Dublin online_2 The History of Ireland_Part 1_22nd September 2025_Recording

1. Welcome to the Dublin course!

2. The History of
Ireland – part 1
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

2. The History of Ireland - part 1

• Prehistoric times
• First inhabitants after last Ice Age (12,000 years ago)
• Start agriculture about 3,000 B.C.
• About 2,000 B.C arrival Clock Beaker Culture
• All sorts of remains: burial mounds, stone circles and tombs
Bell Beaker Culture
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Drombreg Stone Circle in Cork
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3. The History of Ireland – part 1

• Early Christianity
• Between 400 and 795 early Christianity
• Saint Patrick: first Bisshop and Patron Saint -> Saint Patrick’s Day 17th March
• Foundation of lots of monasteries by Saint Patrick -> centres of power and education
= Shamrock = symbol of Holy Trinity (The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost)
• Monks copied Holy Manuscripts -> most famous: Book of Kells (800)
• Golden Period: Ireland was peaceful and prosperous (rich) -> arts and sciences
blossomed, especially the art of writing and illustration
• The Book of Kells: Exploring a Medieval Masterpiece - Massive Open Online Course - YouTube
• The astonishing Book of Kells - YouTube
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4. The History of Ireland – part 1

• Ireland in the Early Middle Ages
• Arrival Celts in 600
• Language Celts = Old-Irish -> Gaelic or Irish
• Society of 3 classes: Druids, priests, musicians, poets – free people –
slaves
• Legends and myths f. ex Táin Bó Cúailnge
• Mix of Christianity and Celtic traditions -> Celtic Christianity
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5. The History of Ireland – part 1

• The Era of the Vikings
• From 795 invasion of Vikings
• Destruction and plundering of monasteries
• From 827 onwards Vikings settled in Ireland and started trade
• Founded cities
• Introduced money
• Imported art: Urnes Style
• High King Brian Boru fought the Vikings in 1014
Example Urnes Style
Brian Boru
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6. The History of Ireland – part 1

• The Period of the High Kings (900 – 1171)
• High King Brian Boru won battle against Vikings but died
• End of Viking influence
• Country fell apart in smaller Kingdoms; High Kings fought for power
• Henry II (of England!) became Head of the Church in 1115
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7. The History of Ireland – part 1

• The Anglo-Normans and the Lordship of Ireland
• Between 1171 and 1541
• Lordship of Ireland under English rule (Henry II)
• Henry II gave Lordship of Ireland to his son John Lackland
• Henry II also King of Normandy -> Ireland ruled by Norman Barons
• Between 1455 and 1485 War of the Roses -> Irish gentry seized power from Normans
• End of the Lordship of Ireland in 1541
• Start of Kingdom of Ireland -> King Henry VIII
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8. The History of Ireland – part 1

• The Irish Kingdom (1451 – 1801)
• Growing ‘English colonisation’
• But the English were Protestants, the Irish Roman Catholics -> lots of conflicts
• Irish protest in 1641
• Battle of Drogheda won by the English Oliver Cromwell
• English King Jacob II was Roman Catholic so he was pro-Irish
• William III of Orange-Nassau attacked England and King Jacob II
• He won Battle of Boyne in 1690
• New Irish (Republican!) rising in 1798, inspired by the French Revolution in 1789
• The Irish lost -> Act of Union in 1801: uniting the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of
Great Britain
• Reality in 19th Century: Catholic oppression of the Protestants
(sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica and PaddyPower)
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9. The History of Ireland – part 1

• Comprehension questions
• What prehistoric sites can still be visited in Ireland? Give examples.
• What’s the name of the very famous Holy Manuscript you can see at Trinity College?
• What’s the name of Ireland’s Patron Saint?
• What’s the origin of the Irish or Gaelic language?
• The Vikings destroyed a lot of monasteries. Did they do or bring any good things to
Ireland? Which?
• Who was Brian Boru?
• Who was the first King of Ireland?
• What happened in 1798? And in 1801?
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