Ireland/Irish:
Development of a Nation How Ireland became Ireland,
and how the Irish became Irish.
How
Irish as a people, and the country of Ireland as a nation-state,
evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral
bloodlines, language, borders, culture, and even how they
received their name.
Basque people from Iberian peninsula before
5000 BC.
Celts from continental Europe by 250 BC.
Become known as Britons. Celts were descendents of original
inhabitants of central Europe which developed the Celt language
(sub-branch of Proto-Indo-European language – the ancestor language
of nearly all European languages) and Celt culture. According to
genetic evidence, Celts left only a minor genetic imprint upon the
existing Briton population.
Became genetically differentiated from those
on the larger British isle to the east, which was subjected to
several waves of invasion from mainland Europe and Scandinavia,
including the Romans, Germanic tribes, and Vikings. The inhabitants
of modern Ireland maintained their direct link to their original
ancestry.
Upon conquering Ireland in 1536, England would
colonize/settle the island, intermixing with Gaelic the inhabitants.
But the genetic contribution from the English was minimal. In which
case, Irish have largely maintained their original Basque/Northern
Iberian ancestry, with traces of Celt bloodlines.
Originated
with Proto-Celtic language from Celt migrations to island in ancient
times. The Irish language developed separately from Celt-based
languages in other locations, such as continental Europe and even
across the isles in Britain. The Celt language is a direct
sub-branch from
Proto-Indo-European language, developed by original
inhabitants in modern Russia, which spread throughout all of Europe,
from which virtually all European languages branch.
Borrowed from the Norse as a result of Norse
invasions throughout the Middle Ages. This revised product became
known as Middle Irish, from which modern Irish evolved.
As a result of coming under the domination of
England throughout most of the post-Middle Age era,
English became (and remains) the dominant language, while
Irish is spoken only in isolated pockets.
The shores of the island have long served as
the original borders.
Conquered by England in 1536, coming under
English rule.
Officially became part of United Kingdom due
to the 1801 Acts of Union Act.
Ireland gains independence in 1922, but agrees
to UK demand to keep 6 northernmost counties as part of UK (since
they voted to remain part of UK, since they were largely Protestant,
as opposed to the rest of Ireland which was predominately Catholic),
finalizing modern boundaries of the Ireland.
Ireland has maintained the closest tie to ancient
Celt culture of any people with Celt bloodlines or heritage. The Irish
language is the most-attested Celt language remaining. Over the
centuries, Ireland has developed a culture largely independent of
vestiges from Celt culture. Roman Catholicism gained a solid foothold in
Ireland during the Middle Ages, and has been strongly entrenched since,
creating tension with the larger, England-dominated island to the east,
which found itself at odds with the pope, and converted to Protestantism
as a result.
Economy: An advanced economy,
experiencing strong growth since the 90s. The second wealthiest nation
per capita in Europe. Government: Democratic Republic. Religion: 88.4% Roman Catholic, 4.6% other Christian. Strong
Catholic tradition which is still in force today. Survey: 73% believe in
God, 22% some other form of intelligent design, 4% atheist. Demographics: 88.9% Irish Foreign Policy: Neutral Population: 4,156,119 (2008)
How
Irish as a people, and the country of Ireland as a nation-state,
evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral
bloodlines, language, borders, culture, and even how they
received their name.
Irish
Originated
with Proto-Celtic language from Celt migrations to island in ancient
times. The Irish language developed separately from Celt-based
languages in other locations, such as continental Europe and even
across the isles in Britain. The Celt language is a direct
sub-branch from
Formation
of Irish