Éamonn Ceannt was a leading Irish nationalist who helped with the revival of the Irish culture and also became involved with the planning of the 1916 Easter Uprising. He was one of the 7 signatures of the Proclamation...
History of Ireland
Padraig Pearse (1879 - 1916), Teacher, Poet, & Irish Nationalist
Patrick Pearse was born in Dublin on 10th November 1879 and whose full name is Patrick Henry Pearse or as probably preferred in Irish Pádraic Anraí Mac Piarais. He spoke Irish from an early age and became a member of...
James Connolly (1868 - 1916), A Socialist & Irish Republican
James Connolly was born in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area in the parish of St. Patrick's, on the 5th June 1868. His parents, John and Mary were Irish Catholic immigrants who originally came from County Monaghan. Connolly was...
Ireland & The Outbreak Of World War 1.
In the early years of the 20th century, the international scene was one of national and empirical tensions. The great powers of France, Germany, Russia, and Great Britain were vying with each other for power not only...
Red Hugh O’Donnell 1571-1602
Red Hugh O'Donnell (Aodh Rua ÓDomhnaill) was the son and successor to Hugh MacManus O'Donnell, An ÓDomhnaill, Rí Thír Chonaill, that is, The O'Donnell King of Tyrconnell, a territory which takes in most of the present-day county of Donegal except for the Inishowen...
The Founding of Trinity College Dublin 1592
By 1590 English rule was, with the exception of Ulster, firmly secured throughout Ireland. The Catholic Gaels and Old English of Munster, Leinster, and Connacht had been more or less brought to heel, and Presidencies were established over each of them. English law was...
The Battle for Ballymote Castle
Built in the early 14th century Ballymote castle stands in the market town of Ballymote in County Sligo, in the province of Connacht. The castle exchanged hands between the Irish and English many times over the course of 300 years. The construction of Ballymote Castle...
The Spanish Armada in Ireland: A Failed Invasion Attempt
In 1588, the Spanish Armada was sent by King Philip II of Spain to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. While the Armada's defeat is well known, what is often overlooked is the Armada's attempt to invade Ireland. This invasion, although not as well-known as...
The Siege of Smerwick in 1580
Following the death of James FitzMaurice FitzGerald in August 1579, command of the rebel forces in Munster fell to John of Desmond, his brother. Not long after that, Gerald FitzGerald the Earl of Desmond joined the rebellion. The holdings of Gerald FitzGerald had been...
The Battle of Glenmalure in 1580
Following the excommunication in 1570 of the English monarch Elizabeth, the Protestant English in Ireland increased their confiscations of Catholic held lands. In the newly established Queen’s and King’s counties (present-day Laois and Offaly ) the Lord Deputy Sir...
James FitzMaurice FitzGerald Returns
Following his failed rebellion in 1565, James FitzMaurice, had submitted to Elizabeth I’s authority and was pardoned, but he lost all his own holdings to the English and was removed from the stewardship of the Earl of Desmond’s territories. English Protestant...
James FitzMaurice FitzGerald Flees Ireland
Following the battle of Affane in 1565, Elizabeth I of England admonished her cousin, the Protestant Earl of Ormond, Tom Dubh (Black Tom) Butler and imprisoned the Catholic Earl of Desmond, Gerald FitzGerald and his brothers James and John. The Desmond estates were...
The Battle of Farsetmore in 1567
In 1565, Shane an Diomas (the proud) O'Neill was the virtual ruler of all Ulster. There the English had retreated to Carrickfergus and Newry. Shane had routed the Mac Donnells of the Glens believing that it would make Elizabeth I look kindly upon him as the Mac...
The Battle of Affane (1565)
In 1564, the peace of Queen Elizabeth II was thrown into chaos in the south as two of the most influential of the Old English families began to quarrel when at the same time Shane (the Proud) O'Neill was forcing his neighbouring clans in Ulster to accept his dominance...
Shane "The Proud" O'Neill
In 1542, the most powerful Gaelic leader in Ulster, Conn Bacach O'Neill, the Lord of Tír Eóghain had submitted to Queen Elisabeth I of England and she had re-granted him his lands and presented him with the English title Earl of Tyrone. O'Neill promised to introduce...
The Tudor Plantations in Ireland
From 1541, with Henry VIII, supported by the Irish parliament, claimed kingship over all of Ireland and introduced the Crown of Ireland Act of 1542. Many of the Irish Lords, Gael and Anglo-Irish alike made submissions to him and were re-granted their holdings with an...