The Animated History of Ireland

Summary

This episode explores Ireland's rich history, from its Celtic origins and mythological tales to the modern-day division between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It delves into the arrival of Christianity, Viking invasions, Norman conquests, and the complex relationship with England, leading to the formation of the United Kingdom. The script discusses the impact of the Great Potato Famine, the struggle for home rule, and the eventual establishment of the Republic. It also touches on the 'Troubles', the Good Friday Agreement, and the implications of Brexit on the potential for Irish reunification. The episode is sponsored by Audible, offering a free trial and highlighting the connection between storytelling and Ireland's rich cultural tapestry.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The video discusses the history of Ireland, a land known for its rich cultural heritage and complex history.
• 🏘️ Ireland was inhabited by the Celts around 300 BC, who named the land after their matron goddess, Danu, and established a pagan faith that influenced later Christian beliefs.
• 📚 Irish mythology and folklore are deeply intertwined with Irish poetry and are often recorded by Christian scribes, making their authenticity challenging to ascertain.
• ⚔️ Christianity arrived in Ireland from Roman Britain, largely through the efforts of St. Patrick, who converted the Irish from paganism to Catholicism.
• 🏛️ Ireland faced invasions and settlements by the Vikings in the 8th century and later by the Normans in 1167, leading to the establishment of cities like Dublin and Belfast.
• 👑 The Kingdom of Ireland was established by King Henry VII, and by 1604, Ireland was fully under English rule, with James I uniting England, Scotland, and Ireland under one monarchy.
• 🛡️ The British rule led to resentment among the Catholic Irish, resulting in frequent rebellions and the confiscation of land from Irish Lords and farmers, replaced by Protestant settlers.
• 🗳️ The Home Rule movement emerged from economic hardship and poverty, with Irish citizens demanding their own Parliament, leading to the partition of Ireland into Northern and Southern Ireland.
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Irish Civil War resulted from the division, with some supporting membership in the British Commonwealth as a Free State and others advocating for a full Republic.
• 🤝 The Good Friday Agreement brought an uneasy peace to the conflict, allowing for the possibility of reunification if a majority of Northern Irish citizens vote for it.
• 💶 Ireland's prosperity was impacted by the 2008 global financial crisis, and the Brexit vote has reignited discussions about Irish reunification, especially with a majority of Northern Irish voters wanting to remain in the EU.

Q & A

What is the significance of the year 300 BC in the context of Ireland's history mentioned in the script?

In 300 BC, the first inhabitants of Ireland, known as the Kelts, migrated from the European continent after the last ice age. They played a significant role in shaping Irish culture and traditions, particularly their Pagan faith which influenced Irish myth and folklore.

How did the Irish language and its mythological cycle relate to the Kelts?

The Kelts of Ireland called their land 'Ai' after their matron goddess Aru and spoke a language called Goidelic, which we now refer to as Irish. Irish myth and folklore are deeply intertwined with their Pagan faith, and this heritage influenced later Christian beliefs as well.

What role did St. Patrick play in the religious transformation of Ireland?

St. Patrick was instrumental in the spread of Christianity in Ireland. He converted the Irish from paganism to Catholicism, which significantly altered the religious landscape of the country.

How did the Viking invasions impact Ireland in the 8th Century?

The Vikings raided and settled in Ireland in the 8th Century, establishing small towns that later grew into cities such as Dublin and Belfast. However, they were eventually fought off and replaced by the Normans.

What was the significance of the Norman invasion in 1167 for Ireland?

The Norman invasion in 1167 led to the creation of the lordship of Ireland. Although the Normans did not manage to control the entire island, their arrival marked a significant shift in Ireland's political landscape.

How did the religious divide between Protestants and Catholics affect Ireland's history?

The religious divide had a profound impact on Ireland's history. The Protestant British rule over predominantly Catholic Ireland led to resentment and frequent rebellions. This divide also played a role in the partition of Ireland and the subsequent conflict known as 'The Troubles'.

What was the 'Desmond rebellions' and how did it relate to the expansion of the Kingdom of Ireland?

The Desmond rebellions were a series of uprisings against English rule in Ireland. After defeating the Irish in these rebellions and the 9 years' war, the Kingdom of Ireland expanded, solidifying English control over the island.

What was the impact of the Great Potato Famine on Ireland?

The Great Potato Famine had devastating effects on Ireland, causing millions of deaths and prompting millions more to emigrate, particularly to Liverpool and the Americas. It also intensified the economic hardship and poverty in the country.

How did World War I influence the movement for home rule in Ireland?

The home rule movement, in which Irish citizens demanded their own Parliament, was stalled during World War I. However, the Easter Rising, a rebellion staged by some Republicans during the war, highlighted the ongoing desire for self-governance.

