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| Connacht was always considered ungovernable by the English |
For a long time I have wondered at relationship between the UK and it's close relation, Ireland. This partnership, though rarely openly discussed, feels to me similar in status to that of the gypsy/ traveler community and the static British majority. We know they are there. We know a fair bit about them, but we don't talk. Emotions are complex. We look in a different direction.
Yet in 1994, I remember reading a report which said that the Irish have always been the largest immigrant community to the UK. The people of Ireland have never needed passports to come to live here. Our communities and tightly linked.
My thoughts are triggered by listening to the BBC production 'A Short History of Ireland in 240 episodes' (that's 22.5 hours).
My thoughts:-
Before the Romans
During a geology lecture long ago I was once given a brief history of Irish geology. Our lecturer said that during the Carboniferous period, it was likely that Ireland had vast coal deposits which slowly eroded away to virtually nothing. The country may have been the 'Saudi Arabia' of the industrial revolution if only the rain had held off. Given what I know so far about Irish history, it is likely that few profits would have stayed in Ireland, perhaps the rain and erosion has protected Ireland over the ages from even worse fates. It's certainly had a significant role in the events that unfolded there.
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| Beautiful Ireland |
Ireland, the battered wife of England, and her brother Scotland, was once an equal partner in the glorious Gaelic past of Europe. When the Gauls ruled the world, Ireland displayed it's genius with craft, ideas and religion second to none. Monasteries were the civilising presence- the mini cities of Ireland.
Then came the assault- First the Romans. Gnaeus Julius Agricola is thought to have assembled a fleet, but for some reason deemed the invasion impractical. Too much rain? Anyway, the evidence points to a damp squib. Some Roman cultural trends did make it across the sea, but not much else. Then the vikings came. They had a more concerted effort, and eventually Dublin became the first major Viking port, and it's first city.
After the 1066 debacle across the water, some Irish lords looked to an alliance with the new Norman Lords to help them secure the hold on organised power and create an 'established' nation. As with so many of these plans, it heralded a take over. Normans moved in, as they had done so successfully across England, and nabbed it all for themselves. They became known as 'The Old English'. The area of English control, the Pale, equivalent the modern 'green zones', was focused around Dublin.
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| The Pale in 1450 |
Next big upset was the Henry VIII's fateful decision to 'Brexit' Europe. For the Irish, this meant a loss of a serious balancing force, the place of the church. Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, the Irish did not feel are part of the reformation, and it became clear, as with the story of the North wind and the Sun, you can not change peoples hearts through violence. Indeed, the place of the Roman church was perhaps strengthen for ever in Ireland.
Then some historical lurching. Ireland went from, English control over key large centres like Dublin, to total control in the time of Henry VIII. Mary Tudor brought some respite to Ireland, and a hope for greater freedom, only to be dashed by Elizabeth, with serious repression of nonconformists. Next James I. He was the one that saw, as so many dictators have repeated over the years, that division is way to do it. The plantation were created, and the 'protestant ascendancy'. Later immigrants were to be threatened and fined for not being harsh enough on the native Irish. Their duty was to crush the indigenous people. These disinherited down trodden Irish became the 'Torys', outlaws living in the woods, raiding the plantations for their survival. Key lesson- look after your downtrodden- keep them happy, and they might not bite you so hard.
Charles I sounded good to the Irish- They liked his Catholic wife, and European leanings. When the civil war broke out, Ireland was a bit stuck. Should they go for independence while they could? Definitely 'parliament' was an anathema to most. For once the Catholics and Presbyterians were in the same boat. Both outcasts. Enter Cromwell -( No 'Cromwell Close' in Irish towns.) He saw that his trip to Ireland after Charles the first's head came off in 1642 was similarly brutal. He felt he was avenging the massacre of protestant plantation immigrants decades earlier.
Charles II was received in this context with great relief. Every aspect of life was felt to be better. His death following the famous 'molehill horse trip' put catholic James II onto the throne. This was all too much in England - too good to be true in Ireland. A brief period of 180 degree turn around, followed by William of Orange- (red in Ireland), with the decisive Battle of the Boyne setting the Catholic cause back to the dark ages. I get the impression that it was an us or them situation with a 'winner takes all' prize at stake.
