Timeline of Irish history facts for kids

Newgrange passage tomb was built in Ireland during the Neolithic period

Welcome to a timeline of Ireland's amazing history! This page will show you the most important events, changes, and moments that shaped Ireland, from ancient times to today. You'll learn about early people, powerful kings, big wars, and how Ireland became the country it is now. Get ready to explore the past!

Ancient Times: Early People in Ireland

The Stone Age: Mesolithic and Neolithic Periods

• Around 16,000 BC: Imagine Ireland completely covered in thick ice sheets! This was during the Last Glacial Maximum.
• Around 12,000 BC: As the ice melted, a narrow water channel formed, separating Ireland from what is now southwest Scotland.
• Around 10,000 BC: Scientists found bear bones in County Clare, showing that people might have been in Ireland even earlier than we thought!
• Around 8000 BC: The first hunter-gatherers, known as Mesolithic people, arrived in Ireland. They hunted animals and gathered plants for food.
• Around 6500 BC: These early hunter-gatherers lived in places like Mount Sandel in Ulster.
• Around 4000 BC: A huge change happened! People started farming, growing crops, and keeping animals. This began in places like the Céide Fields in Connacht.
• Around 3500 BC: The Neolithic people of the Boyne Valley built amazing stone structures, like the famous Newgrange. These were special tombs and gathering places.

The Metal Ages: Bronze and Iron Ages

• Around 2000 BC: New technologies arrived! People started working with bronze, making tools and weapons. Copper mining also began in places like Ross Island.
• Around 500 BC: During the Iron Age, Celtic culture, language, and art became very important in Ireland.
• Around 300 BC: The "Clonycavan Man" was murdered around this time. His body was preserved in a bog, giving us clues about ancient life.
• Around 200 BC: Art from mainland Europe, called La Tène style, influenced carvings on stones like the Turoe Stone.
• Around 100 BC: The ancient site of Navan Fort (Emain Macha) was expanded. It had been used since the Neolithic period.

Early Christian Ireland: Centuries 1-9

The First Centuries: Roman Influence and Early Settlements

• Around 100 AD: People built a series of defensive ditches between Ulster and Connacht, known as the Black Pig's Dyke.
• Around 140 AD: The Greek writer Ptolemy mentioned a settlement called "Eblana Civitas" in the Dublin area. This is the earliest known written record of Dublin.
• Around 220 AD: Ancient texts talk about Cormac mac Airt as a powerful High King of Ireland. Historians still debate if he was a real person or a legend.
• Around 300 AD: After a quiet period, human activity in Ireland started to pick up again.

The Arrival of Christianity: 5th Century

• Around 400 AD: Niall Noígíallach, a legendary High King, is said to have ruled Ireland.
• 431: Pope Celestine I sent Palladius to Ireland as the first bishop for Christians already living there.
• 432: According to old stories, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland. He is famous for spreading Christianity across the island.

Monasteries and Challenges: 6th and 7th Centuries

• 536: A big climate event, possibly a volcanic eruption, caused bad harvests and a famine in Ireland.
• 563: Irish monasteries became very important learning centers. Saints like Columba and Brendan founded schools at Iona and Clonfert. Irish monks later spread their knowledge across Europe.
• 664–666: A widespread "yellow plague" affected the island, causing many illnesses.

Viking Raids Begin: 8th and 9th Centuries

• 795: The first Viking raids hit Ireland, attacking places like Iona and Rathlin Island. These fierce warriors came from Scandinavia.
• 830: Óengus of Tallaght wrote a book called the Martyrology of Tallaght, which mentioned the last bits of pagan beliefs in Ireland.
• 852: Viking leaders Ivar Beinlaus and Olaf the White landed in Dublin Bay. They built a fortress, which was the beginning of the city of Dublin.