What was the outcome of the Irish Civil War and its implications for Ireland's political status?

The Irish Civil War ended with the victory of the Free State, which supported membership of the British Commonwealth as a free state. However, the Republicans eventually got elected to Parliament, leading to Ireland becoming a full Republic.

What is the significance of the Good Friday Agreement in the context of Northern Ireland?

The Good Friday Agreement brought an uneasy peace to the long-standing conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It allowed for the possibility of reunification through a majority vote and established rights for the movement of people and dual citizenship.

How did Ireland's membership in the European Union impact its economy and society?

Ireland's membership in the European Union since 1973 led to significant economic growth and prosperity, making it a source of immigration. The country replaced the Irish pound with the euro in 1999. However, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis affected Ireland's wealth.

What are some of the contemporary discussions surrounding the potential reunification of Ireland?

Contemporary discussions about the reunification of Ireland have been influenced by events such as Brexit, which saw a majority of Northern Irish voters choosing to remain in the EU. This has led to growing support for reunification, although there is still opposition from some quarters.

Outlines

00:00

🍀 Ireland's History and Cultural Heritage

This paragraph introduces Ireland's rich history and cultural heritage. It begins with the arrival of the Kelts in 300 BC, who brought with them a Pagan faith that deeply influenced Irish myth and folklore. The paragraph discusses the intertwining of Irish culture with its religious beliefs, both pre-Christian and post-Christianization by St. Patrick. It also touches on the loss of ancient traditions and the challenges in verifying the authenticity of Irish myths due to Christian scribes' records. The history continues with the Viking raids and the Norman conquest, leading to the establishment of the Kingdom of Ireland. The paragraph concludes with the religious tensions and rebellions against English rule, which eventually led to the union of England, Scotland, and Ireland under one monarch and the subsequent resentment felt by the Irish.

05:01

🏰 The Struggle for Irish Independence and the Impact of Partition

This paragraph delves into the political struggles of Ireland throughout the centuries. It starts with the English monarchs' attempts to control Ireland by confiscating land and settling Protestants to establish a British identity. The paragraph describes the rebellions against British rule, including the failed uprisings led by Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange, and the eventual union of the kingdoms into a single country. The focus then shifts to the religious divide and the discrimination against Catholics, which contributed to the Great Potato Famine and mass emigration. The rise of the home rule movement and the subsequent Irish Civil War are highlighted, along with the split of Ireland into a Free State and a full Republic. The paragraph concludes with the ongoing tensions and conflicts, including 'The Troubles,' the Good Friday Agreement, and the implications of Brexit on the potential reunification of Ireland.

Keywords

💡Audible

Audible is a leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering a wide variety of audiobooks and other spoken audio products. In the context of the video, Audible is mentioned as the sponsor, providing a service that the narrator has been a happy customer of, and is promoting a free 30-day trial for viewers.

💡British Isles

The British Isles is a geographical term that refers to a group of islands in the North Atlantic, comprising Great Britain, Ireland, and numerous smaller islands. The video discusses Ireland, which is part of the British Isles, and its history and cultural significance.

💡Kelts

The Kelts, also known as Celts, were an ancient Indo-European people who migrated from the European continent to Ireland after the last ice age. They are credited with laying the cultural and traditional foundations of Ireland, including their Pagan faith which influenced Irish myth and folklore.

💡Pagan Faith

Pagan faith refers to religious beliefs and practices that predate Christianity and are often associated with nature worship and polytheism. In the video, it is mentioned that the Kelts' pagan faith formed the basis of Irish culture and traditions, which later intertwined with Christian beliefs.

💡St. Patrick

St. Patrick is a historical figure known for his role in converting the Irish from paganism to Catholicism. The video highlights his contribution to the spread of Christianity in Ireland and his symbolic act of chasing snakes, which is a metaphor for driving out pagan beliefs.

💡Vikings

The Vikings were seafaring people from the late eighth to early 11th century who raided and settled in various parts of Europe, including Ireland. The video mentions that they established towns that later became cities like Dublin and Belfast.

💡Normans

The Normans were a group of people who, in the 11th and 12th centuries, invaded and settled in various regions, including Ireland. The video discusses their arrival in 1167 and the establishment of the lordship of Ireland, which led to a period of conflict and coexistence with native Irish lords and kings.

💡Desmond Rebellions

The Desmond Rebellions were a series of conflicts in the late 16th century between the English crown and Irish nobles. The video mentions these rebellions as part of the historical context in which the kingdom of Ireland was established and expanded under English rule.

💡Home Rule Movement

The Home Rule Movement was a political campaign in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Irish nationalists seeking self-government and a separate Irish parliament. The video discusses the movement's rise in response to economic hardship and the desire for a distinct Irish national identity.

