Timeline of Irish history

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This is a timeline of Irish history. To read about the background to these events, see History of Ireland. See also the list of Lords and Kings of Ireland and Irish heads of state and the list of years in Ireland.

This timeline is incomplete; some important events may be missing. Please help add to it.

[edit] Mesolithic and neolithic periods

Year	Date	Event
c.16,000 BC		During the Last Glacial Maximum, Ireland is covered in ice sheets
c.6,500 BC		Mesolithic hunter-gatherers occupy sites such as that at Mount Sandel in Northern Ireland
c.4,000 BC		Agriculture (including the keeping of livestock, and crop framing) has it's beginnings in Ireland, at sites such as the Céide Fields in Mayo
c.3,500 BC		The Neolithic peoples of the Boyne Valley build a complex of chamber tombs, standing stones and enclosures over a period of hundreds of years. (Newgrange itself is dated to 3300-2900 BC).

[edit] Bronze and Iron ages

Year	Date	Event
c.2,000 BC		Bronze Age technologies start to arrive in Ireland, including the moulding of Ballybeg type flat axes, and the beginnings of copper mining at Mount Gabriel in Co. Cork, and Ross Island in Co. Kerry.[1]
c.500 BC		During the Iron Age in Ireland, Celtic influence in art, language and culture begins to take hold.[2]

[edit] 5th century

Year	Date	Event
431		Palladius is sent as the first bishop "to the Irish believing in Christ" by Pope Celestine I[3][4]
432		According to the Annals of Ulster (and other chronicles) Saint Patrick returns to Ireland.[5]

[edit] 6th century

Year	Date	Event
536		A seemingly global climate event (possibly a volcanic winter)[6] causes crop failures[7] and famine in Ireland.
563		Irish monastic influence during the Golden Age peaks with the foundation of monastic schools by Columba and Brendan at Iona and Clonfert.[8] (Columbanus would later set up similar institutions in continental Europe, Fursa in East Anglia and Gaul, Aidan at Lindisfarne. Etc.)

[edit] 8th century

Year	Date	Event
795		First Viking raids on Iona, Rathlin Island, Inishmurray and Inishbofin.[9]

[edit] 9th century

Year	Date	Event
852		Vikings Ivar Beinlaus and Olaf the White land in Dublin Bay and established a fortress, on which the city of Dublin now stands.

[edit] 10th century

Year	Date	Event
980		The King of Dublin Olaf Cuaran abidicates following defeat at the Battle of Tara to Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill.[10]

[edit] 11th century

Year	Date	Event
1014	April 23	Defeat of Máel Mórda mac Murchada and Viking forces by the armies of Brian Boru marks the beginning of the decline of Viking power in Ireland.[11]

[edit] 12th century

Year	Date	Event
1167		Following exile by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, Dermot MacMurrough seeks support from Henry II of England to reclaim his Kingship.
1171		Henry II of England lands at Waterford and declares himself Lord of Ireland.
1175	October 6[12]	The Treaty of Windsor consolidates Norman influence in Ireland.

[edit] 13th century

Year	Date	Event
1297		The first representative Irish Parliament (of the Lordship of Ireland) meets in Dublin.[13]

[edit] 14th century

Year	Date	Event
1315	May 26	Edward Bruce arrives in Ireland and rallies many Irish lords against Anglo-Norman control.
1366		The Statutes of Kilkenny are passed at Kilkenny to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland.

[edit] 15th century

Year	Date	Event
1494	December 1	Edward Poyning, Henry VII of England's Lord Deputy to Ireland, issued a declaration known as Poynings' Law under which the Irish parliament was to pass no law without the prior consent of the English parliament.

[edit] 16th century

Year	Date	Event
1534	June 11	Thomas FitzGerald, the 10th Earl of Kildare, publicly renounced his allegiance to Henry VIII of England.
1537	February 3	FitzGerald was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.
1542		The Irish parliament passed the Crown of Ireland Act, which established a Kingdom of Ireland to be ruled by Henry VIII and his successors.
1570	February 25	Pope Pius V issued a papal bull, Regnans in Excelsis, declaring Elizabeth I of England a heretic and releasing her subjects from any allegiance to her.
1579	July 16	Second Desmond Rebellion: James FitzMaurice FitzGerald, a cousin of the 15th Earl of Desmond, landed a small force of rebels at Dingle.

