Langues en pratiquess DocsDo authentiques ANGLAIS An overview of the history of Ireland Eiméar – Tava Tava: So as you know, this upcoming semester I’m actually gonna be taking a course on Irish history. I was given this timeline and I wanted to see if maybe you could give me a little overview of the most important time periods in Irish history. Eiméar*: Yes, sure. So the first wave of Celtic invaders arrived in 600 BC. They came in and made themselves the dominant people so that created a Celtic Ireland. Christianity was brought to Ireland by Saint Patrick in the fifth century. So many monasteries were created all over Ireland in the sixth century. part st The Vikings raids began at the end of the eighth century. 1 Tava: I’m guessing that the Vikings were not the last to raid Ireland, right? Eiméar: No, definitely not! OK, so the Anglo-Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169. They were led by Richard de Clare so he was also known as Strongbow. They came in and they took over the main towns and cities and then they built fortifications and castles during the thirteenth century. Tava: So was Ireland ruled by England during that time? Eiméar: No, the English power declined and the Crown only ruled a small part around Dublin called the Pale. It wasn’t until Henry VIII separated himself from the Catholic Church and declared himself King of Ireland that the war began. Tava: So did the war last long? Eiméar: The war took over a hundred and fifty years for England to reconquer Ireland and to establish the English Protestant ascendancy through military victories and plantations. So a decisive battle was the Battle of Kinsale which happened in County Cork in 1601. So this ended the Spanish help to Ireland and the resistance from the Gaelic Ulster leaders. Tava: And you mentioned the word ‘plantation’. What does that mean exactly? part Eiméar: OK, so the plantation basically means that they took the land from the native Irish people and gave it to nd Protestant settlers from England and Scotland, but of course, they were attacked. 2 Tava: So how did England react to that then? Eiméar: Cromwell sent his army and then he proceeded to the siege of many cities, such as Drogheda in 1649 and the siege of Limerick in 1651. Tava: And did Cromwell manage to take over the whole of Ireland? Eiméar: Yes, he completed the English colonization of Ireland by replacing the Irish landowners with Protestant settlers from England and Scotland, which gave birth to Irish nationalism. So the Irish tried to fight against the British settlers again but they lost their hopes at the battle of the Boyne in 1690, which saw Protestant William of Orange defeat Catholic King James II of England. Tava: And what about the 1840s and the Great Famine? Eiméar: OK, so, during this time, a potato blight hit Ireland. Two fifths of the population solely depended on the potato because it was easy to grow and it was cheap and nutritious. So thousands of people died during this time and many more emigrated to North America, places like that. It really affected the places on the west coast of Ireland. part rd Tava: And why specifically those places? 3 Eiméar: The weather was particularly bad in those years and the land along this area is quite bad. So for example you have the Burren in County Clare which is a large area of limestone. 1 Tava: OK! I noticed that there were a lot of events in 2016 commemorating the centenary of the Easter Rising, is that right? Eiméar: Yes, so the 1916 Easter Rising was the main historical event that happened at the beginning of the twentieth century. Tava: And what exactly was the Easter Rising? Eiméar: Irish nationalism had grown during this time and it was a rebellion that was organized by Irish Republicans who wanted to establish an independent Irish republic. The British army suppressed the rebellion which ended in the leaders’ surrender. They had entrenched themselves in their headquarters, which was the General Post Office, or the GPO, and they were sentenced to Kilmainham Gaol and executed. part rd 3 Tava: Oh, OK! The twentieth century was also marked by conflict in Northern Ireland, if I’m not mistaken, right? Eiméar: Yeah! So you’re talking about the period of the Troubles in the North. That was three decades of conflict between Nationalists and Loyalists. So that began at the end of the 1960s and continued on to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Tava: Sounds awesome! Well, you’ve really given me a great overview of Irish history. I understand this timeline so much more now! Quatrième partie Eiméar: No problem! * Eiméar [‘i:mFr] Langues en pratiques ANGLAIS Docs authentiques 2.