💡The Troubles

The Troubles refer to a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. The video mentions this period as a result of escalating tensions and conflicts between unionist and nationalist paramilitary groups.

💡Good Friday Agreement

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was a major development in the Northern Ireland peace process, signed in 1998. The video highlights this agreement as a significant step towards peace, allowing for the possibility of reunification if a majority of Northern Irish citizens vote for it.

💡European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. The video discusses Ireland's membership in the EU since 1973, the economic prosperity it brought, and the implications of Brexit for the island's potential reunification.

Highlights

The episode explores Ireland's history, culture, and the impact of its past on the present.

Ireland is described as a land of fairies, folktales, and a complex history involving both Christians and pagans.

The island's modern citizens did not live before the 20th-century split into two nations, causing lingering bitterness.

The Celts, who migrated after the last ice age, laid the foundation for Irish culture and traditions.

Irish mythology and folklore are deeply intertwined with Irish poetry and later Christian beliefs.

Many ancient Irish traditions have been lost, and the recorded stories may not be entirely accurate due to Christian scribes' influence.

The Kelts named their land after their matron goddess Aru and spoke a language that evolved into Irish.

Christianity arrived in Ireland from Roman Britain, largely through the efforts of St. Patrick.

Viking raids and settlements in the 8th century led to the establishment of cities like Dublin and Belfast.

The Normans arrived in 1167 and created the lordship of Ireland, though they never fully controlled the island.

King Henry VII established the kingdom of Ireland, expanding it after defeating the Irish in various rebellions.

The British rule over Ireland led to resentment due to the imposition of Protestant rule over a predominantly Catholic population.

The British attempted to control Ireland by confiscating land and settling Protestant English and Scots.

The Home Rule movement emerged from economic hardship and poverty, with Irish citizens demanding their own Parliament.

The split of Ireland into Northern and Southern Ireland during World War I led to an Irish Civil War.

The Good Friday Agreement brought an uneasy peace to the conflict between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Ireland's prosperity was affected by the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, which reduced its wealth significantly.

The idea of Irish reunification has gained support, especially after the Brexit vote and discussions of a second Scottish independence referendum.

Transcripts

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channel hopping across the English

Channel we return once again to the

British Isles this time to Ireland land

of fairies and folktales Christians and

pagans beer and whiskey and a somewhat

Troublesome history that propelled the

Irish to the world stage in the 1960s

but going back further the tale gets

pretty interesting and that's certainly

not a bias on our

part welcome everyone to the emerald

aisle

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Island as we know it today is a single

