Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information A SHORT HISTORY OF IRELAND This third edition of John O’Beirne Ranelagh’s classic history of Ireland incorporates contemporary political and economic events as well as the latest archaeological and DNA discoveries. Comprehensively revised and updated throughout, it considers Irish history from the earliest times through the Celts, Cromwell, plantations, famine, Independence, the Omagh bomb, peace initiatives, and financial collapse. It profiles the key players in Irish history from Diarmuid MacMurrough to Gerry Adams and casts new light on the events, North and South, that have shaped Ireland today. Ireland’s place in the modern world and its rela- tionship with Britain, the US and Europe are also examined with a fresh and original eye. Worldwide interest in Ireland continues to increase, but whereas it once focused on violence in Northern Ireland, the tumultuous financial events in the South have opened fresh debates and drawn fresh interest. This is a new history for a new era. john o’beirne ranelagh is the author of The Agency: the Rise and Decline of the CIA (1986,aNew York Times Notable Book and winner of the National Intelligence Book Prize) and Thatcher’s People (1991,aFinancial Times Best Book). © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information ASHORTHISTORY OF IRELAND third edition JOHN O’BEIRNE RANELAGH © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb28ru,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107401945 First edition © Telstore Ltd 1983 Second edition © Cambridge Publishing Ltd 1994 Third edition © John Ranelagh 2012 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1983 Second edition 1994 Reprinted with new material 1999 Third edition 2012 Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by the MPG Books Group A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Ranelagh, John. A short history of Ireland / John O’Beirne Ranelagh. – Third Edition. pages cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-1-107-40194-5 (pbk.) 1. Ireland – History. 2. Northern Ireland – History. I. Title. DA910.R36 2012 941.5–dc23 2012007515 isbn 978-1-107-00923-3 Hardback isbn 978-1-107-40194-5 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information Contents List of figures page vii Preface to the first edition ix Preface to the second edition xi Preface to the updated edition xiv Preface to the third edition xvii Map of Ireland: the Pale and Irish plantations xxii 1 Beginnings 1 Gaels 7 Patrick 25 Vikings 31 English 37 2 Ascendancy 50 Tudors 52 Plantation 57 Cromwell 64 Penal times 75 ’98 87 3 Union 97 O’Connell 106 Young Ireland 117 Famine 123 Fenians 134 4 Home rule? 145 Parnell 150 Reform 163 Nationalists 171 Divide 182 v © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information vi Contents 5 Rising 192 Blood 207 Collins 218 Treaty 228 6 South 244 De Valera 260 Republic 273 Haughey 285 Corruption 291 Choices 294 7 North 300 O’Neill 309 The IRA 314 Direct rule 325 Peace? 331 Talks 336 Agreement 346 Endgame 353 Paisley 360 8 Another country 368 Metamorphosis 374 Crash 383 Appendix: Timeline of Irish history 392 Select bibliography 397 Index 405 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information Figures 1 Ogham stone. Image © Michael Jenner/Robert Harding page 8 2 Celtic gold: the Broighter Boat, reproduced by kind permission of the National Museum of Ireland 10 3 Clonycavan Man, reproduced by kind permission of the National Museum of Ireland 14 4 Patrick’s Confessio, Book of Armagh, fo. 22r. The Board of Trinity College Dublin 27 5 Book of Kells, fo.32v. The Board of Trinity College Dublin 33 6 Book of Leinster, p. 29. The Board of Trinity College Dublin 41 7 Depositions, 1641. The Board of Trinity College Dublin (A.1.36) 70 8 Daniel O’Connell © The Trustees of the British Museum (PPA290945) 114 9 Young Ireland Proclamation. MultiText Project in History 121 10 Famine – Dublin Memorial. Courtesy of Fáilte Ireland 130 11 Destinations of overseas emigrants from Ireland 1821– 1920 131 12 Charles Stewart Parnell. National Library of Ireland 157 13 Notes written by Gladstone on Irish home rule, 1893. © The British Library Board, Add/39927 F.68 160 14 Glenoe village, co. Antrim 166 15 Gaelic League membership card. MultiText Project in History 174 vii © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information viii List of figures 16 First World War recruiting poster. The Board of Trinity College Dublin (A.1.26) 198 17 Countess Markievicz, ‘Points of Attack’. Lissadell Collection 204 18 1916 Rising, reproduced by kind permission of the National Museum of Ireland 205 19 Poem by Michael Collins. Source: www. generalmichaelcollins.com 213 20 Michael Collins. General Photographic Agency/Getty Images 218 21 De Valera’s notes of an Inner Cabinet meeting, 24 July 1921. Reproduced by kind permission of UCD–OFM Partnership 229 22 Four Courts surrender © Press Association 237 23 De Valera with Countess Markievicz. Lissadell Collection 247 24 1932 election poster. Reproduced by kind permission of UCD–OFM Partnership and Fine Gael 259 25 John Hume. Belfast Telegraph 318 26 Chuckle Brothers: Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, 2007. EPA (European Pressphoto Agency b.v.) 362 27 The Queen shaking hands with Martin McGuinness, 2012. © Paul Faith/epa/Corbis 365 28 Front page of the Irish Daily Star, 23 November 2010. © Daily Star 388 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information Preface to the first edition Ireland’s history is distinguished by two special characteristics. First, a recognisable Irish nation, of course over time itself a conglomerate of many ‘nations’, distinct from a British nation, with its own language, customs and lore dating back to the Iron Age, survived right into the nineteenth century. This gave Irish nationalism a particular force. Second, over the centuries of increasingly powerful and centralised British government, ruling social and political pressures combined first to make Irish people feel and then to believe that they were inferior. This is one of the worst things that any nation or race can do to another. It results in the most terrible of paradoxes where in practical matters there is a desire equally to welcome and to oppose, thus ensuring that failure accompanies success, and despair and a sense of futility underlie the whole of life. As many Irishmen were government spies, agents and informers as were national heroes; emigration became almost the only way of escaping depression. To the present day many Irish writers find it somehow necessary to practise their art away from home. In modern times the complexities of economic development, inter- national arrangements and the rejection of Irish nationalism in Northern Ireland have begun to change traditional attitudes. The very concept of a unitary Irish nation has been challenged, and the reality of Ireland’s connections with Britain has begun to be faced honestly for the first time by politicians. In the last quarter of the twentieth century we can, I think, say that Ireland’s people are at last considering themselves in relation to an Irish world for which they themselves accept responsibility. I would like to thank Charles Davidson, Sean Dowling, Susannah Johnson, Joseph Lee, Deirdre McMahon, Victor Price, David Rose, ix © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00923-3 - A Short History of Ireland: Third Edition John O’Beirne Ranelagh Frontmatter More information x Preface to the first edition Richard Rose, A. T. Q. Stewart and Norman Stone who have all helped me most generously with their knowledge and advice. I owe them all a great debt: my accuracies are their achievement; any inaccuracies are mine.