How did a small band of Norman soldiers in 1170 begin 800 years of English control over Ireland?

It started as a deal between rival Irish kings. It ended in plantation, dispossession, and a divided island.

This is the story of how a short-term alliance became a centuries-long occupation, and why it still shapes politics in Ireland today.

• Anglo-Normans enter Ireland: Diarmait seeks Strongbow’s help.
• Henry II claims authority; Dublin-centred foothold established.
• The Pale forms; Normans adopt Irish ways, Old English.
• Henry VIII breaks with Rome; declares himself King of Ireland.
• Surrender and regrant changes land and inheritance rules.
• Elizabeth I’s conquest; Nine Years’ War threatens English control.
• Battle of Kinsale defeat; O’Neill’s submission follows.
• Flight of the Earls ends Gaelic political power.
• Plantation of Ulster seeds division leading to later partition.
• Cromwell’s massacres; “To Hell or to Connacht” resettlement.

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