s union with Great Britain

1916

Easter Rising

- On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, an Irish republican insurrection against British government took place in Dublin - The insurrection was planned by the leaders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, within the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army and the small Sinn Féin party - The uprising was planned to be nationwide in scope, but a series of mishaps led to its being confined to Dublin alone. British troops soon arrived to put down the rebellion, and for nearly a week Dublin was paralyzed by street fighting. British artillery bombardments forced the rebels to surrender on April 29 - The 15 leaders of the rebellion were court-martialed and executed by British authorities in the weeks that followed. Though the uprising itself had been unpopular with most of the Irish people, these executions excited a wave of revulsion against the British authorities and turned the dead republican leaders into martyred heroes

1886

1st Home Rule Act Attempt

- It was the first major attempt made by a British government to enact a law creating home rule for Ireland, and it was introduced by Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone - Main aspects: an Irish unicameral parliament consisting of two orders: the first order (100 members) and the second order (204 members); executive power would be possessed by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whose executive would not be responsible to either Order; Britain would still retain control over a range of issues including peace, war, defence, treaties with foreign states, trade and coinage - The attempt failed as it was defeated in the House of Commons

1920

Bloody Sunday

- In seeking to combat the terrorism of the IRA (Irish Republican Army), the Black and Tans (former English soldiers recruited by the Irish Police) engaged in brutal counteractions - Most notably, after the IRA killed at least 14 individuals (most of whom were English and were suspected of being intelligence agents) on November 21, 1920, the Black and Tans took revenge the same day by attacking spectators at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, Dublin, killing 14 and wounding 60

1867

Fenian Uprising

- Among the exiles both in the United States and in Britain, the Fenian movement spread widely. - A secret revolutionary society named for the Fianna, an Irish armed force of legendary times, it aimed at securing Ireland’s independence and breaking the British connection. In Ireland, Fenian ideals were propagated in the newspaper The Irish People, but in 1865 four Fenian leaders were imprisoned and the newspaper was suppressed - During the next two years, plans gradually developed for a projected nationwide rising, financed largely by funds collected in the United States. It took place in March 1867 but was easily crushed and its leaders imprisoned.

1893

2nd Home Rule Act Attempt

- It was the second attempt made by UK’s Prime Minister William Gladstone to enact a system of home rule for Ireland. Unlike the first attempt, which was defeated in the House of Commons, the second Bill was passed by the Commons but vetoed by the House of Lords - It had similar proposals to the 1885 act, but this one proposed a bicameral Irish parliament, made up of a Legislative Council and a Legislative Assembly

1921-today

Irish Legacy

- The late 20th century saw a period known as "The Troubles," a protracted conflict between nationalist and unionist communities in Northern Ireland. Issues of civil rights, discrimination, and political representation were central to the conflict, which lasted from the late 1960s until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 - Despite the progress made with the Good Friday Agreement, challenges persisted. Issues such as identity, legacy issues from The Troubles, and the question of a united Ireland continue to shape political discourse in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. - Brexit has also reintroduced complexities, as the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the UK's withdrawal agreement from the EU, has implications for trade and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. - The Irish Question, with its multifaceted historical, cultural, and political dimensions, continues to shape the discourse in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, influencing discussions about national identity, reconciliation, and the potential for a united Ireland.

1912-14

3rd Home Rule Act Attempt

- In 1912 the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith introduced a third attempt for an Home Rule Bill. After being rejected three times by the House of Lords, the bill was finally approved in 1914, when the Government used the provisions of the Parliament Act (1911) to override the Lords and send the bill for royal assent - A bicameral Irish Parliament was established in Dublin and consisted of a 40-member Senate and a 164-member House of Commons

1914

Start of World War I

- On 4 August 1914 the United Kingdom entered World War I - On 18 September 1914, as soon as the Home Rule Bill received Royal Assent, a Suspensory Act was passed to stop it coming into effect until after the war.