The Irish Empire: The Story Of The Irish Abroad

by Patrick Bishop

In The Irish Empire Patrick Bishop looks at why, in the last four hundred years, to be brought up in Ireland meant being prepared to leave it, an Irish cultural mindset that has persisted almost to the present day. In doing so, he examines the Irish notion of separateness that goes as far back as the ancient Irish Gaels; the impact of the nineteenth-century Potato Famine on the pattern of Irish emigration; the early colonization of America and how the Irish provided the muscle that built the infrastructure of a new nation; the transplanted tension between Protestants and Catholics in their new lands; the enduring power of the Catholic Church; and the popular identification of British oppression as the engine which drove so many Irish abroad.

Genres: Ireland

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Patrick Bishop was born in London in 1952 and went to Wimbledon College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Before joining the Telegraph he worked on the Evening Standard, the Observer and the Sunday Times and in television as a reporter on Channel Four News. He is the author with John Witherow of a history of the Falkands War based on their own experiences and with Eamon Mallie of The Provisional IRA which was praised as the first authoritative account of the modern IRA. He also wrote a memoir the first Gulf War, Famous Victory and a history of the Irish diaspora The Irish Empire, based on the TV series which he devised.

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Learned a lot about Irish History in this nonfiction history book. I was intrigued with why the Irish and English have such a dislike of each other, and learned that by studying their sordid history. Here are some of the most interesting facts. Ireland's Celts endured in isolation, untouched by Roman occupation on the mainland, which began in earnest in 43 B.C. and lasted the next 360 years. In 367 Ireland attacked Britain when they saw the Roman occupation declining. In the 5th century Irish slavers raided Britain and took British slaves to Irish slave markets...among them was 16 year old "Patricias"...renamed Patrick. In Ireland slave Patrick was sold as a shepherd slave, the property of Miliuce a local king who ruled in Antrim. After 6 years of slavery a "voice" led him to jaunt 200 miles to Wexford where he boarded a ship to Europe. Patrick taught the sailors to pray and they saw miracles happen. In Europe, Patrick trained as a priest. He was ordained and eventually was sent on his way as a bishop. He went as a missionary to Ireland...but he wasn't the first missionary there, just the most famous.

By the 9th century, Ireland was mostly Catholic. In 655 A.D. they were a beacon of learning in a very dark era in history. Free of invasions since prehistoric times, the country was unified and cohesive. The church added to their unity. In 790 Vikings arrived and looted, raped, and burned cities. By the 830's Vikings began to settle near Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford. By the end of the 10th century, Brian Boru and and another ruler divided the country between them. Castles and bridges were built mid 12th century. King Henry of England arrived in Ireland in 1109 and acquired it, but didn't conquer it. His people intermarried and became assimilated into Irish culture. Three great Earldoms arose, Fitzgerald, Butler, and Kildare. The Earldoms announced themselves independent of English rule. England was too embroiled in "The war of the Roses & the 100 years war to bother with Ireland until these wars ended. In 1524 England's King Henry VIII dealt with the "Irish problem" by killing the Fitzgeralds and Kildares.

In 1599, English began importing Irish labors as servants. In 1641 Oliver Cromwell killed 1/3 of the Irish population and many more were transported as slaves to the west Indies. Cromwell gave away the confiscated Irish lands to soldiers in lieu of payment. Now the protestants held 3/4 of the cultivable lands. Irish not killed or sent into slavery were forced to move to Connaught, the poorest of Ireland's 4 provinces.

The British monarchy was restored in 1660 with King Charles II. iN 1685 Charles's catholic brother James took the throne and was sympathetic to the Irish. England didn't like his policies and overthrew him as king and brought in William of Orange and his wife Mary to rule in 1688.