Since we are interested in history and this is our electronic travel diary, today’s blog is heavily steeped in history. We headed out from our lodging in light rain to Trinity College and the start of a 2 hour Historical Dublin walking tour. Our guide was fascinating and very knowledgeable (She had a Ph.D. in medieval history). Trinity College was founded with permission from Elizabeth I in 1592. Initially, only Protestant men were admitted; Catholic men were admitted in 1793. Women were finally admitted in 1904. Today the student body is between 18,000 & 19,000; 60% are female. Interestingly, admission is now completely anonymous, strictly on academic record.

To say that Irish history is complicated is an understatement. The first signs of human activity date back to around 12,500 BC, and it is presumed that they arrived by crossing a combination of land and ice bridges that connected the islands with mainland Europe and Scandinavia. However, the earliest confirmed settlements date back to about 8,000 BC and it is presumed that they arrived from Britain by boat across the Irish sea, the channel of which was much shorter due to the low sea level at the end of the ice age. Little is known about these original inhabitants. The Celts purportedly arrived from Europe around 500 BC at which time the bronze age culture of Ireland had all but vanished.

The Romans never invaded Ireland but did establish trade with the island. The major impact of the Romans on Irish culture was brought about by the arrival of St. Patrick (whose real name was probably Maewyn Succat, a Romano-British missionary from either Wales or Scotland and whose father was a Roman-British military officer) who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in 432 AD.

Ireland was later invaded by the Vikings from Norway who later established numerous settlements around the coastal areas of Ireland in the period from about 800 to 1014 AD when they were defeated in the Battle of Clondarf. The Vikings established trade routes between Ireland, Britain, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe which brought in many influences that remain today. It is also believed that the Vikings were instrumental in making Catholicism the official religion of Ireland.

I think it can be safely said that the conflict between Ireland and England began with the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1159 AD.  This came about after the King of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchada, was stripped of his Kingdom by the High King of Ireland, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, and sought help from King Henry II to restore his reign in Ireland. He failed to obtain military support from King Henry but did manage to get military support from the Earl of Pembroke to overthrow the High King, making himself the High King of Ireland. in return, he offered the Earl of Pembroke the kingdom of Leinster along with his daughter’s hand in marriage. The first attempt to overthrow the High King failed, but a second attempt led by the Earl (also known as Strongbow) himself and by 1170 had taken Dublin, removing the Vikings and overthrew the High King.

King Henry II was furious with the Earl for settling in Ireland and sent an invading force to Ireland to take control of the island. Upon conquering the island, King Henry II became the first English King to set foot in Ireland. After that, the crown awarded large tracts of land to Anglo-Norman aristocrats which forced peasants off the land or forced them to become serfs or tenant farmers. From that day on, there has been conflict between the Irish and the English. Over the years, the Irish have gained and lost varying degrees of independence, but it wasn’t until 1949 that Ireland left the commonwealth and became a completely independent, sovereign nation. Even then, they were forced to cede Northern Ireland to the English.

Many people believe that the conflict between the Irish and the English is a religious conflict. It isn’t. The real conflict is about land ownership and political and economic control. It’s merely a coincidence that the English became protestants after King Henry VIII renounced his loyalty to the Pope and established the Church of England while the Irish remained Catholic.

This brings us to the present issue of Brexit.  Along the way, we have asked several people if they supported Brexit and how Brexit would affect them. What we found was that the Irish, Northern Irish, Scots and Welsh generally opposed Brexit and feared that it would adversely affect them. In particular, the Irish fear that a no-deal Brexit will bring back the Troubles between Ireland and Northern Ireland from 1968 to 1998 which had spread to England. On the other hand, the English in the central and southern part of England generally favored Brexit.

Of the five regions, England is the politico-economic powerhouse, but membership in the European Union (EU) has imposed common standards, rules and regulations on all member nations that have substantially leveled the politico-economic playing field.  The English corporatists have chafed under EU restrictions and want to get rid of them. In order to withdraw from the EU, the corporatists lobbied parliament to issue a referendum for England to leave the EU on the basis of restoring England’s sovereignty and former glory without any serious thought or planning for the economic, social and political impact it would have on the people; and in particular, the Irish, Welsh and Scots. Now that people are beginning to be aware of the real impact of Brexit, many more are opposing it, but the Tory government that supports the corporatists (much like our own Republicans) refuses to allow the public a second chance to vote on the issue. Combining the public resistance to Brexit, the opposition of the Irish to reinstating borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland, EU rules and conditions for interaction with non-member nations and the Tory government demands on the EU for special treatment for the UK, we have reached the present crisis.

Needless to say, this is a terribly abbreviated history, but it has helped us construct a coherent picture of the relationship between Ireland and England which is one of the motives for our travels.

 

 

 

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