So we are all aware of the IRA’s rebellion against British rule in the Irish War of Independance, but what I do not understand and can’t seem to find out is why Britain ruled over Ireland in the first place? What is the history of Britain’s hold on Ireland? Was it migration or was it unfair government practices? Why did the IRA have to rebel from the British government in the first place?
All answers are greatly appreciated :)
Edit: fixed spelling
The Normans led invasions of Ireland starting in the 12th century, initially invited to help reinstate the ousted King of Leinster, although plans for an Invasion of Ireland had been discussed some years before this.
A year after the Anglo-Norman intervention in Leinster, an invasion was launched by the Earl of Pembroke where he seized Leinster and several Norse-Irish cities. This action was performed against the will of King Henry II, but was nevertheless sanctioned by the Catholic Church after movements by the English church leaders who wished to control the Irish church and promote Gregorian Reforms. There was a view among members of the Catholic Church at the time that the Irish Church was barbaric and still held vestiges of paganism.
After the initial Norman invasion, Henry launched an invasion of his own to secure control over the Norman warlords in which they swiftly plead their loyalty to him, as well as the High King of Ireland. The treaty with the High King didn't last long, however and more conquests took place. The Normans had conquered much of Ireland by 1300.
Other invasions took place under other English Dynasties leading to the formation of the Kingdom of Ireland by 1542, at which time the Irish Catholic Church was outlawed by the Protestant Tudor Henry VIII. Over time there have been many occasions in which Irish lords have rebelled, or in the case of the English Civil War (Wars of the Three Kingdoms), allied with war participants, leading to a number of reconquests which were often very bloody affairs. The conquest of Ireland by Cromwell was particularly bad as the Puritan government which had won the Civil war was particularly disdaining of Catholics. Further Protestant control came later in William of Orange's war against the Stuart James II who was deposed by the Dutch claimant to the throne for his open Catholicism.
The rule of the majority Catholic population by Protestant lords caused much resentment over the history of the Kingdom of Ireland, especially as many Catholics were persecuted and treated unfairly by their lords. Many Catholic nobles fled to nations across Europe and pledged their loyalty leading to the presence of Irish regiments in many Catholic armies of the Early Modern period.
In 1800, the second Act of Union brought the Kingdom of Great Britain into union with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom. This act abolished the Irish Parliament, further reducing Irish representation. The great expansion of the British Empire led to widespread exploitation of Irish lands and caused impoverishment in the country.
Early on in the Modern Era, Irish statesmen pushed for Home Rule, self governance within the United Kingdom which would ensure a modicum of independence. These measures were narrowly rejected in 1893 after being accepted in the Commons, but not in the House of Lords. Concepts of nationalism in the close of the 19th century found their way to Ireland in which figures such as W.B. Yeats forged the image of an independent and Gaelic nation of Ireland. A Home Rule act was finally passed in 1913, but with the onset of the First World War and heavy oppposition from Irish Protestants, the act never came into effect.
Irish Paramilitary forces were formed as early as 1913 in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers who were opposed to the implementation of Home Rule. The Irish Republican Brotherhood was formed in secret with the goal of creating an Irish Republic and had nominal control over such Irish paramilitary groups.
The Irish uprising of 1916 was the beginning of the most significant set of Irish rebellions. Taking advantage of Britain's heavy involvement in the First World War, as well as with support from the German Empire, who wished to topple their enemy, much as they did by sending Vladimir Lenin to Russia. The Germans openly declared support for an Irish Republic and Irish prisoners of war were even recruited from Germany to aid in the planned uprising (although a small number volunteered). With the threat of British authorities cracking down on Republican activities, the IRB decided to spring in to open rebellion before the British had a chance to move. The many different volunteer forces united by the IRB went under the name of the Army of the Irish Republic. The rebellion was swiftly put down, however and many leaders executed for treason.
Following WW1, however the 1918 elections saw the election of Sinn Fein within Ireland who formed a breakaway government and declared Irish independence. Unsanctioned actions by the IRA and many other events slowly built up conflict. The British outlawed Sinn Fein and their government. Nevertheless, republican parties were elected in many councils all over Ireland, further reducing British control over the area. Conflict intensified and became open and by 1921 the British conceded and partitioned Ireland into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. The Free state was a Dominion within the UK, much like Canada and Australia, which meant self governance for them. After a civil war in the Free State, IRA forces were beaten by the pro-treaty government. Republican parties refused to take their seats within the government however, leaving only a weak Labour party in power. In the general elections of 1927, the republican Fianna Fail party took power which revoked the Oath of Allegiance with the UK and drafted a new constitution in 1937 which was passed by referendum, bringing full independence to Ireland.
While this has glanced over many areas of Irish oppression, the main takeaway is that Ireland was essentially viewed by the English (or Scottish) as a medium for expansion of power. Ireland was ripe for exploitation and was never really seen as an equal party under English or British hegemony. This was particularly exacerbated under protestant rule. Even with all the measures undertaken to ensure self-governance, the many hundreds of years of oppression under the English and British meant that there would always be some party in Ireland that wanted nothing to do with them. For a country with a rich history of rebellions, it was no surprise that the rebellions in the early 1900s took place, but we can consider a softening of British policy, as evidenced by the willingness to employ Home Rule, as the reason for their concession (though they would never intend for full independence to occur).
I hope this covers the requirements well enough. I'm by no means an expert, but I did enjoy researching the subject .