[ data is from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland & other research ]
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The earliest known evidence of any human presence in the country of Ireland dates back to about 12,500 years ago
The subsequent recession of the ice after the Younger Dryas phase of the Quaternary (~9,700 BC) heralded the beginning of Prehistoric Ireland, which included the archaeological periods known as the Mesolithic, the Neolithic from ~4,000 BC, the Copper and Bronze Ages from ~2,300 BC and the Iron Age that began around 600 BC
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Early Ireland
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Ireland's Bronze Age began with the emergence of "protohistoric" Gaelic Ireland in the 2nd Millennium BC, ending after this with the arrival of the Celtic la Tène culture from central Europe
For centuries, early medieval Ireland was composed of numerous independent clan territories & five kingdoms (known as túatha), each ruled by its own king; they often fluctuated in size and power, with the position of High King of Ireland being primarily ceremonial. They were Ulaid (in the north), Connacht (in the west), Laighin (in the southeast), Mumhan (in the south) and Mide (in the center of the country)
[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irish_kingdoms ]
By the late 4th century AD Christianity had begun to gradually subsume or replace the earlier Celtic polytheism; a distinct Gaelic culture, with its own language, literature, and traditions flourished in Ireland
Christianity was adopted there in the 5th century, and it became a major center for learning and monasticism
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Medieval Ireland existed from about 590 to 1536, when Henry II's son John was made Lord of Ireland; around the end of the 6th century it had introduced writing along with a predominantly monastic Celtic Christian church, profoundly altering Irish society
History of Ireland (400–800)
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The early medieval history of Ireland (often called Early Christian Ireland) spans the 5th to 7th centuries, from the gradual emergence out of the protohistoric period (Ogham inscriptions in Primitive Irish, mentions Greco-Roman ethnography) to the beginning of the Viking Age. The period notably includes the Hiberno-Scottish mission of Christianized Ireland to regions of pagan Britain and the spread of Irish cultural influence to Continental Europe
Ireland (800–1169)
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This period is from the first Viking raids to the Norman invasion
The first two centuries of this period are characterized by Viking raids and the subsequent Norse settlements along the coast. Viking ports were established at Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick, which became the first large towns in Ireland
Ireland at that time consisted of many semi-independent túatha (see above) and during the entire period attempts were made by various factions to gain political control over the whole of the island. For the first two centuries of this period, this was mainly a rivalry between putative High Kings of Ireland from the northern and southern branches of the Uí Néill. The one who came closest to being de facto king over the whole of Ireland, however, was Brian Boru, the first high king in this period not belonging to the Uí Néill. Following Brian's death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, the political situation became more complex with rivalry for high kingship from several clans and dynasties
Brian's descendants failed to maintain a unified throne, and regional squabbling over territory led indirectly to the invasion of the Norman's under Richard de Clare in 1169
Ireland (1169–1536)
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This period is from the arrival of the Cambro-Norman's to the reign of Henry II of England, who made his son, Prince John the Lord of Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion was initiated in 1171. It marked the beginning of English influence and control over parts of Ireland. The Pale began then, where the English eventually established control over a small area around Dublin while the rest of Ireland remained largely independent
After the Norman invasions of 1169 and 1171, Ireland was under an alternating level of control from Norman lords and the King of England
Previously, Ireland had seen intermittent warfare between provincial kingdoms over the position of High King. This situation was transformed by intervention in these conflicts by Norman mercenaries and later the English crown. After their successful conquest of England, the Norman's turned their attention to Ireland, which was made as a Lordship of the King of England and much of its land was seized by Norman barons. With time, Hiberno-Norman rule shrank to a territory known as the Pale, stretching from Dublin to Dundalk
The Hiberno-Norman lords elsewhere in the country became Gaelicised and integrated in Gaelic society
[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland_in_the_Middle_Ages ]
Poynings' Law (in 1494) ensured that the Irish parliament could not meet without the approval of the English monarch and Privy Council
Ireland became a more-or-less independent country in 1534 with the Tudor conquest of Ireland
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The Tudor Conquest and Beyond
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The Kingdom of Ireland in 1541 was where King Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland, elevating its status from a lordship to a kingdom
Tyrone's Rebellion (1594-1603) was a major rebellion led by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, against English rule, culminating in a defeat at the Siege of Kinsale
The Flight of the Earls (1607) was where Tyrone and other Irish leaders left Ireland, marking the end of the old Gaelic order
The Plantation of Ulster (1609) was when English and Scottish settlers were brought to Ulster, further altering the demographics and religious landscape of the island
The Confederation of 1641 during the English Civil War, Irish Catholics formed the Confederate government, leading to conflict and further displacement
The Cromwellian Conquest: Oliver Cromwell's invasion and conquest of Ireland resulted in widespread death and devastation
The Acts of Penal Laws: Following the Restoration, the Irish Penal Laws were enacted, severely restricting the rights of Catholics and leading to decades of religious and political conflict
The Act of Union (1801) was where Ireland was formally incorporated into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as a single sovereign state. This union dissolved the Irish Parliament and merged it with the British Parliament at Westminster
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland existed until 1922, when the Irish Free State achieved independence, leading to the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann / Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlann) is variously described as a country, a province or a region is today a part of the United Kingdom; located in the northeast of the island of Ireland, it shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland
Six counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) and the two local urban county boroughs, Derry (geographically part of the County of Londonderry) and Belfast (geographically split between the counties of Antrim and Down) were split off as N. Ireland in May 3rd, 1921… this was merged into the United Kingdom in 1922 along with England, Scotland and Wales
[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_Northern_Ireland ]