The Norman invasion we all heard about, but who were the Normans? They started as pirates who plundered our coasts for hundreds of years from Scandinavia, who eventually settled in a corner of France, which we now call Normandy. From there almost 1090 years ago in 1066 they invaded and conquered English and about 100 years later from the coasts of Wales they, now calling themselves English they invaded Ireland; this was in 1170.
Unfortunately the Irish refused to accept this rule from England. Century after century the English persisted to make War on the Irish and during all this time the Irish, who spoke a language not unlike the Celtic French, through thick and thin fought back.
Oliver Cromwell brought his army to Ireland and they and the Scots, consisting of many thousands, evicted the native Irish. However Cromwell's worst blow was in 1695 he established the Penal Laws and their effect was felt to almost the present 0 times.
These laws deprived the Irish, the whole Irish nation, a whole country, of all ownership of land, all education, all professions, all their religion, all business was systematically broken and the Gaelic language was suppressed and ridiculed
Still difficult and hostile the native Irish had to till land for foreigners and absentee landlords which they formerly owned. The food produced went to England while the natives were reduced to a diet of potatoes.
Turned off the land evicted families wandered begging, miserable turbulent and hence to this day we have Irish Gypsies. Since no employment existed they swarmed into lanes and dug holes in the ground and on the hill sides where they soon died. They did not have villages as in England. They were bare-footed and helpless, starving people amid plenty, with the grain crops, butter and meat going to feed the English. I would think 1798 was one of the worst, with a rebellion and consequent hangings and deportation.
In 1846-9 the potato crop got blighted and people starved. In panic they went to Liverpool and England generally; also to America; where they were again exploited. In a few years 4000,000 were either dead or had emigrated. The ones left behind were still bare-footed and ragged, while others were hunted, hanged or deported to Van Demons Land (Tasmania) Australia. Still the resistance went on, which entailed a large army and police force had to be stationed in Ireland.
This went on until the 1920s when I witnessed the late General Lord Montgomery's (then Major) soldiers shooting and burning in Co. Cork. It was then the English government decided to leave Ireland for good, opening the barracks' gates to board their boats and sail away. But at the last minute the prosperous north of Ireland and Lloyd George prevailed on the English to post-pone for the time being their corner of the province of Ulster, namely part of six counties of the nine of Ulster and they called it Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland for the next 70 years the natives as they were called nationalists were badly treated in voting rights, housing, justice, employment, and especially education. As we all knew in 1968 began the uprising for Human rights which is, we hope, after 30 years of civil War, about to end.
Almost each and every century had its dreadful events -- SILKEN THOMAS: CANNIBALISM OF THE TUDOR ERA: CROMWELL: PATRICK SARSFIELD AND THE TREATY STONE OF LIMERICK: DANNIEL O'CONNELL THE LIBERATOR: MAUDE GONNE AND EVA MARKIEVITZ. THE FIRST WOMAN MP: THE BLACK AND TANS: KEVIN BARRY: MICHAEL COLLINS: BRENDAN BEHAN IN NOTTINGHAM JAIL: BOBBY SANDS AND BARONESS THATCHER: I COULD GO ON--
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