I learn that the Georgian period spelt 100 years of near total peace. However, the 'landed gentry' sub-let to middle men who then managed to squeeze all the profits out of everything in Ireland. And the place was kept in servitude, much like other colonies, such as the Americas. Margaret's cousin Mike told me about field on the coast of Antim that were made on cliff sides, for potatoes, because there was so much pressure on land. Every conceivable space was used for growing food.
American Independence, then the French Revolution lifted the ideas of radical change to the whole of Europe. Ireland, with enlightenment ideas, was very much affected. With the apparent inability of the Irish parliament to provide suffrage for Catholics, I learn about the official start of 'the troubles'. It all feels so predicable. But I recall the complexities of the time. Give the Irish Catholics suffrage, and what about other peoples? The Indians, the Australians, women.
It's interesting to hear about the green cockade. Revolutionary zeal for 1794. Attempted French landing, thwarted by the weather. Hocke, the French general, seemed to have the best chance. This venture was mentioned in Christopher Hibbert's book on the French Revolution. The weather once again seems to have had the most power. This is were the idea of the Tricolor first arose. Irish green married with Orange Protestantism; a dream of peace in between.
Next the long campaign for Catholic Suffrage, which reminded me of women's suffrage in 1900. Much peaceful campaigning reaching a certain point of success, only for promises to be undminded and hopes dashed.
In 1729 Jonathan Swift published 'A Modest Proposal', mocking the ambivalence of the British rich to the plight of the poor in Ireland. In 1845 the first blight of the potatoes occurred, followed by three more years. Ireland was fulling occupying its available land. Nearly every tree had been felled to make room for farm land. Land owners charges middle men who charged the poor for rents. Fever followed famine. the population fell by about 2 million. Apparently the Quakers started the move to provide large scale famine relief after the government try to provide work for aid, to starving people. The government took over these schemes spending 8 million pounds on aid which apparently was a tenth of the money spent on the Crimea War, which raging ten years later. The main criticism of the British Government was that it declared the famine over in September 1847. Apart from not being over, thousands then died of the inevitable epidemics of TB and influenza.
A french writer described the Irish countryside as ' a beautiful women, with closely cropped hair' to describe the extent of deforestation.
1905 was the formation of Sinn Fein, meaning 'Ourselves'. A non violent party rising from the ruins of the Irish Party. It's first MP was Count Plunkett winning a by election in 1917 was in his 80's. In December 1918 it then won 76/105 seats. The first ever female member of parliament was Countess Constance Markievicz, for Sinn Fein. Countess Markievicz was a veteran of the Easter Rising where she persuaded the judge that he should not execute a woman. She, like all Sinn Fein MPs, did not stand in the UK parliament, but Sinn Fein held their own Parliament called the 'Dail'.
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| The Irish Parliament - The Dail |
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| Moved to Birmingham from Dublin in 1937 |
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| In its intended location on Essex Bridge Dublin. |
I am interested in the loss of power experienced by Sinn Fein. From 94 seats in June 1922, followuing the Anglo-Irish Teaty of December 1921, they move to 6 seats in 1927. The party had been split by the concern about whether to accept the British treaty. 58 seat with Michael Collins, and the peaceful compromise, to 36 for the continued struggle with Eamon De Valera. De Valera left and sets up Finna Fail (Soldiers of destiny). Fine Gael (Family of the Irish) is created in the prewar years, somewhat tainted with the association with 'the blue shirt', or the Irish fascists. In 1936, with the abdication of Edward VII in Britain (he had ruled from Jan '36- Dec '36), The country took the opportunity to rewrite the Irish Constitution The nation voted 56.52% in favour of the new constitution. The country's official name is Eire. The post of 'Taoiseach' is created. Eire is no longer a part of the British Commonwealth, the constitution says that northern Ireland should rightfully be a part of the whole Irish state. The history ends with the outbreak of the Second World War. I am reminded of a video I saw on Vimeo about an English and a German dogfight over the Irish Sea. Both planes are shot down. They both bail out and survive the fall. They are both arrested by Irish from the Irish Free State.
The United Kingdom - Be suspicious of names.
One of the final acts of the old Scottish Parliament, MP voted by 106 to 69 voted. With Queen Anne on the throne, the act of union came into law on the 1st of July 1707. For 195 years (from death of Elizabeth in 1603), the flag of the UK was...
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| A good pub quiz question... |
