traveldk.com

The first settlers arrived in Ireland from the Continent around 4000 BC, bringing with them farming skills and rudimentary tools which allowed them to establish small communities. The megalithic stone tomb of the Neolithic Age at Newgrange (see Newgrange and the Boyne Valley) is thought to date from around 3000 BC and is one of the most important passage graves in Europe.

Powerful tribes of warriors became established in Central Europe around 600 BC. With their ability to produce iron weapons and implements, the Celts were able to progress across the continent to Ireland. Earlier inhabitants remained, but the Celts (or Gaels) imposed their authority, culture and language.

Although the Romans never settled in Ireland it was through them that Christianity reached Irish shores. The first bishop was appointed in AD 431 but it is St Patrick who is credited with the conversion of the pagan Celts and the establishment of the Church between 432 and 461.

The Vikings arrived in Ireland in the 10th century and established their own communities. In 1030 a wooden church was built where Christ Church Cathedral now stands.

By the 1350s the Normans had settled in Ireland and introduced the feudal system of government, led by a justiciar who was head of the army, the chief judge and top administrator. He was helped in his work by a council of officials, and would occasionally summon a parliament consisting of his council, bishops, abbots and feudal lords. By the end of the 14th century, representatives of counties and towns were part of the process known as the Lower House, or Commons.

After his defeat by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, James II fled to France leaving Ireland in the hands of the Protestant Ascendancy. These were English descendants of Tudor and Stuart settlers. The native Irish suffered for more than a century from the stringent penal measures inflicted on them.

Many of the most important sights in the city, such as Custom House, were built during the Georgian era. Artists and musicians visited Dublin from all over Europe – one of the highlights was the premiere of Handel’s oratorio, The Messiah , in Dublin in 1741.

The potato famine dominated 19th-century Ireland. The crop failed first in 1845, then again in 1846–7. Over a million people died of starvation or emigrated in desperation. By 1849 the population had decreased by two million.

On Easter Monday 1916 Patrick Pearse and others opposed to British rule proclaimed the Declaration of Independence from the General Post Office in O’Connell Street. An uprising ensued and 15 insurgents were executed. In May 1921 the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed, creating the Irish Free State.

In 1979 Pope John Paul II visited Ireland, the high point of which was his mass in Phoenix Park, attended by more than a million people. The Papal Cross marks the spot (see Papal Cross).