Medieval Ireland: Centuries 10-15

Viking Power Changes: 10th and 11th Centuries

• 980: The Viking King of Dublin, Olaf Cuaran, gave up his throne after being defeated by Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill at the Battle of Tara.
• 988–989: Máel Sechnaill demanded and received "tribute" (payment) from the Vikings in Dublin. Some people see this as the official founding date of Dublin as a city.
• 1014 (April 23): The armies of Brian Boru defeated Viking forces at the Battle of Clontarf. This battle marked the start of the decline of Viking power in Ireland.

Norman Arrival and Influence: 12th and 13th Centuries

• 1167: Dermot MacMurrough, an Irish king, was exiled. He asked Henry II of England for help to get his kingdom back.
• 1171: Henry II of England landed in Waterford and declared himself the "Lord of Ireland." This began a long period of English influence.
• 1175 (October 6): The Treaty of Windsor officially recognized Norman control over parts of Ireland.
• 1216 (November 12): Henry III of England issued the Great Charter of Ireland, which set out some rules for governing the English-controlled areas.
• 1252: Old records mention a very hot summer and drought that year.
• 1297: The first Irish Parliament, representing the English Lordship of Ireland, met in Dublin.

Challenges and Legends: 14th and 15th Centuries

• 1315 (May 26): Edward Bruce arrived in Ireland and gathered many Irish lords to fight against Anglo-Norman control.
• 1366: The Statutes of Kilkenny were passed. These laws tried to stop the Norman settlers from becoming too "Irish" and losing their English ways.
• 1398: Gerald FitzGerald, the 3rd Earl of Desmond, mysteriously disappeared. Legend says he sleeps in a cave under Lough Gur, waiting to return and save Ireland.
• 1472: The Annals of the Four Masters recorded that the King of England sent an exotic animal, possibly a giraffe, to Ireland!
• 1490: An earthquake happened at Sliabh Gamh in County Mayo.
• 1494 (December 1): Poynings' Law was passed. This meant the Irish Parliament could not make any laws without the English Parliament's approval first.
• 1497: A severe famine affected all of Ireland.

Early Modern Ireland: Centuries 16-18

English Control Strengthens: 16th Century

• 1534 (June 11): Thomas FitzGerald, the 10th Earl of Kildare, openly rebelled against Henry VIII of England.
• 1537 (February 3): FitzGerald was executed in England for his rebellion.
• 1542: The Irish Parliament passed the Crown of Ireland Act, making Ireland a kingdom ruled by Henry VIII and future English monarchs.
• 1570 (February 25): Pope Pius V declared Elizabeth I of England a heretic, meaning he believed she was against the Catholic Church.
• 1575 (May-August): A long drought caused disease and plague.
• 1577 (November): A very bright comet, the Great Comet of 1577, was seen by everyone.
• 1579 (July 16): The Second Desmond Rebellion began when James FitzMaurice FitzGerald landed in Dingle with a small rebel force.
• 1594: The Nine Years' War started in Ulster. Hugh O'Neill and Red Hugh O'Donnell led a rebellion against Elizabeth I's rule.

Plantations and Wars: 17th Century

• 1607 (September 14): The "Flight of the Earls" happened. Hugh O'Neill and Rory O'Donnell, important Irish leaders, left Ireland forever.
• 1609: The "Plantation of Ulster" began. Many Scottish Presbyterians moved to Ulster, changing the population of the area.
• 1641 (October 22): The Irish Rebellion of 1641 started when Phelim O'Neill captured several forts in the north.
• 1642: The Irish Catholic Confederation was formed, with its capital in Kilkenny. They supported King Charles I of England.
• 1646 (March 28): The Irish Catholic Confederation signed an agreement with King Charles I, promising rights for Catholics in exchange for military support. However, the agreement was later rejected.
• 1647: A new agreement was made, promising more religious freedom for Catholics and changes to old laws.

