IRELAND

Some Irish history for everyone, a time line:

6000BC First traces of man in Ireland
6th Cent. BC Celts migrate to Ireland
432AD St Patrick arrives as a missionary
500-800 Early monasticism, Ireland is Europe's centre of learning.
9th century Viking invasion and settlement
841 Dublin founded
1014 Brian Boru defeats the Vikings and breaks their power
1169 Norman invasion
1537 The Reformation and the dissolution of Irish monasteries by order of King Henry VIII of England
1556 First planters arrive from Scotland & England
1649-52 Rebellion crushed by Cromwell
1690 Battle of the Boyne, Catholic King James defeated by William of Orange (Protestant). Led to the "Orange Men" tradition in the north
1691 Treaty of Limerick and exile of the "Wild Geese"
1798 Crushing of a second rebellion, 50,000 people die
1800 Act of Union - Ireland now a part of Britain
1829 Daniel O'Connell wins the right for Catholics to enter the British parliament
1845 Beginning of the Great Famine, from potato blight
1858 Founding of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), forerunner to the IRA
1875 C.S. Parnell elected MP and becomes the leader of the "Home Rule" movement
1885 Parnell holds the balance of power in the British House of Commons. Home Rule becomes a major issue, but is defeated in the House of Lords.
1912 Protestants, under Edward Carson, form a militia to oppose Home Rule (the Ulster Volunteer Force). The south responds by setting up the "Irish National Volunteers"
1916 Easter rebellion/ "Rising" - Irish rebels defeated and executed. Introduction of internment and martial law.
1918 Imprisoned Republicans go on hunger strike. Militant Sinn Fein sweep victories in the general election. It boycotts the House of Commons and sets up it's own Irish parliament, and elects the jailed Eamonn de Valera as president
1919 Guerilla war between the IRA and the British anti-terrorist forces ("Black and Tans")
1921 Britain and Ireland sign the Treaty giving "dominion" status to Ireland, 6 counties of Ulster staying a part of the United Kingdom (becomes Northern Ireland)
1922-'23 Civil War between Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty (who don't want the partition of Ireland) groups
1939-'45 Ireland controversially remains neutral in the 2nd World War
1949 Ireland becomes a Republic
1969 The "Troubles" outbreak in Northern Ireland
1973 Ireland joins the European Community (now the European Union, E.U.)
1993-'94 The Downing Street Declaration is signed by Albert Reynolds, (the Irish Prime Minister), and John Major,(the British Prime Minister). Leads to the first of the IRA cease-fires
1998 The "Good Friday" Agreement is signed by all sides, by nationalists, unionists and both governments. The Republic agrees to withdraw from it's constitution it's claim to the north and the British government agree to delete parts of their constitution dealing with the status of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. Elections held on a new Northern Ireland "Assembly" / parliament with some cross-border co-operation