The History of Ireland is long and complicated - and one of the results was the creation of two separate states on this tiny island. As this event and the current situation continues to mystify visitors let us try to explain what happened.
The Development of Irish Internal Divisions up to the 20th Century
Basically all trouble started when Irish kings were embroiled in civil war and Diarmaid Mac Murchú invited Anglo-Norman mercenaries to fight for them - in 1170 Richard FitzGilbert, better known as "Strongbow", first set foot on Irish soil. And he liked what he saw, married Mac Murchú's daughter Aoife and decided that he would stay for good. From hired help to king of the castle took just a few swift strokes with Strongbow's sword. Ever since then Ireland was (more or less) under English domination.
While some Irish arranged themselves with the new rulers and made a killing (often quite literally) under them, others took the path of rebellion. And ethnic distinction soon blurred, with the English at home complaining that some of their compatriots were becoming "more Irish than the Irish".
In Tudor times Ireland finally became a colony - England's and Scotland's excess populations as well as younger (landless) sons of the nobility were shipped to "Plantations", establishing a new order. In every sense - Henry VIII had spectacularly broken with the papacy and the new settlers brought the Anglican church with them, being simply called "protestants" by the native Catholics. Here the first divisions along sectarian lines started. These were deepened with the arrival of Scottish Presbyterians, especially in the Ulster Plantations. Staunchly anti-Catholic, pro-Parliament and viewed with mistrust by the Anglican Ascendency they formed an ethnic and religious enclave.
Home Rule - and the Loyalist Backlash
After several unsuccessful nationalistic Irish rebellions (some led by Protestants like Wolfe Tone) and a successful campaign for Catholic rights plus a measure of Irish self-control, "Home Rule" was the rallying cry of Irish nationalists in the Victorian age. This called for the election of an Irish assembly, this in turn electing an Irish government and running Irish internal affairs within the framework of the British Empire. After two attempts Home Rule was to become reality in 1914 - but was put on the back burner due to the war in Europe.
But even before the shots of Sarajevo were fired, war-drums were beaten in Ireland - the pro-British minority, mainly centered in Ulster, feared loss of power and control. They preferred a continuation of the status quo. The Dublin lawyer Edward Carson and British Conservative politician Bonar Law became voices against Home Rule, called for mass demonstrations and in September 1912 invited their fellow unionists to sign the "Solemn League and Covenant". Nearly half a million men and women signed this document, some dramatically in their own blood - pledging to keep Ulster (at least) part of the United Kingdom by all means necessary. In the following year 100,000 men enlisted in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a paramilitary organization dedicated to preventing Home Rule.
At the same time the Irish Volunteers were set up in nationalistic circles - with the aim to defend Home Rule. 200,000 members were ready for action.