Famine and Rebellions: 18th Century

• 1740: Very cold winters led to bad harvests and a huge famine. Between 310,000 and 480,000 people died.
• 1760 (February): The Battle of Carrickfergus saw a French invasion attempt.
• 1782: After protests by the Irish Volunteers, the British Parliament made reforms, including repealing Poynings' Law. This gave the Irish Parliament more power.
• 1796 (December): Another attempted French invasion of Ireland took place.
• 1798 (May 24): The Battle of Ballymore-Eustace was a failed surprise attack on the British.
• 1798 (August 22): The Irish Rebellion of 1798 began when French soldiers landed in Kilcummin to support the rebels.
• 1798 (August 27): At the Battle of Castlebar, a combined French-Irish force defeated a much larger British army. The Republic of Connacht was declared.

Modern Ireland: Centuries 19-21

Union and Famine: 19th Century

• 1801 (January 1): The Acts of Union were passed. This joined the Kingdom of Ireland with Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1803 (July 23): The Irish nationalist Robert Emmet tried to capture Dublin Castle in a second rebellion.
• 1829 (March 24): Catholic Emancipation was achieved! The Catholic Relief Act allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament.
• 1831 (May 3): The Tithe War began. This was a protest against paying tithes (taxes) to the Anglican Church of Ireland.
• 1834 (December 17): The Dublin and Kingstown Railway opened, becoming Ireland's first commercial railway.
• 1836: The Tithe Commutation Act reduced the tithe amount, largely ending the unrest.
• 1845-1849: The Great Irish Famine was a terrible time. A potato blight destroyed most of Ireland's main food crop. About 1 million people died, and another 1 million left Ireland.
• 1867 (March 5): The Fenian Rising, another rebellion for Irish independence, took place.

Towards Independence: 20th Century

• 1913 (August 19): A Dublin businessman fired workers he suspected of being in a union, leading to a big labor dispute.
• 1913 (August 26): The Dublin Lockout began, with the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union going on strike.
• 1914 (January 18): The Dublin Lockout ended.
• 1914 (September 18): The Government of Ireland Act, offering "Home Rule" (limited self-government) to Ireland, was passed but put on hold because of World War I.
• 1916 (April 24): The Easter Rising occurred. The Irish Republican Brotherhood seized key buildings in Dublin and declared an Irish Republic.
• 1916 (April 29): The leaders of the Easter Rising surrendered.
• 1918 (April 18): People in Dublin protested against conscription (being forced to join the army).
• 1918 (December 14): A general election saw the Sinn Féin party win most of the votes, showing strong support for independence.
• 1919 (January 21): The First Dáil (Irish Parliament) met and declared Ireland's independence from the UK. On the same day, the Irish War of Independence began.
• 1921 (May 3): Northern Ireland was established as a separate entity within the UK.
• 1921 (December 6): The War of Independence ended with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the Irish Free State.
• 1922 (June 28): The Irish Civil War began when Michael Collins' forces attacked anti-Treaty forces in Dublin.
• 1923 (May 24): The Civil War effectively ended when the IRA Chief of Staff ordered his followers to stop fighting.
• 1937 (December 29): The Constitution of Ireland came into force, replacing the Irish Free State with a new state called 'Éire' or 'Ireland'.
• 1949 (August): The Republic of Ireland Act was signed, officially making Ireland a republic and removing the British monarch's remaining roles.
• 1955 (December 14): Ireland joined the United Nations.
• 1969 (August): Troops were sent to Northern Ireland, marking the start of "the Troubles," a period of conflict.
• 1972 (March): The Parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended.
• 1973 (January 1): Ireland joined the European Community (now the European Union).
• 1973 (June): The Northern Ireland Assembly was elected.
• 1974 (January 1): A power-sharing government took office in Northern Ireland but resigned in May due to a strike.
• 1985 (November 15): The governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement, aiming for better cooperation.
• 1990 (December 3): Mary Robinson became the first female President of Ireland.
• 1995: Ireland entered the "Celtic Tiger" period, a time of great economic growth that lasted until 2007.
• 1998 (April): The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) was signed, leading to a new Northern Ireland Assembly and power-sharing government.
• 1999: Ireland adopted the Euro as its official currency, replacing the Irish pound.

Ireland in the 21st Century

• 2015 (May 23): Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by a popular vote in a referendum.