IRISH HISTORY Prelude to the birth of a nation The story of the 1916 Easter Rising is writ large in Irish history. But what is often overlooked is the contribution made by Irish communities in England and Scotland in providing many of the insurgents, arms and explosives and then taking part in the actual fighting. DR MICHAEL MAGUIRE investigates.  more... (Irish Post) Witnesses to history Sackville Street, April 24th, 1916:Dublin is cloaked in an eerie silence. The Easter Rising is an afternoon old: A horse lies dead by Nelson’s Pillar.  more... (Irish Post) Charles Stewart Parnell - Uncrowned King Parnell's main ambition was to achieve Home Rule for Ireland, which would yield at least some national autonomy.  more... Padraig Pearse - An Irish Nationalist Padraig Pearse was born in Dublin, on November 10, 1879 to an English father and an Irish mother.  more... Brian Boru - The Last Great High King of Ireland Brian Boru was no legend although his life deeds were legendary. He was very much a real man and was in fact the last great High King of Ireland.  more... Norman Invasion of Ireland England's dominance of Ireland and centuries of conflict were put in train by the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169.  more... The Vikings The Vikings built more than they destroyed in Ireland, writes IrishAbroad.  more... Grattan's Parliament Grattan's Parliament was largely successful because it exploited the weaknesses of the British Government of the day.  more... The Flight of the Earls When the earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell and their followers sailed from Lough Swilly in September 1607, it marked the end of Gaelic Ireland as a distinct political system.  more... Fenian Rebellion of 1867 The failed revolutionary Fenian rebellion of 1867 aimed to establish an Irish republic by force. Its failure only fueled demands for Irish self rule.  more... The Great Famine There were famines before in Ireland but the Great Famine of the 1840s marked and shaped Irish society, politics and its landscape to the present day.  more... Oliver Cromwell Cromwell stayed nine months in Ireland, but his slaughter of civilians and colossal land seizures changed the country forever.  more... Catholic Emancipation Catholic Emancipation - the granting of full political and religious rights to the majority of the population - was granted much sooner but not before a period of considerable political upheaval.  more... Irish in Rebellion - The 1916 rising The 1916 rising is regarded as a seminal moment in Irish history, but it failed to attract popular support at the time.  more...