Sarah Healy - A Compact History Of Ireland

30000 bc

Irelands topography established

70006500 bc

Human habitation at Mount Sandel, near Coleraine, County Derry

2500 bc

Building of passage graves, notably Newgrange

680 bc

Building of the enclosure at Emain Macha, near Armagh City

ad 1500

Ireland covered with crannogs, hill-forts and raths

7784

Roman invasion considered but finally rejected by Agricola (4093)

Conn Cd-cathach (hundred battles) establishes high-kingship at Tara

300450

Irish raids on Roman Britain

Traditional date of the coming of Patrick to Ireland

c. 500600

Establishment of monasticism as the characteristic feature of the Celtic Church

Colum Cille establishes a monastery on Iona

Convention at Druim-Cett

Columbanus begins his mission to Burgundy

Synod of Whitby finds against the Celtic Church

First Viking raids

c. 841

Dublin established as permanent Scandinavian colony

9751014

Brian Boru of Dl Cais (County Clare) Imperator Scottorum (King of Ireland)

1014

Battle of Clontarf, death of Brian and final defeat of Scandinavian Irish

11321148

Reform of Irish Church by St Malachy

1155

Bull Laudabiliter granted to Henry II of England by Pope Adrian IV

1169

Coming of the Anglo-Normans

1170

Landing of Strongbow

1171

Henry II lands to establish the English presence

1315

Invasion of Edward Bruce

1367

Statutes of Kilkenny

1395

Submission of all but northern chieftains to Richard II

14781513

Rule of Garret Mr Fitzgerald

1492

Poynings Law makes Dublin parliament subservient to that in London

1541

Henry VIII proclaimed king of Ireland

15578

Establishment of Kings and Queens Counties in the lands of Offaly and Laois

1586

Plantation of Munster

15931603

Nine Years War between ONeill and his allies and the English forces

1601

ONeills defeat at Kinsale

1607

Flight of the Earls

160810

Plantation of Ulster

1641

Native Irish rebellion

1642

Owen Roe ONeill takes command of the forces of the Irish Confederacy

1646

Victory for Owen Roe at Benburb

1649

Death (by poisoning?) of Owen Roe and Cromwellian massacres at Drogheda and Wexford

1653

Forfeiture of Irish lands

1660

Restoration of Charles II

1681

Execution of St Oliver Plunkett

1687

Tyrconnell made lord deputy by James II

1689

Relief of the besieged anti-Jacobites in Derry

1690

Battle of the Boyne; departure of James II

1691

(Soon to be broken) Treaty of Limerick signed

1695

Penal laws against Catholics

1704

Further penal laws (in Queen Annes reign)

1778

Formation of the Irish Volunteers

1782

Dungannon convention of the Volunteers and proclamation of legislative independence

1791

Foundation of United Irishmen in Belfast

1795

Battle of the Diamond at Loughgall, County Armagh and establishment of the Orange Order

1798

Rebellion in Antrim, Down, Wexford and Mayo

1800

Act of Union

1829

Catholic Emancipation

18312

Tithe War

1842

Charles Gavan Duffy, co-founder with Thomas Davis of the Young Ireland Movement becomes editor of the Nation

18458

Famine caused by potato blight; population diminished by two million due to death and emigration

1867

Unsuccessful Fenian rising

1869

Gladstone disestablishes the Church of Ireland

1877

Parnell assumes leadership of Irish Parliamentary Party, the more effective by reason of the obstructive tactics of his lieutenant, J. G. Biggar

1879

Davitt founds the Land League

1890

Fall of Parnell and serious schism in the Irish party

1892

Gladstones Second Home Rule Bill defeated

1893

Foundation of the Gaelic League

1910

Carson becomes leader of Irish unionists

1912

Solemn League and Covenant against Home Rule signed by 218,000 Protestants

1913

Foundation of the Irish Citizen Army, UVF and (in response) Irish Volunteers

1914

Curragh mutiny, UVF gun-running, outbreak of Great War (and agreed postponement of terms of Third Home Rule Bill)

1916

Easter Rising; unionists agree to a partitioned Ulster

191921

Anglo-Irish War

1920

Ulster partitioned under Government of Ireland Act

1921

Anglo-Irish Treaty

1922

Outbreak of Civil War (ceases in 1923); Special Powers Act (NI)

1926

Foundation of Fianna Fil by de Valera

1932

Fianna Fil government; tariff war with Britain (agreement in 1938)

1939

ire declares its neutrality at outbreak of war

1948

Declaration of republic by Taoiseach Costello; N. Ireland shares in benefits of Britains welfare state

1951

Mother and child scheme controversy damages coalition government

1965

Meeting between Terence ONeill and Sean Lemass, opposition by Ian Paisley

1968

Police clash with Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Derry followed by severe rioting

1969

British army called in to prevent civil strife in Derry and (after anti-Catholic attacks) Belfast

1970

Start of Provisional IRAs campaign (lasts with several ceasefires until 1998)

1972

Bloody Sunday (Derry) fourteen anti-Internment demonstrators killed by British paratroopers; Stormont prorogued