During the 13th century, various Anglo-Norman adventurers succeeded in firmly establishing themselves in Ireland, either by assisting or suppressing native clans. The descendants of these settlers gradually became identified with the native Irish, whose language, habits, and laws they adopted to an increasing extent. To counteract this, the Anglo-Irish Parliament passed, in 1366, the Statute of Kilkenny, decreeing excommunication and heavy penalties against all those who followed the custom of, or allied themselves with, the native Irish. Numerous religious and cultural battles followed during the Norman period, when Ireland was ruled by English nobility.
The history of Ireland (Eire) after the union was principally concerned with the struggle for Irish civic and religious freedom and for separation from the United Kingdom. Growing tension and resentment in Ireland over British rule and the question of Irish independence set in motion a chain of events that came to be known as the Irish Revolution. Conflicts between nationalists, who wanted a completely independent Irish republic, and unionists, who wished to remain under British control, led to the establishment of armed paramilitary groups in both areas of the island. The threat of civil war between the factions over the question of Irish independence was imminent. This crisis was temporarily averted, however, by the outbreak of World War I, and representatives of both groups supported the British war effort against Germany. However, one splinter group of the nationalist faction refused to join the war effort. Instead, they initiated the Easter Rebellion of 1916, capturing the city of Dublin and declaring the independence of Ireland.
A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare, that in 1921, resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, led to the historic power-sharing agreement in 2007.