Island entity and has been United for

almost its entirety this only changed in

the 20th century when it became split

between two Nations I in the country and

the United Kingdom most of the emerald

is modern citizens did not live before

the split which is why there still tends

to be some bitterness about it on both

sides but leaving that aside for the

moment we can begin in 300 BC the first

inhabitants were our good friends the

Kelts who migrated from the European

continent after the last ice age these

Cults flourished in culture and

traditions all upon the foundations of

their Pagan Faith Irish myth and

folklore is deep intertwined into Irish

poetry and even their later Christian

beliefs although that doesn't mean it's

easy to find hi tail bot here from the

channel tail Foundry unfortunately a lot

of ancient Irish Traditions have been

lost to time and in atttention the

stories we do have records of are really

cool men who become Gods intricate

pseudo histories and odd abundance of

shape-shifting salmon but it's hard to

know whether they're legitimate because

the majority of them were recorded by

Christian scribes rather than the their

Pagan adherence on our show we recently

took a shot at unraveling the Irish

mythological cycle and the mystery of

why it isn't more popular so once you're

done learning about Ireland's actual

history feel free to come discuss its

pseudo history with us thanks for the

contribution tale Foundry the Kelts of

Ireland called their land AA after their

matron goddess aru they spoke a language

called Giga or what we call Irish one

Irish tribe the Scotty is thought to

have been the name of Scotland once

again English misappropriation defies

the boundaries of cultural sensitivities

Christianity made its way to Ireland

from Roman Britain largely aided by the

bishop St Patrick who managed to convert

the Irish from paganism to Catholicism

when he wasn't busy chasing snakes

Island was raided and settled by the

Vikings in the 8th Century setting up

small towns that became cities like

Dublin and Belfast but the Vikings were

fought off and replaced by the Normans

who arrived in 1167 creating what would

be the lordship of Ireland Norman Island

failed to control the entire Island

though and many lords and Kings existed

in tandem with the Norman possessions by

the 1400s Norman Holdings were limited

aided greatly by The War of the Roses in

the black plague which killed far more

Normans than Irishmen this changed with

King Henry VII who took a break from

cutting up wives and churches to conquer

the various Irish kingdoms he

established the kingdom of Ireland which

expanded after defeating the Irish in

the Desmond rebellions and the 9 years

war in 16004 Ireland was United fully

under English Rule and James the first

of the Scottish House of Stewart became

the king of England uniting all three

kingdoms under one Monarch the British

however were Protestants and the

Catholics of Ireland felt resentment

having a Protestant as their ruler and

rebellions were frequent to gain better

control English monarchs confiscated

Land from the Lords and farmers and

replace them with Protestant English and

Scots the British hoped that settling

Protestants in the area would help qu

rebellions by having a population with a

distinct British national identity this

worked most successfully in ster where

some counties formed major majorities of

Presbyterians during the war of the

Three Kingdoms Ireland staged rebellions

from British rule but were defeated by

both Oliver Cromwell and later William

aarid shortly after the Glorious

Revolution theal wolon led a further

Rebellion which was brutally suppressed

at this point the British said enough

was enough and United the kingdoms into

a single country in order to better

control rebellions the union was still

heavily prejudiced against Catholics

though and this coupled with a Great

Potato Famine caused Millions to die and

millions more to immigrate most notably

for Liverpool and the Americas the

economic hardship and poverty created

the home rule movement in which the

Irish citizens demanded their own

Parliament with the notable exception of

protestant counties in the north who

were pro- unionist and supported British

rule this surprised entirely no one

since most of these counties were

descendant of the British colonists who

had confiscated the Irish lands a

century earlier home rule stole during

World War I leading some Republicans to

stage of rebellion known as the EAS of

rising the British attempted to Grant

home rule by splitting the island into

two self governing territories northern

and southern Ireland both of whom were

still part of the United Kingdom

fighting continued however and Irish

Civil War ensued with some supporting

membership of the British Commonwealth

as a free state and others supporting a

full Republic although the Free State

won the war the Republicans did shortly

get elected to Parliament and Ireland

became a full Republic the split of

Ireland angered many Republicans on both

sides who saw it as a British ploy to

gerrymander the northern counties to

allow for a slight unionist majority and

ultimately retain a claim on parts of

the Island the anger also came to

further intensify the religious divide

since most Catholics saw themselves as

Irish and supported republicanism and

most Protestants were pro-union the

bitterness of the Irish Civil War was

felt everywhere and discrimination

against Catholics was increasing in the

north peaceful civil rights protest

escalated just one decade after the war

and a conflict known as the troubles

which is something you've probably heard

of various unionist and nationalist

paramilitary groups were formed and the

fighting continued for decades the

conflict boiled down to the Good Friday

agreement when Ireland and Northern

Ireland agreed to exist in a state of

Tandem and if the majority of Northern

Irish citizens voted to rejoin Island

the governments would allow this to

happen the agreement also affirmed the

free movement of people through the

border and made allowances for any

Northern Irish Border in Northern

Ireland to attain Irish citizenship if

they desire this largely brought the

conflict to an uneasy peace kind of

Ireland joined the European Union in

1973 along with the UK and Denmark the

island became very prosperous and

economic growth became a large source of

immigration they replaced the old Irish

pound with the euro in 1999 the Island's

Prosperity was halted in the 2008 Global

financial crisis which significantly

reduced Island's wealth many on both

sides of the Border have toyed around

with the idea of reunification and some

have compared the situation to the

division of East and West Germany

resistance to unification is said to be

waning somewhat even though some are

still fiercely opposed the discomfort of

the division once again came to a head

with the vote of Britain to leave the EU

angering many who don't want to see a

border erected between the two parts of

the island the slim majority of the

northern Irish voted to remain within

the EU bringing up a degree of

resentment to the UK for forcibly

removing them from it talks about the

reunification of Island began

immediately and the idea has shown

growing support especially with the

Scottish intention on holding a second

Independence referendum some view Irish

unification as inevitable as older

Generations pass for an increasingly

more liberal world and yet others to who

are skeptical I guess only time will

[Music]

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now and I'd say that easily 90% of the

books I've consumed in the past few

years has been using their service if

you're a fan of Island why not check out

the Norman Saga fin gal by James L

Nelson it is a series of novels that

takes place in Ireland during the Viking

age when the island was ruled over land

and sea by the Norsemen audible is

offering Sweeney viewers a free 30-day

trial which they can access by heading

to

audible.com/scishow

well that is totally understandable what

Sweeney does here is amazing and pretty

essential to what we do over on our

Channel tail Foundry where Sweeney

investigates reality we investigate

fiction such as World mythologies and

then use what we find to tell new

stories so if that excites your fancy

why not come and make stuff up with us

we'll see you

there thank you so much for watching

everyone and thank you all so much for

the extra patronage from last month as

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contribution their channel is really

really good please check them out until

next time

everyone

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