[edit] 17th century

Year	Date	Event
1607	September 14	The Flight of the Earls: The departure from Ireland of Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell.
1641	October 22	Irish Rebellion of 1641: Phelim O'Neill led the capture of several forts in the north of Ireland.
1642		Irish Confederate Wars: The Irish Catholic Confederation was established, under the nominal overlordship of Charles I of England, with its capital at Kilkenny.
1646	March 28	The Supreme Council of the Irish Catholic Confederation signed an agreement with a representative of Charles I, which procured some rights for Catholics in return for their military support of the royalists in England.
		The members of the Supreme Council were arrested. The General Assembly renounced the agreement with England.
1647		A more favorable agreement was reached with Charles's representative, which promised toleration of Catholicism, a repeal of Poynings' Law, and recognition of lands taken by Irish Catholics during the war.

[edit] 18th century

Year	Date	Event
1782		After agitation by the Irish Volunteers, the Parliament of Great Britain passed a number of reforms - including the repeal of Poynings' Law - collectively referred to as the Constitution of 1782.
1798	May 24	Battle of Ballymore-Eustace: A miscarried surprise attack on the British garrison at Ballymore in County Kildare was counterattacked and defeated.
	August 22	Irish Rebellion of 1798: One thousand French soldiers landed at Kilcummin in support of the rebellion.
	August 27	Battle of Castlebar: A combined French-Irish force defeated a vastly numerically superior British force at Castlebar.
		Irish Rebellion of 1798: The Republic of Connaught was proclaimed at Castlebar. First United Irishmen rebellion

[edit] 19th century

Year	Date	Event
1803	July 23	Second United Irishmen rebellion: The Irish nationalist Robert Emmet attempted to seize Dublin Castle.
1829	March 24	Catholic Emancipation: The Catholic Relief Act 1829 was passed, which allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament.
1831	May 3	Tithe War: A force of one hundred and twenty armed police forcibly took possession of cattle belonging to a Roman Catholic priest in lieu of his compulsory tithe to the Anglican Church of Ireland.
1836		Tithe War: The passage of the Tithe Commutation Act 1836 reduced the amount of the tithe and changed the manner of payment, which largely ended the unrest.
1845		Great Irish Famine: Potato blight destroyed two-thirds of Ireland's staple crop.

[edit] 20th century

Year	Date	Event
1913	August 19	A Dublin businessman, William Martin Murphy, fired forty workers he suspected of belonging to the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU).
	August 26	Dublin Lockout: The ITGWU went on strike.
1914	January 18	Dublin Lockout: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) rejected a call by the ITGWU to go on strike in their support. The strikers quit the union and returned to work.
1916	April 24	Easter Rising: The Irish Republican Brotherhood led an action which seized key government buildings in Dublin, and issued the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.
	April 29	Easter Rising: The leader of the uprising ordered his followers to surrender.
1918	April 18	Acting on a resolution of Dublin Corporation, the Lord Mayor convenes a conference at the Mansion House to devise plans to resist conscription
	December 14	A general election returns a majority for Sinn Féin
1919	January 21	The First Dáil of the Irish Republic meets and issues a Declaration of Independence from the UK
	January 21	Irish War of Independence: Volunteers of the Army of the Irish Republic kill two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary in what is considered to be the first act of the War of Independence.
1921	December 6	Irish War of Independence: The War of Independence ends when negotiations between the British government and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic conclude with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the creation of the Irish Free State
1922	June 28	Irish Civil War: Bombardment by Michael Collins of Anti-Treaty forces occupying the Four Courts marks the start of the Irish Civil War
1923	May 24	Irish Civil War: IRA Chief of Staff Frank Aiken orders volunteers to dump arms - effectively ending the Civil War.
1937	December 29	The Constitution of Ireland comes into force replacing the Irish Free State with a new state called "'Éire', or, in the English language, 'Ireland'"
1948	December 21	The Republic of Ireland Act is signed by the President of Ireland abolishing the remaining roles of the British monarch in the government of the Irish state.

[edit] 21st century

Year	Date	Event
2001	June 7	The twenty-first, twenty-third and twenty-sixth Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland, which provided for a universal ban on the death penalty, Ireland's recognition of the International Criminal Court and its ratification of the Treaty of Nice, respectively, were all approved by referendum.
2002	May 17	Irish general election, 2002: The majority party, Fianna Fáil, gained eight seats in the Dáil Éireann. Fine Gael, the largest opposition party, lost a record twenty-three seats. Fianna Fáil form eda government with the PDs.
2007	May 24	Irish general election, 2007: Fine Gael gained twenty seats in the Dáil. Fianna Fáil lost four but retained a plurality, and formed a government in coalition with the PDs and the Green Party.
2008	May 6	After leading a Fianna Fáil government for nearly 11 years, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern retires.

[edit] References